Sports that should be in Olympics

[Mongoose]

Originally Posted by Rachael

There are few things better than a truly technical sport... like triple-jumping

So triple-jumping has nothing to do with physical strength either? Nothing to do with explosive strength? Try taking a weakling with perfect technique and get them to triple-jump even 10 metres.

On the wider issue of sports / games ... I believe that a sport should be defined as an activity where some sort of physical skill determines who is best. Darts is a sport. It is physical skill that counts. Chess is a game. It is an activity carried out for fun. But it is thought processes, not physical skill, that determines the winner. You don't have to be athletic to be a good archer. You don't necessarily have to be athletic to be a good boxer or cricketer.

If you want to see only athletic people competing, then there's a sport you'll like: it's called 'athletics'. Most sports combine a mixture of skill and athleticism. If your skill gives you an advantage that outweighs your opponent's superior athleticism, fine. That's the way it should be. If you've equal skill, then the more athletic person will win in most sports. Again, that's the way it should be. If sport was all about athleticism, then we can forget about cricket, football tennis etc, and everyone should be made to see how fast they can run. End of.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

So archery and shooting shouldnt be in then either ??? Painting it witha very broard brush, isnt archery just "big" darts ? Look at the size of the targets for arcgery then a treble twenty ? Give me 20 goes with a olympic standrs bow and twenty goes with darts and I cant honestly say which I'd do best in. Smacks of snobbery, or even "lardism"

And while I'm at that stupid ****ing about gymnastic thing with the ribbon ??? What the **** is that all about ??? I'd rather have olympic standrd poker than that nonsnense. From the surface, free sychronised diving looking pants as well.

Beach vollyball. some perv in the IOC gave that the nod and that definately inst anything more than an oppotunity for the dirty macks to look at scantily clad, sweaty young ladies dive a round a beach without getting arrested.

I believe clay pigeon shoooting is an olympic sport. Bollocks is it ! Its a sunday afternoon romp for the green welly brigade, or an afternoon off for an office awayday. Even Mikey tutill of american chopper fame (its on dicovery - dead funny) did well at that, and he's crap at everything bar eating. If thats in this year, expect team lazer quest next year.

And as for 10 pin bowling...........

Now if that miriad of rubbish is here is good reason for 20/20 cricket and snooker to be in too !

[Mongoose]

It's for the IOC (bless 'em) to decide which sports they want in the Olympics. I was simply trying to point out that there's more to sport than being athletic. Skill counts for something too.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

Skill counts for a lot of things mongoose. My tirade was aimed at the IOC rather than your good self, and there a great deal of "traditional" sports like archery which will never get targeted to get binned, yet darts just gets laughed at.

[Mongoose]

Ah, I begin to fathom your drift. Yes, there do appear to be double standards, or at least hazy logic, applied when selecting Olympic sports. The beach volleyball thing is a blatant TV-pleasing exercise.

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Richie Benauds Love Child

And while I'm at that stupid ****ing about gymnastic thing with the ribbon ??? What the **** is that all about ???

What is that about. I could dance around with a ribbon. I'm not a huge fan of horse-riding stuff. It's a form of cruelty to animals I believe. The horse does all the hard work whilst some toff - who looks like a horse - sits on it's back and then takes all the credit. I think it's ludicrous that a horse is forced to memorise complicated fence-courses! It's disgusting. Any one can sit on a horse!

[Milo]

Originally Posted by Rachael

I've no objection to games... but let's keeps them seperate from sports: let's keep snooker and darts alongside tiddlywinks and dominoes... and lump golf in there for good measure.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact we have world champions at these sports. If golf isn't a sport....then neither is cricket. We did establish on this board that batting is all about hitting the ball (and hence the use of a runner if a batsman gets injured).

When we eventually win a football tournament, I look forward to your argument for relegating this to a mere 'game'.

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Rachael

I've no objection to games... but let's keeps them seperate from sports: let's keep snooker and darts alongside tiddlywinks and dominoes... and lump golf in there for good measure.

A definition of a sport - which I think Mongoose - may have stated earlier, is a game involving some sort of high physical skill. It's obvious to me that snooker and darts is a sport. Just because the people playing don't have to run around as fast as they can doesn't mean it's not both technical and physically skillful.

Comparing darts and snooker to dominoes is ridiculous and I take offence at that, considering I play both snooker and darts and appreciate the difficulty, as well as the amount of work required, to reach a high, professional, standard.

A computer can beat me at dominoes, I have yet to find one that can beat me at darts (even though I'm not that good).

[Kirsty Harris]

I would say that sports in the olympic games should only be those for whom winning represents the pinacle of the sporting career for those taking part - so no to tennis and football for instance. I think less well known sports, like sailing and archery add a new dimension to the game, and provide an opporytunity for those sports to attract more interest and popularity. It rewards their hard work and dedication to the sport; and means a huge amount to them.

I don't rule out all team sports, after all wasn't Steve Redgrave part of a 'team' thoroughout his wonderful career. And he is the dictonary definition of an Olympian. For him, the gold medal at the olympics is what drove him throughout his career.

For tennis and football teams, for the main part it is a side event to the main events they compete in. There is nothing wrong with a footballer considering the world cup more important than the Olympic games, but it does indicate to me that the Olympic games are not for them.

[Lemming]

I think the IOC have to go one of two ways. They either:

(a) Choose to reduce the number of events and cut out all "non-traditional" ones. This would leave the Olympic games as close to as the ancient Greeks would have wanted it, obviously with modern interpretations. I would have no problem with that so long as the rule was obeyed.

OR

(b) Choose to include all sports that are participated at a wide level across the world and has as good a case as any other to become an Olympic event. Now I'm not saying darts or snooker should fall into this category (I actually remember hearing snooker will soon be a tester event, though), but golf definitely would. And if beach volleyball is included then most stuff can be.

The IOC can't include some stuff but then not others that have the same participatory levels and audience. They should either cut to a more traditional Olympics (Athletics, Swimming, Shooting, I dunno) or include practically everything!