If you could remove sports from the Olympics...

[Sophie Days]

Most of the comments about what to eliminate are based on ignorance, and none more so than with the physical demands of sailing.

But the 'best' argument to eliminate sailing has to be the one because the 'wind is doing the propelling'. If you accept that precedent it's going to make a bugger of the winter olympics ! I'm sorry folks, but skiing, ski jumping, bob sleigh, luge, etc have all been eliminated as gravity does the moving.

[Mr Larrington]

That completely incomprehensible version of rounders.

"Modern" pentathlon.  It's about as modern as a stovepipe hat.  Who's for post-modern pentathlon¹

1 - this would involve hill rallying, powerboat racing, shooting (with a shoulder-held anti-tank rocket), bomb disposal and boxing (with civilians in pubs in Aldershot)

[mattc]

Most of the comments about what to eliminate are based on ignorance, and none more so than with the physical demands of sailing.

Being 'demanding' doesn't get you entry to this game. Motorsport is very demanding, but it's obvious that they don't have a good claim.
If chess was played with barbells, they could make the same claims the sailing fans do.

But the 'best' argument to eliminate sailing has to be the one because the 'wind is doing the propelling'. If you accept that precedent it's going to make a bugger of the winter olympics ! I'm sorry folks, but skiing, ski jumping, bob sleigh, luge, etc have all been eliminated as gravity does the moving.

I like your thinking - send the Yngling off to the Winter Olympics. Now THAT sounds demanding

Sophie, please don't think everyone wants to get rid of sports they don't like or are ignorant of. I'm a massive fan of F1, cricket and tennis - none of these make good olympic sports.

[Mr Larrington]

I like your thinking - send the Yngling off to the Winter Olympics. Now THAT sounds demanding

ISTR PJ O'Rourke recommending that the Americas Cup be held in Aspen, Colorado...

[Maffie]

Id probably get rid of what I dont like watching so Volleyball and the shooting was a bit dull (cant see the point in shooting a still target give me a clay anyday)

Cant get rid of the sailing its hard work getting those boats into the right position for the wind and water.

Hmmm was watching the mens canoeing this morning and they were saying how they sometimes fall in due to lack of balance during powerful strokes and I was just willing them to fal in....... would of been more fun 

[geraldc]

I'd hate to be in charge of selecting which sports are olympic worthy or not.

I like minority sports, and it's good to seem them recognised, however while I support things like archery, taekwondo and even synchronised swimming, I find it hard to support things like ballroom dancing and 10 pin bowling that keep trying to get Olympic status.

If you look at synchronised swimming as a cross between gymnastics and swimming, it's a lot easier to accept it as sport, rather than a bunch of school girls with nose clips and big smiles splashing around in the pool.

I will watch any televised Olympic sport (with the exception of dressage) so I'm not the best person to judge.

[Frenchie]

Synchronised swimming is very physical; again the issue is on the marking of it... (viz. gymnastics).

Shooting hits the martial element of the olympics too. So does sailing and it also scores on the physical side, esp. Laser racing.

I think that removing sports ion the basis that one doesn't like it isn't the question asked here; rather what I was intending to ask was in the context of the olympic ideal and concept.

[BornAgainCyclist]

Following on from Gonzo's thread, I'd remove all sport that does not abide by the citius, altius, fortius motto:

tennis, football, basket ball... for a start.

I think we should have a new Olympic sport called "Feather ruffling", instead of a starting gun we could use this post

[dkahn400]

Being 'demanding' doesn't get you entry to this game. Motorsport is very demanding, but it's obvious that they don't have a good claim.
If chess was played with barbells, they could make the same claims the sailing fans do.

But that would be a false claim as the physical difficulty would be entirely artificial. In sailing it's a necessary part of the sport. Of course this is not the case when the winds are very light as they have been for much of the Olympic regatta. Even then it remains a huge test of skill although with a greater element of luck. In sailing you need a boat and you need water. In chess you don't actually need a chess board or pieces at master level. (Waits for Wowbagger to comment.)

Actually, chess has a reasonable claim to Olympic status. Unlike gymnastics, synchronised swimming and boxing you do not need a judge to decide the winner. (Again, waits for Wowbagger).

What about chessboxing as an Olympic sport? It seems the perfect classical test of mind and body. Of course it still suffers from the problem of potentially being decided on boxing points. Oops, wrong thread. This is supposed to be sports for removal.

[Greenbank]

OK, how is this for a "higher/faster/stronger" test.

An event isn't "higher/faster/stronger" if it could be won by women if men and women competed against each other.

(Note that I'm not saying that this should happen, it's just a theoretical test).

[mattc]

Being 'demanding' doesn't get you entry to this game. Motorsport is very demanding, but it's obvious that they don't have a good claim.
If chess was played with barbells, they could make the same claims the sailing fans do.

But that would be a false claim as the physical difficulty would be entirely artificial. In sailing it's a necessary part of the sport.

Waits for enormous yacht skipper to comment.

Or the disabled lass wot I saw on the telly earlier, strapped in and steering with negligible force.

(Again I stress I have nothing against sailing, or even having it on telly!)

[Frenchie]

I don't see how chess is part of the olympic ideal?! Where are the physical challenge and the notion of physical excellence for example? The latter exist in gymnastics.

[Sophie Days]

Or the disabled lass wot I saw on the telly earlier, strapped in and steering with negligible force.

Everything is power assisted; she's only operating the control systems with her breath.

[Ian H]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the physical, martial side of what is (or was) an Olympic sport. To me this removes a number of sports which I see as purely games.

Hmm. I seem to recall that they're referred to, at least in this country, as the Olympic Games.

[Frenchie]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the physical, martial side of what is (or was) an Olympic sport. To me this removes a number of sports which I see as purely games.

Hmm. I seem to recall that they're referred to, at least in this country, as the Olympic Games.

Indeed. But you know what I meant: Football is a game; is a 100 m a game?

[mattc]

Or the disabled lass wot I saw on the telly earlier, strapped in and steering with negligible force.

Everything is power assisted; she's only operating the control systems with her breath.

Thanks Sophie - I couldn't remember the detail.

This is my point - you could sail completely with power assistance. And presumably the boats are not designed to be deliberately hard work, so I stand by my chess-with-barbells analogy.

Somebody once said that cricket would not get you fit, but the fitter you are the better you will play - I think this applies to motorsport, sailing, horse-riding etc ... All contests which are more skill than brawn in their essence.

[dkahn400]

Or the disabled lass wot I saw on the telly earlier, strapped in and steering with negligible force.

Everything is power assisted; she's only operating the control systems with her breath.

Thanks Sophie - I couldn't remember the detail.

This is my point - you could sail completely with power assistance. And presumably the boats are not designed to be deliberately hard work, so I stand by my chess-with-barbells analogy.

Chess with barbells is a game with equipment that has been deliberately designed to make it harder to use.

Dinghy sailing is a sport with equipment that necessarily takes physical effort to use.

Power assisted dinghy sailing is a sport with equipment that has been modified to minimise the physical effort required by the human operator while introducing compromises that reduce the maximum efficiency of that equipment for its primary purpose.

The chess-with-barbells analogy is invalid.

[dkahn400]

I don't see how chess is part of the olympic ideal?! Where are the physical challenge and the notion of physical excellence for example? The latter exist in gymnastics.

Why does it have to be a physical challenge? Chess is a pure contest between two intellects. Additionally the outcome of a match is an objective fact, not a matter of an expert's opinion.

[Frenchie]

I don't see how chess is part of the olympic ideal?! Where are the physical challenge and the notion of physical excellence for example? The latter exist in gymnastics.

Why does it have to be a physical challenge? Chess is a pure contest between two intellects. Additionally the outcome of a match is an objective fact, not a matter of an expert's opinion.

Not the greek idea of the olympics.

[Sophie Days]

you could sail completely with power assistance.

You could cycle with complete power assistance - in fact it's called motor - cycling.

Doesn't however invalidate cycling as a sport.

[Wowbagger]

I don't see how chess is part of the olympic ideal?! Where are the physical challenge and the notion of physical excellence for example? The latter exist in gymnastics.

Chess has its own Olympiad. I think it takes place very 2 years.

I think that swimmers should not receive the medals but the scientists who design the material for the costumes.

[scott]

From the list on the 2008 Olympics site, and obviously to be taken with a great deal of sober seriousness and gravitas:

Archery [abstracted violence left in for the sake of inconsistency; see below]
Athletics [everything except race-walking, just because it looks really painful]
Badminton [silly; therefore stays]
Baseball [boring team sport]
Basketball [boring team sport]
Beach Volleyball [boring team sport]
Boxing [pointless violence]
Canoe/Kayak Flatwater
Canoe/Kayak Slalom [real rivers only]
Cycling BMX
Cycling Mountain Bike
Cycling Road
Cycling Track
Diving [subjective]
Equestrian [subjective]
Fencing [poncy violence]
Football [boring team sport]
Gymnastics Artistic [subjective]
Gymnastics Rhythmic [do you really need to ask?]
Trampoline [I had no idea this was an Olympic sport]
Handball [see previous]
Hockey [boring team sport]
Judo [see Taekwando; must achieve Japan-Korea parity]
Modern Pentathlon [neigh]
Rowing
Sailing
Shooting
Softball
Swimming
Synchronized Swimming [see Gymnastics Rhythmic]
Table Tennis [what’s next, pinball?]
Taekwondo [probably subjective]
Tennis [boring, but must have one terrestrial ball-hitting sport]
Triathlon
Volleyball [boring team sport]
Water Polo [insert horse joke here]
Weightlifting [yawn]
Wrestling [pointless violence]


FWIW, I once told Robyn that I only like sports that require a map.

[Frenchie]

I don't see how chess is part of the olympic ideal?! Where are the physical challenge and the notion of physical excellence for example? The latter exist in gymnastics.

Chess has its own Olympiad. I think it takes place very 2 years.

So does Mathematics; not quite the Greek olympics though.

[Frenchie]

From the list on the 2008 Olympics site, and obviously to be taken with a great deal of sober seriousness and gravitas:

I see that... 

Fencing
[...]
Judo
Modern Pentathlon
Rowing
Sailing
Shooting
[...]
Taekwondo
Triathlon
[...]
Weightlifting
Wrestling

All "martial" sports in the spirit of the Greek olympics though...

[eck]

This may be something badly remembered from long ago, but ISTR that the only sports that the IOC insist on being included in the games are athletics, swimming and boxing.

Or did I just make that up?