Which Olympic sport is the worst?

[lucky number 7]

In fairness, you are a bit of a minger.

Apparently threatening a dreadlocked gobshite with a headbutt if he bumped into me again in the queue was not a great way to ensure admission

 

[LittleGuy]

Andrea Lo Cicero actually wants to take up sailing competitively after his retirement from rugby he wants to try and make it to the 2016 or 2020 Olympics in it.

http://www.sailingandtravel.it/en/20120208426/storie-e-interviste/andrea-lo-cicero-un-futuro-nella-vela.html

 

[admartian]

Greco Roman Wrestling - try explaining the difference between this and freestyle without Googling

Greco Roman is more clinch-based wrestling with emphasis on takedowns in close-combat situations; using leverage and body position (similar to judo).

Freestyle is more aligned with controlling an opponent on the gronud, by pinning their backs (similar to BJJ, though much less emphasis on submissions/breaking limbs).


ON TOPIC:

Dressage. Synchronised swimming.

All the others, I think would/have serve some sort of survival or practical aspect. For the most part. Or at least display some sort of feat of human endurance/ability. Even though soccer (*aherm* Football from the european folks on the board ) makes my eyes bleed. :lol:

 

[nickdnz]

What's a little off topic but something that's always annoyed me, is the double standards in professional athletes and amatures.

Football is very dumb. An age restriction. So dumb. It's supposed to be the pinnacle of sport, either keep it in without the age restrictions (which is like three people per squad over 23 or something). Make it so the best can compete if they wish too (which because players are contracted to professional clubs, the best won't always compete).

Tennis can have fully professional players competing, but if you've had a professional boxing match then you can't compete in boxing. How much more interesting would boxing be if you saw the best boxers in the world compete against each other? Even if there was head protection. Right now all the Olympics does for boxing is delay professional careers so they can go for a gold. If professional boxers want to forgo the money to compete in the Olympics, then good on them.

 

[Feicarsinn]

The Olympics hasn't been the pinnacle of the football world since the 1920's, don't kid yourself. No one would pretend it is. Essentially it's a token event. You can't what is supposedly the world's best sporting event without the world's most popular sport. But, considering that the European championships are on in the same year, the Olympics is always going to take a back seat in the eyes of the big European teams. No one is going to want to send out the international team for 3 months of solid football in what is supposed to be the players' rest period, especially if it could effect the team's chances in the Euro's.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Why is there not an option - All of the Above???

the only olympic event I watch is Pole Vault - Women's Pole Vault:

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I voted -other - because of 'walking' in track and field which is just a farce and how I always used to loath waiting for the 'F00@#r$' to finish delaying the schedule so that the real athletes could do their thing.

 

[welshglory]

Why is there not an option - All of the Above???

the only olympic event I watch is Pole Vault - Women's Pole Vault:
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Agreed

I watch the 100m final, women's pole vault... thats about it

 

[ZeFrenchy]

I could stay all day watching the olympics... if I had a TV set.

The boring events (there are a few, but not many) can serve to go to the toilettes or to eat something.

 

[Teh Mite]

I like the Womens beach volleyball. For what that's worth.

 

[gingergenius]

annoying about the olympics:

1. Football being an olympic sport, for all the reasons stated above.
2. Tennis being an olympic sport, for much the same reasons.
3. Walking & synchronised swimming being considered sports at all.
4. Dressage, floor routines in gymnastics.
5. beach volleyball... the laws restricting it to bathing suits are ridiculous. The irony is that every man in the country gets excited and makes the joke about wanting tickets to the beach volleyball, when half the athletes on the running track are wearing less clothing. And why go to sport to be ***illated when you get to see way more in the internet?

other than that, the amount of swimming events there are is very tedious.

 

[psychic duck]

annoying about the olympics:

1. Football being an olympic sport, for all the reasons stated above.
2. Tennis being an olympic sport, for much the same reasons.
3. Walking & synchronised swimming being considered sports at all.
4. Dressage, floor routines in gymnastics.
5. beach volleyball... the laws restricting it to bathing suits are ridiculous. The irony is that every man in the country gets excited and makes the joke about wanting tickets to the beach volleyball, when half the athletes on the running track are wearing less clothing. And why go to sport to be ***illated when you get to see way more in the internet?

other than that, the amount of swimming events there are is very tedious.

this post matches my views

for 4 do you mean the rhythmic gymnastics with the dance with the ribbons, hoops and balls?

I also agree about swimming, with all the different types of swimming (breast stroke, crawl, backstroke, butterfly, mixed races which have more than one style, relays) there are multiple chances of for medals and Phelps can win 8 of them

if you added a running backwards race, a crawling race and a hopping race to the athletics how many golds would Usain Bolt win? that's the equivalent of what happens in swimming

 

[LittleGuy]

The one sport I'm surprised hasn't gotten off their duff and made a better World Cup for themselves is Basketball, there are actually a ton of countries that play and I think it would draw OK crowds(even if I myself am not a big fan). Having your own World Cup event is so much better than tying yourself down with the IOC.

One only needs look at the success of the Soccer, Rugby, and to a lesser extent Cricket and Baseball(called World Classic but same thing) have had in hosting their own major events surely Basketball could draw a worldwide audience that would justify this and the tournament could have more teams since it could be spaced out over a month and not two weeks.

 

[Nielsch]

Race walking of course.

And the quadrillion swimming events...

 

[psychic duck]

Does anybody like to watch (or to do) Race Walking?

you would get some odd looks walking in that way around your local park I think

 

[nickdnz]

The one sport I'm surprised hasn't gotten off their duff and made a better World Cup for themselves is Basketball, there are actually a ton of countries that play and I think it would draw OK crowds(even if I myself am not a big fan). Having your own World Cup event is so much better than tying yourself down with the IOC.

One only needs look at the success of the Soccer, Rugby, and to a lesser extent Cricket and Baseball(called World Classic but same thing) have had in hosting their own major events surely Basketball could draw a worldwide audience that would justify this and the tournament could have more teams since it could be spaced out over a month and not two weeks.

There is. FIBA Basketball World Cup. USA just doesn't enter their best possible team.

 

[Glasgow_88]

There is. FIBA Basketball World Cup. USA just doesn't enter their best possible team.

They do now that FIBA changed the rules that the Winner World Cup gets an automatic place in the Olympics. It means USA pull out of the Pan America championship.

2010 they won the World Championship with players like Rose, LeBron, Wade, Durant on there team i wouldn't say that a weak team.

Football at the olympics is the least important in it's sport I would go as far to say that Under 20 World Cup is more important than the Olympics Under 23 Tournament (Though i think 2/3 Over 23's are allowed in the squad).

I don't know how important Tennis is at the Olympics though i have a feeling that it shouldn't be an Individual tournament i think something like the Davis Cup team would be better.

 

[LittleGuy]

There is. FIBA Basketball World Cup. USA just doesn't enter their best possible team.

Hopefully they start to focus some more on it there are quite a few countries that are competitive even the United States is no longer unbeatable(unlike 15-20 years ago), I vaguely remember Canada playing Lithuania in an exciting game back then in 2010 but over here they advertised it as "Olympic Qualifying" which insinuated it was second fiddle to the Olympics.

The same thing with the US team happens at the World Baseball Classic a bunch of American players declare themselves inelgible or injured then when the team does poorly the built in excuse come into play, a lot of American fans want to get rid of it as well, although it would probably quickly change if the win the 2013 edition.

 

[gingergenius]

They do now that FIBA changed the rules that the Winner World Cup gets an automatic place in the Olympics. It means USA pull out of the Pan America championship.

2010 they won the World Championship with players like Rose, LeBron, Wade, Durant on there team i wouldn't say that a weak team.

Football at the olympics is the least important in it's sport I would go as far to say that Under 20 World Cup is more important than the Olympics Under 23 Tournament (Though i think 2/3 Over 23's are allowed in the squad).

I don't know how important Tennis is at the Olympics though i have a feeling that it shouldn't be an Individual tournament i think something like the Davis Cup team would be better.

did i mention i used to go out with luol deng's cousin? hhahaaa

 

[smartcooky]

I'll defend the inclusion of equestrian sports in the Olympics.

The original Olympic sports were Athletics, Cycling, Fencing, Gymnastics, Shooting, Swimming, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.

Equestrian as an Olympic sport goes back to 1900, coming in at the same time as Football, Rugby, Archery and Pelota (a basque game) and therefore predates the vast majority of the other Olympic sports we see today

But equestrian sports go back over 6000 years as there is evidence of the use of bits in the horse's mouth dating from that time. Horse sports are certainly more ancient than most other sports. It has hardly changed in its basics over that time. A straight bar snaffle bit used in Roman times for chariot racing is virtually indistinguishable (apart from material used) from one used today in general riding.