Archaic Olympic Events

[3113]

It is no surprise that many countries' competitors are in the military because they get paid to train and are counted as Phys Ed. Instructors.

The Biatholon is really training for mountain troops.

Ah! Didn't know that. Makes a lot of sense. And that explains why Biatholon is still in the games--if there are still such mountain troops then there'd certainly be competition between them--and folk interested in seeing as well as participating in that competition.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

It couldn't be much more of a waste of a time than it already is. Why doesn't someone try it. Without all the padding, and take out the time-outs, make the game only last the 1 hour its supposed to last.

Brit

NFl style football is a very demanding sport. Not just physically, but mentally. It's very close to live action chess, where the pieces don't neccissarily win because of size.

 

[SummerMorning]

Well, I certainly understand wanting to statisfy the northern climates who take great pride in their particular sports by having a Winter Olympics. It seems only fair to honor such sports. Although I suspect it was originally a bit bias (racist even?). Any nation could send a runner to the Summer Olympics, but piror to international travel and indoor skating rinks it used to be pretty unthinkable for some place like Egypt to send a skier to the Winter Olympics.

Racist bias? Not really. Geographical bias, more likely.

 

[3113]

Racist bias? Not really. Geographical bias, more likely.

Yes, certainly. And I won't say that anyone was intentially racist/bias. But equally certainly, the folk who recreated and got our modern Olympics going *were* all white, western folk (and I think males), AND they certainly didn't try to put in any sports bias to very warm climates--involving, say, desert crossing? Surfing even?

When they thought of sports and civilization, their minds went for sports practiced by western civilizations. Which is why we have Olympic fencing matches which might include Japanese fencers...but no Olympic Samuri sword matches.

That may not be the best example, but my point is simply that back in the day, there was a geographical bias that wasn't just Northern climate oriented--but also white/western civlization oriented. That's certainly changed over the years (there's Olympic Karate, afterall) and I think the modern Olympics are becoming more truely international every go-around.

 

[R. Richard]

Skis for downhill events are not cheap, nor is the clothing. Sponsorship is necessary. Snowboarders are probably the closest to amateurs in the Winter Olympics but even they need sponsorship for time to practice and their equipment.

It is no surprise that many countries' competitors are in the military because they get paid to train and are counted as Phys Ed. Instructors.

Og

Some years back a French skier was no longer able to qualify for the French Olympic team. As a result, he lost his job as a Customs Inspector. He went to the French equivalent of the Civil Service and filed a protest because he was doing a good job as a Customs Inspector. He was turned down because, "The job is reserved for a member of the national ski team."

 

[oggbashan]

During my management career I employed two Olympic hopefuls. The other employees had to cover their work when they were competing. It was fortunate for me that the staff and their unions considered that it was a privilege to have such sports people working with them. No one ever complained that the athletes weren't pulling the weight at work.

The company I was working for had a generous policy about time off for sporting competitions. Even so, the rules had to be stretched from time to time.

Og

 

[Vincent E]

And there are really fascinating things that people do with their bodies and heartbeats and breathing--circus folk, Yogis, deep sea pearl divers...but I don't see what they do being made into an Olympic sport.

Just give it time.

The games today, both winter and summer, are not played by "amateurs" who are merely trying to represent their country in peaceful competition. The competitors are highly trained athletes who dedicate most of their lives preparing for year-round competition. The perks for competing and winning in the Olympics are far greater than that feeling of satisfaction in having represented their countries. The financial benefits for winners are great, which is the reason tha cheating (steroids, blood doping, bribing judges) has become so prevalent.

I get what 3113 is saying. And Og's point about bithalon is true; then again most of the events in the summer games were originally martial in nature: boxing, wrestling, fencing, equestrian, pentathlon (heptathlon,) archery, shooting, and trck and field events.

(Women's bobsledding is on as I write this)

In an age in which militaries are dependent upon mechanized transportation, smart bombs, flight, and satellite gathered intelligence, keeping alive the spirit of horesback riding and marksmanship is indeed archaic.

Then again, maybe those are exactly the evens that should be included. Ice hockey is being played worldwide these days. If not for the best hockey players going to Torino there would be a game broadcast every night of the week in North America and most of Europe too, I suppose. We have more basketball in the US than anyone can watch without losing his job, and baseball has gown in popularity worldwide so much so that there is going to be a World Baseball Classic this year. Do we really need to have these as Olympic events?

Maybe a focus on the sports that are essentially supported by true amateur athletes would bring back the original emphasis of the games. Hurling is essentially an amateur sports played in these parts to no one's notice.

"Hey, what are those guys doing over there with those funny looking sticks?"

"They must be playing lacrosse."

"Nope. It's not lacrosse. They don't have webbing on the sticks, and they're firing the ball into a field hockey net."

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Not surprisingly, the Olympics are rather political, and aside from the obvious must-have winter sports like downhill skiing and ipeed skating, nations tend to lobby for those events they happen to be good at. The more clout you have, the more likely you are to get your favorite events included.

Don't know if it's true or not, but I'd heard that biathlon was put in specifically for the Finns, whose military training involves skiing and shooting almost exclusively.

Bad as the winter olympics are, the summer games are even worse. I mean, who plays team handball except at the Olympics? Even Jai Allai's more popular than team handball. I understand that they're dropping softball from the next summer games because no one plays it but Americans, and they'll replace it with someone else. Arm wrestling, maybe. Or tiddlywinks. Maybe kite-flying.

At one time, the Olympics included a tug of war. You don't see that any more either.

 

[chris 44]

I hear there's talk about introducing Highboard Diving into the Winter Olympics, initially as a 'show' sport to fill in the gaps between the Hockey and Curling matches. Antonio Samaranch said he reckons it should be a colourful addition to the Winter Olympic programme.

Could that colour possibly be red ?

 

[3113]

I hear there's talk about introducing Highboard Diving

Um...meaning what? Diving into what? Ice water or a bucket?

 

[3113]

Don't know if it's true or not, but I'd heard that biathlon was put in specifically for the Finns, whose military training involves skiing and shooting almost exclusively.

So...do the Finns usually win?

Arm wrestling, maybe. Or tiddlywinks. Maybe kite-flying.

I'd watch tiddlywinks!

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I don't know if they win or not. They make a hell of a cell phone though.

The thing that concerns me now about the winter Olympics is how much smaller those sleds can get. The have skeleton now, which is about the size of a cafeteria tray. I want to see them go down that course on a soup spoon or a couple of chop sticks.

 

[3113]

The thing that concerns me now about the winter Olympics is how much smaller those sleds can get.

My husband saw the Germans getting into the 2-man bobsled and said, "They're going down in a coke can?"

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

Well, geographic bias. Hmm, how could there be a geographical bias at the WINTER games? Hmmm, beats me. Same as how there could be a bias for the SUMMER games. If you have more snow, you'll do better in the winter, more sun, better in summer. That seems to be the rule. It's why Finland doesn't do so hot in the Summer Olympics, but is a powerhouse here.

And the archaic sports allow us for a time to escape the cold traps of "allowed" sports our television revolves around. For a brief 2-3 week period every 2 years, we can see for about 15 minutes before snowboarding, swimming, running, or figureskating take over the channel, something new and weird where a bunch of buffed out physically fit people who've devoted their lives to a sport that's televised only every 4 years tries to show their mettle.

Biathalon is exciting to watch. Far more, for me, than american football, but american audiences don't care and so it's a rare treat. I suppose it's like going to a Renn Faire and seeing some person whose master of staff fighting or the Joust or swordsmithing or silverwork, whose devoted their life to it and for one brief moment being on the same page. It's archaic, it's not modern and something we've seen a thousand times before until we've gotten sick of it. It's rare, it's interesting, it's a little taste until we return to routine.

That's the appeal, that's why the archaic sports and the weird events. Yes, there are cases when a sport is introduced which favors one country (snowboarding, judo), but it's the rarity of seeing certain sports which makes them special. Only once every 4 years do we see the skeleton or biathalon or luge or ski jumping and I for one enjoy these treats and trying to be there with the atheletes. But then, maybe I'm too short with routine to get sick of it.