from the Olympic competition program, I seriously wondered at their reasoning. We (the observers) of the games can surely think of a few other sports that are less coupled to the "games" themselves. Not trying to dismiss the favorite sport of someone else, but wrestling? That was one of the original sports 'fer crying out loud!
Not only is wrestling one of the oldest sports, but it is one that does not require participants to have a lot of money or wealthy sponsorship. All you need is a coach and a place to practice. It's really hard to think of a group of people having the same level of arrogance and stupidity as the IOC, but those euro-clowns that gave the Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore come to mind...
What a joke the IOC has become. I sincerely hope that wrestling is reinstated. I can think of a few other "sports" that should be retired.
Maybe they should do what they did with Olympic basketball and allow professional wrestlers to participate in the Olympics.
I could do without badminton, and/or dressage (equestrian ballet). What are those two doing in the list? Not the most "riveting" of competitions, even Romney didn't go and watch his wife's horse compete. If your spouse has a horse in the competition, and you choose to do something else when the competition is on, how important a "sport" is this?
Synchronized swimming and that new trampoline bouncing event should be dropped too. I still can't believe that baseball and softball have been dropped either. Those games are played in many parts of the world except Europe. Well maybe that's why I guess.
To be honest I do not think "Team" sports where you compete defensively and offensively should be in the Olympic's period. Except for women's beach vollyball of course, thats a classic!
Except for women's beach vollyball of course, thats a classic! AND Women's Water Polo with the under water cameras!
Most odd. When I look at pictures of those Greek urns that depict the original Olympic games, there are always images of Greeks 'rassling.
Rugby? What's that? Something like keep-a-way with a football isn't it. As for the dropping of wrestling, I guess it's all in the name of Progress. That or what sells the commercial time. The "Games" of Ping Pong & Badminton are a huge draw in Japan and China (think one of them is actually the National Sport), not that I'd sit too long and watch. Seems to me I heard that Golf was going to be added as an exhibition sport. I like Golf but Really? I enjoyed the Games a lot more years ago when the Athletes were amateurs. Okay, okay, those Women from Russia were suspect, but once they started including professional basketball players and opened up the gates for every pastime as an "Olympic" sport I've slowly lost interest. That and the pathetic TV coverage. Hours and hours of the same venue interspersed with monotonous diatribe by 'experts' explaining to us (as they read off a teleprompter) the History of Speed Walking. With 30 seconds or so given to the "Not So Popular" sports like the Biathlon or Archery.
That would be show stopper for me, unless it involved the women and copious amounts of mud. I believe that is the primitive form of football. And when I say "football," I don't mean that form of team kickball that we call soccer. If they want to increase ratings, perhaps they should add greased pig wrestling or donkey basketball.
Seems im going against the grain here...but this is the "Modern" Olympics...in my not-so-humble opinion ALL the old, or more correctly all the sports that are no longer played or competed should be dropped...no ones sees, or wants to see the Javelin, Discus, Hammer, most running events, diving, synchronized swimming, yes wrestling and even cycling...its all old hat stuff thats not on television because no one wants to watch it...then the same people get "antsy" when someone wants to drop it...Well if they like it, then why dont they turn up to the competitions every week? They do for (the many forms of ) football, cricket, basketball, baseball, rugby etc etc...We are living in the hangover from the Roman empire still! (Yes i know it originated in Greece - but its the Italians that brought this sort of stuff to the "world" or what it was back then).
Hey...if the world luvs L/FB then yes...why not? The Olympics can no longer afford to live in a sentimental bubble...it has to start acting like a business...Something the Sydney Olympics taught the world....
How could anyone be against a sport that involves throwing dangerous objects in the midst of an oval track filled with inattentive athletes who are one random mistake from starring in a YouTube video?