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Aug 2022
9:32am, 16 Aug 2022
18,681 posts
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larkim
"I've also wondered why there's not a motorsport Olympic:, F1, moto, powerboats, plane racing, bike stunts, etc." Because they are wasteful. And not sports.
Motorsport was in the Olympics once upon a time.
And they are as much sports as cycling, gymnastics, sailing if the mechanical input of the power sources are properly regulated to give equivalence across competitors and "tricks" etc are well regulated and objectively scored.
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Aug 2022
9:33am, 16 Aug 2022
17,999 posts
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rf_fozzy
With all the combo events being suggested, the athletics programme at a major championships would be about 3 weeks long.
Just to fit the heats in with enough break between rounds plus the individuals events...
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Aug 2022
9:34am, 16 Aug 2022
18,682 posts
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larkim
How about a running equivalent of the Keirin - a 5000m where the athletes have to run behind someone in a motorised wheelchair for several laps. 😅
Reinventing the 10k or 5k as an elimination race or something similar could be fun if the best of the best took part.
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Aug 2022
9:35am, 16 Aug 2022
18,683 posts
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larkim
With all the combo events being suggested, the athletics programme at a major championships would be about 3 weeks long. Just to fit the heats in with enough break between rounds plus the individuals events...
Let's not let practicalities get in the way of fun ideas!
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Aug 2022
9:35am, 16 Aug 2022
18,000 posts
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rf_fozzy
"And they are as much sports "
Rubbish!
Here is my rather large petroleum power vehicle. I'm going to drive it.
How is that on the same level as someone physically turning themselves inside out to run a marathon or perform the perfect gymnastics routine?
For climate reasons alone motorsport should be banned.
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Aug 2022
9:44am, 16 Aug 2022
127 posts
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hellywobs
OTOH, why not turn it the opposite way round - do as you say and create more T&F events - contest all the distances at race walking as well as race running, and the same for the field events :-)
My son did race walking and one of the reasons he stopped doing it competitively (as well as late teen laziness and going off to university) was because he didn't want to have to do 20k events. They did have a 10k at the Commonwealth Games, but he'd prefer 2000m and 3000m events, 5k at most. Some local events and county championships have shorter events but if you want to be at the sharp end you have to do longer races. I don't really understand it as you have running events from 60m to ultra but the purists want it that way! At least they've reduced the 50k to 35k for the European championships.
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Aug 2022
9:50am, 16 Aug 2022
18,684 posts
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larkim
We'll have to agree to differ. I don't see that someone shooting arrows at a target, sliding a rock on a curling rink, or diving from a static board is quite the same level as running a marathon either, but I don't doubt them as sports.
Racing cars, bikes, whatever, at high speed (even if the power is sourced from petrol or electricity) is equally as skillful and probably requires higher levels of physical capability than a good chunk of Olympic or Commonwealth Games sports. You don't have to like it (and yes, there are strong climate arguments against it too which are not to be overlooked), but it is a sport.
Now, the way that that sport is organised may diminish some of the sporting aspects (e.g. F1 - where it is unarguable that the money and development put into creating the "best" car has a significant impact on the sporting result), but if you wanted an Olympics motorsport event you could lift formulae or regulations from many "spec" series and remove that issue completely.
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Aug 2022
9:58am, 16 Aug 2022
34,430 posts
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Ocelot Spleens
The Diamond League covers pacing I think. I quite like the idea of an all round throwing event likewise jumping. But in general the idea of athletics is to find someone who is the best at something bring sprinting, middle distance or endurance ( as they all reflect different energy systems, as we know) and the throwing and jumping events are pure technique.
Personally I could not care less about swimming, rock climbing, diving, gymnastics, rowing, but have a bit of time for cycling (perhaps it is because I have tried running, and cycling, see football cricket which I also like a great deal)
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Aug 2022
10:02am, 16 Aug 2022
9,204 posts
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GordonG
Agree with you larkim. While I don't think that competition is necessarily equal to sport (I.e. I wouldn't want to see chess back as an Olympic sport like it once was) I also think most motorsports are clearly sport.
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Aug 2022
10:04am, 16 Aug 2022
18,001 posts
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rf_fozzy
An Olympics just of athletics and cycling would negate the idea of a combined sporting event?
I still think the criteria for inclusion should be the question: is it the pinnacle of the sport?
But having heard the golfers swingers and tennis hitters at Tokyo, I have a new found respect for where most of the hold the tournaments in the pantheon of their sport.
Still not sure Olympic gold > Wimbledon/us open etc for them though
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Elite Athletics Thread
Dec 2024
