Skateboarding for the 2012 London Olympics?

[blakey]

i wouldn't mind it being included
for the following reasons
- it definately takes huge amounts of skill - whether in street or half-pipe

- it's a relatively easy and cheap sport to get started on, then all you need is plenty of practice

- there are, i would guess, literally millions of kids (and some adults too) who skate all the time and are totally into it
while on the other hand some events, like the sailing classes of laser & yngling, have perhaps less than 1000 people globally who participate in their events
making it much easier to win, if you can aford the 100 grand or whatever for the boat, then membership of a yachting club etc etc
basically there are still a few events in the games that are a bit too elitist ( and i'm not usually into the whole "class warrior" thing) - i reckon more people would be interested in the games if the could identify more with some of the events

( p.s. - i wouldn't get rid of the equestrian events myself, plenty of folks still ride horses all over the world, it is kinda traditional and many folk must be interested for those reasons )

 

[dick van cock]

- it's a relatively easy and cheap sport to get started on, then all you need is plenty of practice

- there are, i would guess, literally millions of kids (and some adults too) who skate all the time and are totally into it [...] i reckon more people would be interested in the games if the could identify more with some of the events

Following your logic, the IOC should seriously consider granting Snooker, Darts, Poker and Pocket Pool a slot on the Olympic program.

Objection!

 

[hotlikecandy]

Not a big fan of the Olympics, so firstly I don't care much, but to give it a chance - then sure, include the damn sport! Make it more entertaining.

 

[Robyn_Hood]

I don't think it matters all that much in the end; but if snow boarding is an Olympic sport, then skate boarding should in there, too.
There are other sports I would much rather see added to the list, for instance Ultimate (Frisbee). That would really be an awesome game to add!

 

[blakey]

Following your logic, the IOC should seriously consider granting Snooker, Darts, Poker and Pocket Pool a slot on the Olympic program.

Objection!

nah, you're missing the skill part that's involved in skateboarding - i'm sure most of us have tried it, to a greater or lesser extent, during our youth and it's hard enough to maintain your balance & get the kick/push thing going, then learning to olly is another big step
- i don't consider doing 20 foot of air above the rim of a half pipe to be easy, likewise manuals, kickflips etc etc
these are real "athletic" skills - not what you need for snooker or darts,
but skateboarding, in its present form, is less than 40 years old and is popular with loads of young people - so if there was a demand to get it into the olympics then i say bring it on
(snowboarding, as referred to in a previous post, has had - i would say - an undoubtedly positive effect on the winter olympics)

 

[dick van cock]

but skateboarding, in its present form, is less than 40 years old and is popular with loads of young people - so if there was a demand to get it into the olympics then i say bring it on

The Olympics have two pillars to rest on: Tradition and MONEY!

I don't think, there is enough commercial potential behind a sport like Skateboarding to outweigh its lack of tradition and justify its accession to Olympic status.

Of course, I could be wrong... but why not just have it as a "demonstration event" (anybody ever heard of this?). These are sports not included in the official program, but they get the chance to present themselves to the public in the context of the Olympics. E.g. Barcelona 1992 held demonstration events in Pelota. Some disciplines ascend to Olympic status this way (Taekwondo, Tennis), some don't (Lacrosse).

Before Skateboarding's turn is up, there should be the inclusion of Golf, Squash (hugely popular in Pakistan, India), or Rugby first. Why should it be added when even its regular competitions aren't aired on TV? I doubt, there is enough interest.

And lastly: The only "new" sport added to the Olympics that brought any positive effect in terms of mass appeal and TV ratings is Beach Volleyball. The others are merely footnotes whose champions are soon forgotten (Synchronized Swimming, Trampoline).

 

[Xilo Z]

Ultimate (Frisbee). That would [...] be an awesome game to add

I completely agree!

 

[blakey]

And lastly: The only "new" sport added to the Olympics that brought any positive effect in terms of mass appeal and TV ratings is Beach Volleyball. The others are merely footnotes whose champions are soon forgotten (Synchronized Swimming, Trampoline).

no - snowboarding is a massive addition to the Winter olympics, which has brought higher ratings and mass appeal

don't get me wrong - i'm not "passionate" about skateboarding being included, and i agree it might be worth trying as a demonstration sport

as for other sports, it's a good discussion & one that could go on forever - i guess everyone has their own favourites & ideas - and alot of that's gotta depend on the sports you've grown up with / around
- the thing is the modern olympics were set up by upper class europeans and some of the sports involved still tend to reflect this, so there will probably be a continuing evolution of the sports programme in the future

 

[calpoon]

another reason that you can't compare darts, pool, bowling, etc. to skateboarding is that events are supposed to be based on atheltic ability. those games of sport don't require any physical prowess merely an abilty to acuratly hit a target. Along those same lines I don't think that shooting should be an olympic sport. I only consider archery because there is a small degree of physicality to it (the pulling of the bow) but mostly because it's an ancient technique that was around during the time of greece.

as for things like poker, they require no physical ability at all not even a good eye for measurement. they are entirely based on mental skill and if you want to consider that, then you'd have to add chess first which is a much more traditional and historic and many people would argue mentally challenging game then any other game of skill, in that there is no random chance thats involved in game play. But who the hell wants to watch that?

edit: also "upper class" europeans can bite my bag. that is the reason that no one takes the olympics seriosuly because they have all these bullshit and stacked games that purposely exclude the (second and third) world challengers. Think about the movie Cool Runnings. also, fuck squash. I've never met anyone whos even seen a squash game, let alone played one.

 

[dick van cock]

no - snowboarding is a massive addition to the Winter olympics, which has brought higher ratings and mass appeal

I was talking solely about Summer Games. It's easier for Winter Games to accommodate new entries, since their capacity hasn't reached its utmost limit yet. And yes, Snowboarding is a success (even though I personally rather watch Biathlon or Skating

the thing is the modern olympics were set up by upper class europeans and some of the sports involved still tend to reflect this, so there will probably be a continuing evolution of the sports programme in the future

The evolution has gradually taken place over the course of the last 40 odd years. With the inclusion of Volleyball, Judo and Taekwondo, the Olympics have expanded themselves to the Eastern Asian market, Baseball was meant to increase interest in Pan-Americana (a failed attempt), Squash or Cricket could raise the participation level of Southern Asia. The so-called "Western World" has welcomed new entries as Triathlon and the opening of many events to female participants (the Marathon was exclusively for men until 1984!!!)

The Olympics are popular in large parts of the globe. If some folks aren't interested now, they won't be if Skateboarding is added.

I'd rather see a reform of the football (soccer) tournament, which in its current form doesn't make sense at all....

 

[dick van cock]

edit: also "upper class" europeans can bite my bag. that is the reason that no one takes the olympics seriosuly because they have all these bullshit and stacked games that purposely exclude the (second and third) world challengers.

No, they don't! Athletics is the core event of every Olympic Games. And who takes home the gold medals? The so-called "Third World"... Kenya and Ethiopia out-run every Western nation, and even smaller countries focus on the Olympics if they have only one hopeful competitor in the race.

Some of the greatest Olympians hail from the Third World: Maria Mutola (Mozambique), Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic), Hassiba Boulmerka (Algeria), John Akii-Bua (Uganda), and so on, and so on...

And one of my favorite Olympic moments ever was in 1996 (Atlanta) when the entire Boxing Hall yelled "Tonga, Tonga", just because an unknown, overweight fellow from this remote Pacific island beat the shit out of a Cuban pugilist many had deemed unbeatable. Paea Wolfgram put Tonga on the map of international sports, winning the silver medal (the first ever for his country).

Other examples are Anthony Nesty, who won Suriname's first medal ever. His country's only international airport is named after him... don't make me continue!

The Olympics are a truely global event, as long as at least half of the participating nations see even the slightest chance of winning a medal. This being the case, we don't need yet another Western pastime like Skateboarding on the menu.

 

[calpoon]

and how many curling medals did african nations win? as was previosuly brought up, how many people competed in the yachting and equestrian events?

I'm fine with skateboarding not being added because honestly, I don't see that it is all that relelvent either... but the arguement is once again that all this other unmeritted crap should be in there, and I don't agree with that double standard. If you're going to add boring irrelevent things, at least they should be up on the times, and kick out the other old stuff.

Or else make it more universal sports alltogther. people don't even watch half of the things that are happening anyway; I don't think that some events are even being aired at all. there's no reason not to streamline.

 

[dick van cock]

and how many curling medals did Africa win?

You don't really believe that African nations stand a chance in winter sports?

Europeans shouldn't moan about Ethiopia winning the marathon just like Ethiopians shouldn't complain that they do not succeed in figure skating...

EDIT: Interestingly enough, Ethiopians do not complain about anything. Only their Western "advocates" do...

 

[calpoon]

If europeans can't run fast, that is because they aren't good athletes. that isn't comparable to expecting people that live at the equator or in the desert or in the tropics, or in ther other 80% of the world that has mild climate regions to have a tradition of games that involve ice.

it's precisely for that reason, that the games are a joke, that the winter olympics had to start adding all these other new events in the first place.

I just think that it's dumb and boring that there is one olympics for europeans and americans, and then one for everyone else. I'd rather just see, like I said, more universal sports that anyone can play.

fuck it, that's why I just watch soccer.

 

[dick van cock]

it's precisely for that reason, that the games are a joke, that the winter olympics had to start adding all these other new events in the first place.

But - and that's a big BUT: The Winter Olympics are a completely separate event.

This thread was supposed to cover the 2012 SUMMER Olympics. Where is the exclusion of African athletes if Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe) out-swims her rivals? Where do you see disadvantages of Third World countries if most of their medal winners have a scholarship at US colleges? Why do 100,000 Barbadians dance in the streets of their capital in the night of their first OIympic medal (Obadele Thompson, 2000) if they are oppressed and excluded?

The IOC does its utmost to overcome the economic disadvantages the Third World has to face in sports. Ask Maria Mutola: She competed as a 15-year-old girl in Seoul 1988 and received an IOC scholarship on account of that. She never got tired of giving this as the reason, she became the greatest 800m-runner of the last 25 years.

If the Africans themselves don't complain about Olympic sponsorship - and it is far-reaching - then why should we saturated Westerners take a patronizing stance and tell them what to do or how to feel?

Every little counts. And a man like Haile Gebresilassie has converted his athletic success (read: the money he got out of it) into brilliant economic programs in his native country. Hassiba Boulmerka used her status as an Olympian to voice the oppression of Algerian women. The plight of Abdi Bile has told the world about Somalia's ongoing civil war.

We should celebrate the successes of low-profile nations instead of asking for a desirable, but not realistic world order. Call for change on the political level, if you want the world of sports to change. It simply cannot work the other way 'round. But the little sports can do, it does!

 

[dave_rhino]

Lol Dick VC, why are you debating it so much? I thought you didn't care about my "stupid poll" :1orglaugh

 

[dick van cock]

Lol Dick VC, why are you debating it so much? I thought you didn't care about my "stupid poll" :1orglaugh

I don't care 'bout the poll, but I care about the Olympics, Mr. Rhino!

 

[ckjedi66]

Why not? Snowboarding is very much like skateboarding, and it is becoming more accepted as a mainstream sport then it has been in th past.

 

[tartanterrier]

Skateboarding is much a sport as any other,so it should be in. :thefinger

 

[nothingandless]

i vote yes. why not. i still skateboard and have been for like 12 years. i've suffered countless injuries and continue.
skateboarding is insanely popular again, and has been for at least the past 6 years. if people want to see it, put it in. personally, i'm bored to tears with the olympics and won't watch them regardless.