Which sports/events do you think should be dropped/included?

[Pigeon_Killer]

Earlier I spent two minutes watching something called Dressage which basically involves a horse jogging around a box. As far as I can tell it appears to be a type of Crufts for Horses but it's not really spectator friendly and as such I'm questioning why it's at the Olympics.

I understand it's the first discipline of Equestrian, with the other two disciplines being Jumping and Eventing, but surely they can replace Dressage with something a bit better? Something like a Royal Rumble/Last Horse standing event would be interesting as would a Total Wipeout style obstacle course involving ramps, jumps, cargo nets and rope ladders.

Joking aside, Equestrian appears to be an event that's been at the Olympics since 1900 and I don't really understand how some sports/events can be included while others aren't. If Dressage is allowed why isn't Crufts for dogs?

Which events do you think should be dropped/included at the Olympics?

Given Weightlifting's an Olympic sport I'd like to see Powerlifting included (raw and heavily drug tested). We'll know who the world's fastest man is when the 100m final takes place but we won't really know who the strongest man is as no such event currently takes place.

 

[robfosters]

Controversial, but I honestly think football should be dropped. Never really understood beach volleyball in the olympics other than the eye candy/ Should just be the normal game.

If archery and shooting is included, why can't darts be? Popular sport, same kind of discipline and we would be guaranteed a medal, maybe even all 3. Snooker should be given a thought as well.

 

[Bennie-Mac]

Football and tennis should be dropped in my opinion. I feel that there is already enough televised high profile competitions/championships that they just feel tacked on because they are popular.

 

[Woden]

Drop shooting and archery, while both obviously require skill they are hardly sports.
Drop football, it has enough tournaments allready.

 

[Judgeneo]

Drop football, equestrian events, possibly tennis.
Add table football, more marital arts.

I saw somewhere that climbing was being considered, I think thats a pretty good shout

 

[Bennie-Mac]

Drop shooting and archery, while both obviously require skill they are hardly sports.
Drop football, it has enough tournaments allready.

I think the shooting and archery deserve to be there, watching the archery men's team final yesterday was great. Nice to see a clearly outclassed Italian team beat the USA in a genuinely tense final leg.

 

[GTRacer]

Add squash.

Remove Equestrian events or randomly assign a horse to each rider a week or two before the event.

 

[pumaz]

I say Drop football and tennis as these already have enough tournaments and competitions. Also drop anything that doesn't require you to train an condition your body to be Athletic i.e. Equestrian events, shooting and archery. Beach Volley seems an odd choice for the Olympics... what next Frisbee!

Personally I'm not keen on field events or gymnastics but I can respect them. I myself like the Cycling, running, swimming and diving.

 

[Pigeon_Killer]

Add squash.

Things like this I don't understand. How can they include table tennis, tennis and badminton but not Squash? There was talk of it being included in the 2016 games but it lost out to golf

 

[nicktay2605]

I can't stand the equestrian events, simply because they are so elitist. It seems out of keeping with the spirit of the Olympics to include a sport that only the rich can succeed at.

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

It's called Three Day Eventing and it consists of Dressage, Cross Country and Show Jumping. The dressage phase assesses close control and looks pretty hard to me.

Saying that, I'd drop rhythmic gymnastics.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Add poetry reading.

 

[MrMoonX]

Anything with horses, its not really a sport, its dull and I hate horses

 

[qqg3]

This is certainly an interesting discussion but I would like to point something out.

Riding a horse is not only tricky, it's exhausting. Sure, the riders' bodies aren't as well conditioned as the cyclists for example but I think a lot of folks here (especially those who don't ride horses) fail to understand how hard and tiring it can be to control a big animal.

 

[BunnyKillBot]

I knew a guy at uni once, who did dressage, and I have to say, the thing that puts me off the most is the pompous to toff mighty than thou aspect. Everything from the clothing to the 'moves' is so out of touch with reality.

Horses in epic fantasy, horse back fighting and such forth is way cool, but the way these competitions is set up, is just Gay. Niether fun nor exciting, just esoteric and gay.

 

[Russinating]

Out: Football, tennis.

In: Squash.

 

[nicktay2605]

I knew a guy at uni once, who did dressage, and I have to say, the thing that puts me off the most is the pompous to toff mighty than thou aspect. Everything from the clothing to the 'moves' is so out of touch with reality.

Horses in epic fantasy, horse back fighting and such forth is way cool, but the way these competitions is set up, is just Gay. Niether fun nor exciting, just esoteric and gay.

The whole pompous and toff thing is highlighted by the fact that Zara Phillips is one of the competitors in the dressage. I just don't like that it's a pursuit that excludes so many people due to the prohibitive costs involved, making it very elitist. I went out with a girl a couple of years ago who did competitive showjumping. Her horse alone cost over £10,000, and that was apparently quite reasonable for a talented, young horse!

One of the brilliant things about most sports is that they are so accessible and affordable. That leads to the most skillful and determined athletes competing, not the richest like in the equestrian events!

 

[hellarda]

canoe polo. awesome sport.

drop football

 

[Merlin5]

more marital arts.

Would this include the kama sutra?

 

[Tomsk]

I think that any sports that require the subjective opinion of a judge should be excluded.

Also any sports that already has a widely accepted 'World Championship' should be restricted amateurs and younger competitors.