Make Olympics amateur again

off the back

Looking at the start list of the Olympics the calibre seems lacking -
Teams are limited to 5 so big nations can't select a host of big riders. plenty of other riders dont want to head for Olympics as course not to their liking, regardless of fact it is once /4yrs. Other riders say the race is not that significant

So would the pros/us miss it it it reverted to a U/23 event ?

Amateur olympics would mean that national feds would be more involved in developing young talent. It would give young juniors more to aim for as they often loose there focus when they turn snr. Hopefully national feds would also become more involved in protecting riders from doping. Last thing a natioanl fed wants is an olympic selection squad member turing a positive as it would come back to haunt them wrt gov funding.

The UK has a solid development prog but most countries are far more hap hazard. Overall cycling would stand to gain with better development progs globally versus the scenario now where only a few can get access to top development squads (Rabo U/23 etc)

iainf72

off the back wrote:

Looking at the start list of the Olympics the calibre seems lacking -

You're joking, right?

Contador, Valverde, Bettini, Evans, Schumacher, Rebellin, Kirchen, Schleck's, Gesink, Menchov , Sastre etc etc. For a very hilly single day race these are the main players. Who is missing?

off the back

Granted most of top stars are there but with 5 man teams - there are italians+spanish+dutch riders at home that could animate the race or pick up a medal. Main point is would teh pros/fans miss it if it went back to amateur ...

iainf72

I'd miss it because I wouldn't (probably) watch amateurs. The only events I'll probably watch are the mens RR and TT.

All you'd end up with is quasi-pro's supported by the state.

Kléber

off the back wrote:

Amateur olympics would mean that national feds would be more involved in developing young talent. It would give young juniors more to aim for as they often loose there focus when they turn snr.

You have loads of things for these riders, many European races are Under-23 only. You have world championships too, plus the Under 25 Tour de l'Avenir. Younger riders aren't stuck at home for a lack of races.

Besides, in the past, an Olympic medal was nice but the best bit is it helped you to get a pro contract. This is what motivates riders, to get a contract, not to win a bit of gold and a nice title. And as Iain says, there are no "amateur" riders, they are all on lottery money, state salaries and other schemes.

RichN95.

off the back wrote:

Granted most of top stars are there but with 5 man teams - there are italians+spanish+dutch riders at home that could animate the race or pick up a medal. Main point is would teh pros/fans miss it if it went back to amateur ...

But it's better that way. The big nations can't dominate like they do at the Worlds. No-ones calling for 15 Kenyans in the 10,000m, so I don't see why cycling should be different.

Tom Butcher

I'd rather they left it as it is, but I'd rather it was amateur than under 23, what's the point in that - pros but with most of the best riders missing?

aarw

isn't the olympics supposed to be for the best athletes in the world?? why turn it into a development race....???

seems a very strange idea.

acorn_user

aarw wrote:

isn't the olympics supposed to be for the best athletes in the world?? why turn it into a development race....???

seems a very strange idea.

No, pro sports are a recent inclusion. I'm not sure I welcome it. It was always about the best amateur athletes. But of course, that was subverted by development programmes.

Moomaloid

yeah ive never really agreed with the professionals being allowed to enter. Look at the basketball, always a whitewash now.

The Olympics was always a stepping stone to professional contracts in sports like Cycling and Boxing, now its a free for all.

As far as the teams go, won't most countries be building a team around a rider instead of sending all of their top names that won't work together? Its not unusual.

RichN95.

Moomaloid wrote:

yeah ive never really agreed with the professionals being allowed to enter. Look at the basketball, always a whitewash now.

USA didn't even make the final in the basketball last time.

I think the Olympics should have the best sportsmen in the World, but football and probably tennis should be taken out

Moomaloid

so discriminate against footballers and tennis players. Its either all or nowt isn't it?

donrhummy

iainf72 wrote:

off the back wrote:

Looking at the start list of the Olympics the calibre seems lacking -

You're joking, right?

Contador, Valverde, Bettini, Evans, Schumacher, Rebellin, Kirchen, Schleck's, Gesink, Menchov , Sastre etc etc. For a very hilly single day race these are the main players. Who is missing?

That about says it all.

moray_gub

iainf72 wrote:

off the back wrote:

Looking at the start list of the Olympics the calibre seems lacking -

You're joking, right?

Contador, Valverde, Bettini, Evans, Schumacher, Rebellin, Kirchen, Schleck's, Gesink, Menchov , Sastre etc etc. For a very hilly single day race these are the main players. Who is missing?

This years Amstel Gold winner and third place in Fleche but other than that the main contenders for a hilly one day job are all there.

cheers
MG

SunWuKong

But if we go back to amateur status we need to define what amateur means. Do American athletes who 'go to college' but train as professionals and have financial support count? Admittedly there isn't the Soviet block system anymore but if national federations financially support athletes are they really amateur?

Maybe go back to when it was truly amateur and only the social elite can enter as they are the only ones able to fund the athletic lifestyle. In those halcyon days a GB rower was banned from competing in the Paris games (IIRC) because his employer paid for his travel. Apparently all the Lords, Earls, etc didn't really like having someone with them who worked for a living. Yep, those were the god old days!

calvjones

Actually, I suspect sport should go back to being amateur.