Sporting Olympic Medal allocations

hammerite
hammerite Posts: 3,408
edited August 2008 in The bottom bracket
OK first up I may be a bit biased in thinking of this subject, considering GBs chances of gold medals if all World track cycling events were also included in the Olympics......

But how do the IOC come up with how many medals can be won in particular sports?

You have all the sports where you have divisions based on weight, you have different distances in races, different techniques to, and different disciplines etc.......

I read a funny remark on the BBC live text updates, someone texted in and commented on swimming medals and Michael Phelps........ "Well done, Michael Phelps. I wonder how many Carl Lewis would have won if there were medals for running in slightly different, inefficient ways."

Comments

  • ExeterSimon
    ExeterSimon Posts: 830
    Some of the 'sports' at the Olympics are crap. Ping-pong and bow and arrows? Per-leaze!

    I tend to agree that there are far too many swimming disciplines. As an MTB fan I 'm gutted only XC is represented.

    Can you imagine the excitement something like 4X would attract. And don't even get me started about DH.

    In fact DH should be introduced in 2012....we have world champs both male and female now and some good prospects coming through.

    And why is football at the Olympics? Don't these overhyped pooves who cry like girls when they twist a sock have enough exposure?
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  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    Exactly my thoughts, they have bmx, and 4x would be a wonderful addition, wouldn't many more facilities, it'd be soo exciting to watch. DH would be a bit of an issue, just creating a course of sufficient difficulty... But I suppose it could be a short one.

    I was thinking indoor downhill would be really cool, in an old gutted towerblock...
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  • ExeterSimon
    ExeterSimon Posts: 830
    ooooh...I like the gutted towerblock idea!

    Remove a couple of flights of stairs for drop offs, piles of used hyperdermic needles to avoid, burnt car to negotiate....all to the smell of stale pee.
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  • NervexProf
    NervexProf Posts: 4,202
    ExeterSimon wrote:
    ooooh...I like the gutted towerblock idea!

    Remove a couple of flights of stairs for drop offs, piles of used hyperdermic needles to avoid, burnt car to negotiate....all to the smell of stale pee.

    Luv it...a true cynic! (well removed from the Olympian ideal) tho' the stale pee mention stirs the imagination ( cough!)
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  • ExeterSimon
    ExeterSimon Posts: 830
    Remove a couple of flights of stairs for drop offs, piles of used hyperdermic needles to avoid, burnt car to negotiate....all to the smell of stale pee.

    And I'll put a tenner down now that the gold will go to someone from Plymouth. Or Swindon.
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  • fluff.
    fluff. Posts: 771
    Don't `get' the subjective sports at the Olympics atall, diving, gymnastics and such. It's all about how 6 or 7 judges sort of reckon you did, not really fitting with "Faster, higher, stronger" is it? Also, the equestrian events, what are they doing there? You're not winning any medals in that if your horse is rubbish.
  • wildmoustache
    wildmoustache Posts: 4,010
    the sports representated are a joke.

    synchronised swimming but no squash.

    why? because squash is only big in commonwealth countries.

    as opposed to sync. swimming which is hugely popular in sub-saharan Africa
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    equestrian events, the training of the horse is pretty important, and is done by the rider.

    but football, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, generally I think sports where the olympics aren't the pinnacle of achievement should be represented, except that leaves it open to every crap sport.
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  • wildmoustache
    wildmoustache Posts: 4,010
    [quote="r

    but football, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, generally I think sports where the olympics aren't the pinnacle of achievement should be represented, except that leaves it open to every crap sport.[/quote]

    the problem with that argument is that it then becomes a showcase for obscure sports ... I'm sure the Olympics are the pinnacle for every synchronised sportsperson walking the planet
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    yeah i acknowledge that, but take road cycling, there is the TdF and other grand tours, which arguably are a bigger achievement. Football there is the world cup etc.
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  • wildmoustache
    wildmoustache Posts: 4,010
    ride_whenever wrote:
    yeah i acknowledge that, but take road cycling, there is the TdF and other grand tours, which arguably are a bigger achievement. Football there is the world cup etc.

    yes that is true ... the olympcs could just be the pinnacle of a group of "real" sports ... e.g. replaced synchronised nostril-flaring with squash. Track and field obviously. Swimming, sailing, rowing etc. Track cycling.

    That would be fine. Personally the only thing I'm interested in is cycling so i'd hate to see the road race and TT go!
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    well i'd think the TT could stay, but the RR, really, it'd be a pity but we have loads of cool events to watch... pingpong is cool because their skill is just off the chart, buy i think toughguy should definately replace the multievent competitions. I mean, decathlon/triathlon, so whose a little bit special in a lot of events?
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  • wildmoustache
    wildmoustache Posts: 4,010
    ride_whenever wrote:
    well i'd think the TT could stay, but the RR, really, it'd be a pity but we have loads of cool events to watch... pingpong is cool because their skill is just off the chart, buy i think toughguy should definately replace the multievent competitions. I mean, decathlon/triathlon, so whose a little bit special in a lot of events?

    triathlon with drafting has always struck me as a bit bizarre as it always seems to come down to the run. almost like there's no point in the other two disciplines. i'd like to see no drafting allowed ... and portuguese men-o-war lobbed into the swim leg.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    man o war would be too easy to avoid, box jellyfish, much much much cooler...
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  • attica
    attica Posts: 2,362
    Nah, change the Triathlon to get rid of most of the run.

    1.2 Mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, 110m hurdles ;op
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  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    wildmoustache wrote:
    ride_whenever wrote:
    well i'd think the TT could stay, but the RR, really, it'd be a pity but we have loads of cool events to watch... pingpong is cool because their skill is just off the chart, buy i think toughguy should definately replace the multievent competitions. I mean, decathlon/triathlon, so whose a little bit special in a lot of events?

    triathlon with drafting has always struck me as a bit bizarre as it always seems to come down to the run. almost like there's no point in the other two disciplines. i'd like to see no drafting allowed ... and portuguese men-o-war lobbed into the swim leg.

    I can sort of understand that argument, but if you follow the same argument, then every flat stage in a stage race should be shortened by 200km, and they just race the last km!

    I like the idea of Tough Guy, only problem is that it would be too easy at the summer games. Real Tough Guys do the January race, as cold is the most difficult thing, so I think it should probably be part of the winter games!!


    ps. I'm a bit biased having completed winter Tough Guy twice, on one occassion the ice had to be broken by one of the horses before we could go in the water :shock: :lol:
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    hammerite wrote:
    I can sort of understand that argument, but if you follow the same argument, then every flat stage in a stage race should be shortened by 200km, and they just race the last km!

    Ahh but that's "Road racing", surely the bike leg of a Triathlon should a time trial?
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  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    redddraggon wrote:
    hammerite wrote:
    I can sort of understand that argument, but if you follow the same argument, then every flat stage in a stage race should be shortened by 200km, and they just race the last km!

    Ahh but that's "Road racing", surely the bike leg of a Triathlon should a time trial?

    Quite possibly. Very easy to do a whole triathlon as a time trial when you have a pool swim. A few more logistical problems with open water swimming, but a big event can handle it.

    I think the idea of a triathlon race though is that you have different people who are good at different disciplines, much like a cycling race. Someone who is a good swimmer will get an early lead and be chased down by others on the bike, someone who is not a good runner will probably try and breakaway on the bike leg so they have a cushion for the run, someone who is a good runner tries to hold onto the pack and then beat them on the run.

    The good runner is like a sprinter in a road race, where as the swimmer/bad runner is a Frenchman trying to pull off a breakaway win in the TdF :lol:

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