[Jack93o]

The fact that we're in 3rd place in the medals table by a wide margin shows clearly that we're better than the rest of the world bar China and the US. Something needs to be done about the fact that its virtually impossible to get any higher than 3rd place. Just look at the Americans and how they're winning their golds, over 50% comes from swimming alone, that is an outrageous amount of vulturing. We can do one of the following things to even out the playing field:

- we copy america and vulture our way through the olympics. Get our own equivalent of swimming and win medals in many similar but separate events to ensure maximum multi-medalling
- we increase our sports funding to stratospheric heights like China to compete at every event, even events that we're not traditionally good at
- we lobby for fewer swimming events (but this won't solve the problem of China)


Out of those three options, the first is the most realistic and effective. I say we should campaign for new sub-disciplines to be introduced, like one handed cycling, cycling with those two person bikes (see pic below), extra distances with the introduction of 50metre races, cycling on different surfaces (like in tennis). Imagine if we were successful in lobbying for just half of these events, we'd be fighting it out for 1st place at every olympics

[PoGo HoPz]

Oh yeah, because that's not biased at all, is it?

[Malevolent]

Hang on so when USA win a lot of medals in swimming its unfair but if we won a lot of medals in cycling and rowing it be fair? Jeez when will these threads stop popping up getting rather annoying now.

[Sheldor]

The reason there are so many swimming events is because there are 4 typed of swimming which require completely different abilities, muscles, etc. for each type and distance.(Michael Phelps being one of the few good at all of these.) Swimming disciples have the differences between a 100m runner, a marathon runner, a heptathlete and a hurdles competitor Cycling and rowing have enough events, they include all the major disciplines which have governing bodies(a requirement for a sport to become part of the Olympics)


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[chickenonsteroids]

Should there be more shooting events for the Koreans or more fencing events for the Italians too?

[Jack93o]

(Original post by Sheldor)
The reason there are so many swimming events is because there are 4 typed of swimming which require completely different abilities, muscles, etc. for each type and distance.(Michael Phelps being one of the few good at all of these.) Swimming disciples have the differences between a 100m runner, a marathon runner, a heptathlete and a hurdles competitor Cycling and rowing have enough events, they include all the major disciplines which have governing bodies(a requirement for a sport to become part of the Olympics)


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x 10000

are you seriously comparing what michael phelps has done to usain bolt competiting in 100m, 200m, 10000m and a marathon?

do you even watch the olympics? seen the difference in physique between short distance sprinters and someone like mo farrah?

[swbp]

(Original post by chickenonsteroids)
Should there be more shooting events for the Koreans or more fencing events for the Italians too?

Exactly this. You basically want more of these events so that the UK will win, as they are our strongest disciplines. If we asked for more rowing/cycling the Caribbean nations would demand more athletic events, and the Africans would lobby for more distance events. All in all, a stupid idea.

[rich2606]

They should combine the two sports and have a series of pedalo events.

[Horchata]

They win because they concentrate more on training athletes. In US, sport is more popular than here and a larger proportion of youth dedicate themselves to sport. In China, sport is more emphasised in school and health is more considered in culture.

The thing to remember though is that although the country gets the medal it is individual athletes and teams who win them, are they are just deserving as an athlete from any other country to win.

No country has the inherent right to win the most medals, they have to work for it.

[Atmos]

(Original post by Sheldor)
The reason there are so many swimming events is because there are 4 typed of swimming which require completely different abilities, muscles, etc. for each type and distance.(Michael Phelps being one of the few good at all of these.) Swimming disciples have the differences between a 100m runner, a marathon runner, a heptathlete and a hurdles competitor Cycling and rowing have enough events, they include all the major disciplines which have governing bodies(a requirement for a sport to become part of the Olympics)


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Actually Cycling doesn't have enough events. They're missing out on Individual pursuit and scratch race.

Also, swimming races aren't all that different, otherwise one person wouldn't be able to dominate like Phelps does.

We don't see Bolt winning a marathon or hurdles, do we?

[tommm]

(Original post by rich2606)
They should combine the two sports and have a series of pedalo events.

That should get Andrew Flintoff out of retirement!

[NDGAARONDI]

(Original post by chickenonsteroids)
Should there be more shooting events for the Koreans or more fencing events for the Italians too?

Spain got pelota vasca (sometimes known as jai alai in the USA) when the Olympics was hosted in Barcelona in 1992.

(Original post by Atmos)
Actually Cycling doesn't have enough events. They're missing out on Individual pursuit and scratch race.

Agreed. I've never understood why karate and squash are not Olympic sports. There's enough variety with martial arts to have more.

[mikeyd85]

Frankly, if we're having Olympic Golf and OP wants more British medals, we should be lobbying for Olympic Snooker, Olympic Darts and the Great Olympic Pub Quiz.

[Alix23]

There already is tandem cycling, in the paralympics for the blind and partially sited. There is also one handed cycling in the paralympics.

If we're going to lobby for more cycling events, it should be for things like the Kilo, individual pursuit, points race (outside the omnium) instead of the random things you suggested.

A rule was introduced after Beijing allowing only one competitor per country in each track cycling event, which will be cutting our medals down considerably; we had a good chance of a gold and silver in the men's sprint. This rule was put in partially to stop British domination of the cycling medals, so I doubt we will be able to change things so we can get more medals.

[Deshi]

(Original post by NDGAARONDI)
Spain got pelota vasca (sometimes known as jai alai in the USA) when the Olympics was hosted in Barcelona in 1992.



Agreed. I've never understood why karate and squash are not Olympic sports. There's enough variety with martial arts to have more.

Aren't the best two squash players in the world British?

[Ocassus]

I find it quite despicable that people want to modify sports that exist in these formats OUTSIDE of the Olympic games just so they can win through illegitimate means.

Newsflash, Swimming has all these events OUTSIDE of the Olympics, the Olympics does not have the ability to cut out bits of the sport, it takes all of it or none of it. (Within reason, I do think they should add the 50 sprints in all four disciplines).

Some peoples suggestions for inventing completely new events that do not exist independently outside of the Olympics are just ridiculous.

[Jack93o]

(Original post by Alix23)
There already is tandem cycling, in the paralympics for the blind and partially sited. There is also one handed cycling in the paralympics.

If we're going to lobby for more cycling events, it should be for things like the Kilo, individual pursuit, points race (outside the omnium) instead of the random things you suggested.

A rule was introduced after Beijing allowing only one competitor per country in each track cycling event, which will be cutting our medals down considerably; we had a good chance of a gold and silver in the men's sprint. This rule was put in partially to stop British domination of the cycling medals, so I doubt we will be able to change things so we can get more medals.

yeah whatever, anything that relates to cycling would be good

[Jack93o]

(Original post by Ocassus)
I find it quite despicable that people want to modify sports that exist in these formats OUTSIDE of the Olympic games just so they can win through illegitimate means.

Newsflash, Swimming has all these events OUTSIDE of the Olympics, the Olympics does not have the ability to cut out bits of the sport, it takes all of it or none of it. (Within reason, I do think they should add the 50 sprints in all four disciplines).

Some peoples suggestions for inventing completely new events that do not exist independently outside of the Olympics are just ridiculous.

we can invent new events within and outside of the olympics, no?

[drummer]

Olympics are fine as they are

[NDGAARONDI]

(Original post by Deshi)
Aren't the best two squash players in the world British?

Heh. I guess so but I haven't checked. I know we've traditionally done well but it's a sport I was interested in taking up, aside from ice hockey. We have table tennis, badminton and lawn tennis so why not squash? As many professional sports are dipping into the Olympics, when their pinnacle events are not the Olympics themselves, I feel that less popular sports are potentially being sidelined.

I don't know if downhill mountain biking is an Olympic sport but we're good at that too. But at least it would not disproportionately increase our medal count like squash and, perhaps, other forms of cycling. Besides, how many events of gymnastics do we have?