Olympic sports program review

[NearPup 3,496]

2 hours ago, JoshMartini007 said:

I think the IOC/LA28 stepped into a minefield by letting lacrosse in. There is going to be a lot of negative press once it is announced they won't be allowed to compete. Also setting the precedent of non-NOCs competing would open up such a can of worms in the future.

Especially given both the US and Canadian governments are backing the move to allow the Haudenosaunee to compete. The IOC has set themselves up in a position where it could be a PR nightmare no matter what they do.

[mpjmcevoy 375]

1 hour ago, NearPup said:

Especially given both the US and Canadian governments are backing the move to allow the Haudenosaunee to compete. The IOC has set themselves up in a position where it could be a PR nightmare no matter what they do.

Perhaps they can be Independent Neutral Athletes...

 

More seriously, if they have no NOC how can they argue to be part of the Games? It's a basic entry requirement. Disapplying it would open up another can of worms in every separatist region on earth. I'd much rather they were there, but it would realistically have to be as USA 2 or CAN 2. Otherwise I fear the tournament will go on without them.

[De_Gambassi 1,267]

8 hours ago, NearPup said:

Especially given both the US and Canadian governments are backing the move to allow the Haudenosaunee to compete. The IOC* has set themselves up in a position where it could be a PR nightmare no matter what they do.

*The LA28 Committee. 

 

Anyway, it's yet to see if the additional sports program will survive post-2028. The main point has been achieved IMO (adding new - urban, etc. - sports to the core program without sacrificing any existing sports.

[mpjmcevoy 375]

46 minutes ago, De_Gambassi said:

*The LA28 Committee. 

 

Anyway, it's yet to see if the additional sports program will survive post-2028. The main point has been achieved IMO (adding new - urban, etc. - sports to the core program without sacrificing any existing sports.

I agree - there are certain relatively small footprint urban sports it made all sorts of sense to include to the IOC. In a sense I'm surprised (though happy) that Breaking didn't survive.

 

As for the teams sports, I think LA asked for and got too many - and happy though I am to see it, arguably cricket could have waited to Brisbane - but then Sevens should have been brought in London, not Rio, and LA didn't know Brisbane was getting the 32 Games when it bid. I still think, for the new teams sports, if they aren't already small sided (Lacrosse sixes, sevens etc), the best way is to start working out a 'cycle'/revolving list

[Joshi 126]

13 hours ago, JoshMartini007 said:

I think the IOC/LA28 stepped into a minefield by letting lacrosse in. There is going to be a lot of negative press once it is announced they won't be allowed to compete. Also setting the precedent of non-NOCs competing would open up such a can of worms in the future.

I was thinking this exact same thing with a dangerous precedent. A few examples, it won't just stop with lacrosse, what's to stop Maori athletes from forming their own rugby 7s/kayaking teams. 90% of the gold medal winning women's team and kayaking team are Maori. The Scots wanting their own track cycling/swimming teams, Catalans and Basques from both France and Spain wanting their own football teams. I haven't even started on individual athletes. You see where this is going...

[De_Gambassi 1,267]

2 hours ago, mpjmcevoy said:

I agree - there are certain relatively small footprint urban sports it made all sorts of sense to include to the IOC. In a sense I'm surprised (though happy) that Breaking didn't survive.

 

As for the teams sports, I think LA asked for and got too many - and happy though I am to see it, arguably cricket could have waited to Brisbane - but then Sevens should have been brought in London, not Rio, and LA didn't know Brisbane was getting the 32 Games when it bid. I still think, for the new teams sports, if they aren't already small sided (Lacrosse sixes, sevens etc), the best way is to start working out a 'cycle'/revolving list

Depends of the sport really. Baseball and Cricket have very strong profesionnal structures to go back to in case of being included on the 'cycle' or not. A sport like Field Hockey doesn't, it can't be put on a on/off situation every 4 yeats (just like Karate shouldn't either)

[De_Gambassi 1,267]

1 hour ago, Joshi said:

I was thinking this exact same thing with a dangerous precedent. A few examples, it won't just stop with lacrosse, what's to stop Maori athletes from forming their own rugby 7s/kayaking teams. 90% of the gold medal winning women's team and kayaking team are Maori. The Scots wanting their own track cycling/swimming teams, Catalans and Basques from both France and Spain wanting their own football teams. I haven't even started on individual athletes. You see where this is 

They shouldn’t obviously. But, IOC shoud never agree to add a sport played in three countries and half to begin with. So...

[mpjmcevoy 375]

3 hours ago, Joshi said:

I was thinking this exact same thing with a dangerous precedent. A few examples, it won't just stop with lacrosse, what's to stop Maori athletes from forming their own rugby 7s/kayaking teams. 90% of the gold medal winning women's team and kayaking team are Maori. The Scots wanting their own track cycling/swimming teams, Catalans and Basques from both France and Spain wanting their own football teams. I haven't even started on individual athletes. You see where this is going...

The Maori all blacks did spring to mind

[JoshMartini007 2,765]

Since they don't have a separate sports federation within the sport the issue can be avoided though I guess nothing is stopping World Rugby from admitting the Maori Nation as a national federation.

 

In the end non-member nations shouldn't be allowed to compete, but that won't stop the bad PR from coming. They can't even compromise and say they can compete as a second team under a NOC because a) their land spans through Canada and the United States and b) the nation will not accept this.

[NearPup 3,496]

6 hours ago, De_Gambassi said:

*The LA28 Committee. 

Given the inclusion of squash and cricket I do wonder how much of a thumb on the scale the IOC had in this process.