Your own Winter Olympic Games Programme

[heywoodu 16,142]

2 minutes ago, vinipereira said:

 

Tell that to people who have never seen snow in their entire life*

 

*me

 

The Winter Olympics are much more exciting to watch.

[vinipereira 3,462]

1 minute ago, heywoodu said:

 

The Winter Olympics are much more exciting to watch.

 

[thiago_simoes 1,441]

21 horas atrás, heywoodu disse:

Then again, that's exactly the thing I read a lot during the Summer Olympics as well (at least on the Dutch forums), mostly during the few minutes there's some TV attention for the likes of synchronized swimming, trampolining, rhythmic gymnastics, taekwondo (and next time definitely karate as well) or that wrestling form where they start in sort of a doggy style position  

In my opinion, these are ridiculous looking sports as well. I like rhythmic gymnastics, but I know it looks tacky as hell, especially when gymnasts from Spain perform their routines. The Summer Olympics program could seriously be reduced to make things more interesting. I mean, who on their right mind could say synchro swimming, trampolining and rhythmic gymnastics add anything to the program? Same old countries winning medals, boring routines that no one understands... I'd rather have extended team events in artistic gymnastics (team vault, team floor exercise, team pommel horse, and so on) than watching synchro swimming or trampolining, to be honest. And as a gay man, even I have to say wrestling has nothing exciting about it (take this comment any way you wish ).

 

As for the Winter Olympics, it might be nice for people who grew up watching these events and have people from their countries fighting for medals, but as a Brazilian the only reason I have to watch the Winter Olympics is entertainment. And there's no way I find ski jumping entertaining, for example. Just a bunch of people doing the same thing over and over again with almost impossible to notice differences. To make things worse, they are awarded a score. What the hell? Makes no sense at all for someone who watches it only for entertainment. Sometimes I think some sports were only added to the Winter Olympics program because they absolutely had to add something or the program would be "empty".

[heywoodu 16,142]

1 minute ago, thiago_simoes said:

In my opinion, these are ridiculous looking sports as well. I like rhythmic gymnastics, but I know it looks tacky as hell, especially when gymnasts from Spain perform their routines. The Summer Olympics program could seriously be reduced to make things more interesting. I mean, who on their right mind could say synchro swimming, trampolining and rhythmic gymnastics add anything to the program? Same old countries winning medals, boring routines that no one understands... I'd rather have extended team events in artistic gymnastics (team vault, team floor exercise, team pommel horse, and so on) than watching synchro swimming or trampolining, to be honest. And as a gay man, even I have to say wrestling has nothing exciting about it (take this comment any way you wish ).

 

As for the Winter Olympics, it might be nice for people who grew up watching these events and have people from their countries fighting for medals, but as a Brazilian the only reason I have to watch the Winter Olympics is entertainment. And there's no way I find ski jumping entertaining, for example. Just a bunch of people doing the same thing over and over again with almost impossible to notice differences. To make things worse, they are awarded a score. What the hell? Makes no sense at all for someone who watches it only for entertainment. Sometimes I think some sports were only added to the Winter Olympics program because they absolutely had to add something or the program would be "empty".

Yet ski jumping is one of the oldest winter sports 

 

I get your point though, but I don't think it's Winter Olympics specific. For most people sports just have absolutely no meaning or excitement when they don't know the sport, and in the case of winter sports, a larger part of the world doesn't know them. But since the world knows two major seasons (summer and winter, of course with notable differences in different parts of the world), I do think an Olympics for 'warm sports' and one for 'cold sports' is more than justified  

[thiago_simoes 1,441]

10 minutos atrás, heywoodu disse:

Yet ski jumping is one of the oldest winter sports 

 

I get your point though, but I don't think it's Winter Olympics specific. For most people sports just have absolutely no meaning or excitement when they don't know the sport, and in the case of winter sports, a larger part of the world doesn't know them. But since the world knows two major seasons (summer and winter, of course with notable differences in different parts of the world), I do think an Olympics for 'warm sports' and one for 'cold sports' is more than justified  

 

So is modern pentathlon, and we all know no one wants it on the Olympic program.

 

I was kind of joking when I said there should be no Winter Olympics (though I would not miss the event, really). I know it is important to have a dedicated event for winter sports. I'm just worried about how accessible these sports are to the rest of the world. Winter season in Brazil is not the same as winter season in Norway; though it sometimes snows in some cities in Brazil during winter, it's not like we'll be ready to host cross country skiing competitions anytime this millenium. Either the program should add sports that can be practiced in tropical nations during winter as well, or it will forever be the Olympic Games for the Northern hemisphere (with Australia and New Zealand as glorified guests). 

Edited January 10, 2018 by thiago_simoes

[heywoodu 16,142]

4 minutes ago, thiago_simoes said:

 

So is modern pentathlon, and we all know no one wants it on the Olympic program.

 

I was kind of joking when I said there should be no Winter Olympics (though I would not miss the event, really). I know it is important to have a dedicated event for winter sports. I'm just worried about how accessible these sports are to the rest of the world. Winter season in Brazil is not the same as winter season in Norway; though it sometimes snows in some cities in Brazil during winter, it's not like we'll be ready to host cross country skiing competitions anytime this millenium. Either the program should add sports that can be practiced in tropical nations during winter as well, or it will forever be the Olympic Games for the Northern hemisphere (with Australia and New Zealand as glorified guests). 

Or invest in moving more main competitions to Chile and Argentina (for example). It's hard to really find a winter sport that can be practiced in tropical nations during winter... 

[thiago_simoes 1,441]

3 minutos atrás, heywoodu disse:

Or invest in moving more main competitions to Chile and Argentina (for example). It's hard to really find a winter sport that can be practiced in tropical nations during winter... 

 

Sure, I know. Winter time in Rio is like summer time in a number of countries. Maybe some indoor sport, I guess? I know this sounds weird, maybe ridiculous, but take handball or volleyball for example: does it really matter if it's summer or winter when the sport is being contested? They play it indoors, so the weather makes no difference at all. Why do these sports have to be contested at the Summer Olympics, though? But I now this sounds crazy for some people, so I will not take this any further. 

And I don't really follow winter sports, but I'm sure that there must be something, anything, that does not heavily rely on ice or snow. If all winter sports have to depend on ice or snow, a lot of nations would be excluded, and isn't it the purpose of the Olympic Games to integrate people from all over the planet?

[heywoodu 16,142]

2 minutes ago, thiago_simoes said:

 

Sure, I know. Winter time in Rio is like summer time in a number of countries. Maybe some indoor sport, I guess? I know this sounds weird, maybe ridiculous, but take handball or volleyball for example: does it really matter if it's summer or winter when the sport is being contested? They play it indoors, so the weather makes no difference at all. Why do these sports have to be contested at the Summer Olympics, though? But I now this sounds crazy for some people, so I will not take this any further. 

And I don't really follow winter sports, but I'm sure that there must be something, anything, that does not heavily rely on ice or snow. If all winter sports have to depend on ice or snow, a lot of nations would be excluded, and isn't it the purpose of the Olympic Games to integrate people from all over the planet?

 

Cyclo-cross is the only sport that comes to mind. There's the eisstocksport, but I guess that's considered even more a game instead of a sport in most places, apart from being too similar to curling.. 

 

Personally I'd have no problem with something like handball or volleyball at the Winter Olympics. World championships (at least in handball) are in the (northern) winter anyway, why not the Olympics as well? 

[NearPup 3,615]

 

1 hour ago, thiago_simoes said:

 

Sure, I know. Winter time in Rio is like summer time in a number of countries. Maybe some indoor sport, I guess? I know this sounds weird, maybe ridiculous, but take handball or volleyball for example: does it really matter if it's summer or winter when the sport is being contested? They play it indoors, so the weather makes no difference at all. Why do these sports have to be contested at the Summer Olympics, though? But I now this sounds crazy for some people, so I will not take this any further. 

And I don't really follow winter sports, but I'm sure that there must be something, anything, that does not heavily rely on ice or snow. If all winter sports have to depend on ice or snow, a lot of nations would be excluded, and isn't it the purpose of the Olympic Games to integrate people from all over the planet?

Ski Jumping actually doesn’t relly on snow. You can practice it just fine on a dry slope.

Edited January 10, 2018 by NearPup

[De_Gambassi 1,276]

Il y a 3 heures , thiago_simoes a déclaré:

Sometimes I think some sports were only added to the Winter Olympics program because they absolutely had to add something or the program would be "empty".

 

Of course, they were. Curling, for exemple, would never have been considered if it was a summer sport. The gap in depth between summer and winter sports is monstruous. That's hardly up for debate. I think everyone is aware of that.

 

It doesn't make them more ridiculous than some other summer sports though, just smaller sports (and thus alien to more people)

Edited January 10, 2018 by De_Gambassi