Sailing Qualification to Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games

[Olympian1010 8,230]

10 minutes ago, Cobi said:

 

Is it interesting for you cheering for a boat that you know beforehand that it is going to finish last? I find fun to cheer for those small countries when they have some options to compete and at least beat some other nations (for example Andorra in canoeing slalom), but when the only achievement has been to participate in a World Championship...

 

If they show a minimum level I don't have a problem on having these nations at the Olympics, but I feel a little bit unfair that some sailors have to qualify through a very hard process, while for others is just enough to fill a document. For this reason I really like the minimum requirements of sports like equestrian, shooting or team events in fencing.

 

Anyway, I respect your point and I don't think that having these small nations is an important problem, but if I had to take the decission, I would reduce these free quotas.

Yes, I do find it interesting. Finishing is half the battle in most sports. I spent the majority of my athletic life in the back of the race, and I’m glad I was given the opportunity to. Those sailors have had to overcome much more than the sailors from France, or China, or Italy, etc. 
 

To quote a somewhat well-known French Baron “The important thing in the Olympics is not so much to win, but to take part...just as the important thing in life is not to have conquered, but to have fought well”. - Pierre De Coubertin (founder of the Olympic Games)

 

I can agree that a minimum level requirement is fine, but if these sailors can navigate the course, not capsize, and routinely complete races; that’s enough for me. 

[Olympian1010 8,230]

3 minutes ago, Jur said:

I root for this small countrys even if they finish last.

 

Is not like they're taking out any medal contenders for the game. Plus, there are like 35 quotas available in Men's Laser and even more in the woman's event. If a "big" country hasn't qualify yet is because they don't deserve it.

Better have countrys with small representation have another athlete then a country like Spain that has around 300 athletes in the games add one more guy when he's not going to add nohong valuable or even a story to follow.

Yes, this is also a good point. The only time when universality quotas should be questioned, is when either the top 10,15,20 in world can’t all have decent chances of qualification (meaning that most of them make it to the Olympics, with the caveat that a country really shouldn’t be allowed to send more than 3 athletes in an individual event), or when the athletes receiving the quotas can’t do the basic requirements of the sport.

[Dunadan 1,103]

Representing a small / exotic NOC does not automatically mean that you had to overcome more difficulties...and some athletes qualifying in a very easy way only take advantage of their heritage (or money...) but have lived all their life elsewhere.

[Olympian1010 8,230]

24 minutes ago, Dunadan said:

Representing a small / exotic NOC does not automatically mean that you had to overcome more difficulties...and some athletes qualifying in a very easy way only take advantage of their heritage (or money...) but have lived all their life elsewhere.

Yes, that is the one downside to this system. I think we just need to tighten NOC representation rules to fix that though. I’m also not opposed to it, if athletes like that are actively working to improve the quality of that sport in their nation.

[Vojthas 949]

1 hour ago, Olympian1010 said:

Yes, that is the one downside to this system. I think we just need to tighten NOC representation rules to fix that though. I’m also not opposed to it, if athletes like that are actively working to improve the quality of that sport in their nation.

You know, they can be invited as ambassadors of the sport, maybe some televised heats during Olympics for popularization. You know, we all love the stories of Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, Eric "The Eel", Pita, Solano... but if every discipline have such people, their stories won't be original at all and become worthless.

[rajiv 31]

13 hours ago, hckosice said:

 

That depends also from your location, some can sails only in their bathtub

A lot more people on this planet are closer to water and boats than to ice and snow

All winter sports are elite and for the few not the many 

Just look at the relatively small numbers  who live in a snow environment

 

Is there any Winter event which would be supported by 21 countries ? ( ie  10% of all Olympic countries  )

[Olympian1010 8,230]

10 minutes ago, rajiv said:

A lot more people on this planet are closer to water and boats than to ice and snow

All winter sports are elite and for the few not the many 

Just look at the relatively small numbers  who live in a snow environment

 

Is there any Winter event which would be supported by 21 countries ? ( ie  10% of all Olympic countries  )

Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating, Ice Hockey, Curling (if the country is will to lay down a little funding of course)

Edited January 27, 2020 by Olympian1010

[hckošice 15,525]

57 minutes ago, rajiv said:

A lot more people on this planet are closer to water and boats than to ice and snow

All winter sports are elite and for the few not the many 

Just look at the relatively small numbers  who live in a snow environment

 

Is there any Winter event which would be supported by 21 countries ? ( ie  10% of all Olympic countries  )

 

I do not say that winter sports are massively popular in the whole world, logical that they are not.since not everywhere we have the conditions for them, I just saying the same apply for sailing, which is not really famous with successfull results among landlocked countries

 

[rajiv 31]

OK I'll bite on this one 

To get to 21 countries you have to start listing countries which maybe have a couple of Winter Olympic medals  or maybe even none

Say for eg South Africa or Argentina - really anywhere south of the Tropic of Cancer .Tropical Asia has many ice rinks and local rich kids play at ice sports

 

 

It seems obvious, to me at least , that serious winter sports (as maybe  opposed to a little casual recreational skiing and skating ) only exists because a couple of dudes have aspirations to be Olympians  and the Winter Olympics will take anyone from non winter places to boost the nos 

 

OTOH I suspect that  some landlocked countries -Switzerland and Austria come to mind - have organised sailing competition and are decent at sailing 

[phelps 8,287]

4 hours ago, rajiv said:

A lot more people on this planet are closer to water and boats than to ice and snow

All winter sports are elite and for the few not the many 

Just look at the relatively small numbers  who live in a snow environment

 

Is there any Winter event which would be supported by 21 countries ? ( ie  10% of all Olympic countries  )

 

just a reminder...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Winter_Olympics

 

" The Games featured 102 events over 15 disciplines.

A total of 2,914 athletes from 92 NOCs competed, including the national debuts of Ecuador, Eritrea, Kosovo, Malaysia, Nigeria and Singapore."

 

the Final Medal Table (30 of the 92 competing NOCs won at least 1 medal...and it came out of "only" 102 events)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Winter_Olympics_medal_table