website statistics
Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'athletics'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • General Sections
    • Totallympics Mixed Zone
    • Totallympics Lounge
    • Totallympics Prediction Contests
    • National Threads
  • Summer Olympic Sports Sections
    • Archery
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Basketball
    • Basketball - 3x3
    • Beach Volleyball
    • Boxing
    • Breaking
    • Canoeing - Slalom
    • Canoeing - Sprint
    • Cycling - BMX
    • Cycling - Mountain Bike
    • Cycling - Road
    • Cycling - Track
    • Diving
    • Equestrian
    • Fencing
    • Field Hockey
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Gymnastics - Artistic
    • Gymnastics - Rhythmic
    • Gymnastics - Trampoline
    • Handball
    • Judo
    • Modern Pentathlon
    • Rowing
    • Rugby Sevens
    • Sailing
    • Shooting
    • Skateboarding
    • Sport Climbing
    • Surfing
    • Swimming
    • Table Tennis
    • Taekwondo
    • Tennis
    • Triathlon
    • Volleyball
    • Water Polo
    • Weightlifting
    • Wrestling
  • Winter Olympic Sports Sections
    • Alpine Skiing
    • Biathlon
    • Bobsleigh
    • Cross-Country Skiing
    • Curling
    • Figure Skating
    • Freestyle Skiing
    • Ice Hockey
    • Luge
    • Nordic Combined
    • Short Track Speed Skating
    • Skeleton
    • Ski Jumping
    • Ski Mountaineering
    • Snowboard
    • Speed Skating
  • Past and Future Olympic Games Sections
    • Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024
    • Winter Olympic Games Milano-Cortina 2026
    • Summer Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028
    • Summer Olympic Games Brisbane 2032
    • Winter Olympic Games Beijing 2022
    • Summer Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
    • Winter Olympic Games Pyeongchang 2018
    • Summer Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016
  • Other Sections
    • Non-Olympic Sports
    • Paralympic Sports
    • Multi-Sport Games
    • Totallympics International Song Contest
    • Results Database
    • Off Topic
  • Team Canada's Team Canada at the 2023 Pan American Games
  • Team Canada's Team Canada at the Winter Olympic Games Beijing 2022
  • Team Canada's Team Canada at the Paris Summer Olympic Games 2024
  • Team Canada's Team Canada in Summer Sports
  • Team Canada's Team Canada in Winter Sports
  • Casa Italia's Italia alle Olimpiadi Invernali Pechino 2022
  • Casa Italia's Italia alle Olimpiadi Estive Parigi 2024
  • Casa Italia's Italia alle Olimpiadi Invernali Milano-Cortina 2026
  • Casa Italia's Sport Estivi
  • Casa Italia's Sport Invernali
  • Time Brasil's Jogos Olímpicos de Verão Paris 2024
  • Time Brasil's Esportes Olímpicos de Verão
  • Khelega India's Asian Games 2022
  • Khelega India's Summer Olympic Sports
  • Khelega India's Winter Olympic Sports
  • Khelega India's Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games
  • Khelega India's General Discussion
  • Team Hellas's Έλληνες αθλητές και εθνικές ομάδες - ΠΑΡΙΣΙ 2024
  • Team Hellas's ΑΘΛΗΜΑΤΑ - ΘΕΡΙΝΟΙ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΙ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ
  • Team Hellas's ΧΕΙΜΕΡΙΝΟΙ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΙ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ
  • Team Hellas's Γενικές συζητήσεις για τρέχοντα θέματα
  • Israel Olympic Club's Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games המשחקים האולימפיים בפריז 2024
  • Israel Olympic Club's Summer Olympic Sports ענפי ספורט אולימפיים-קיץ
  • Israel Olympic Club's Winter Olympic Sports ענפי ספורט אולימפיים-חורף
  • Israel Olympic Club's General Discussion נושאים כלליים
  • Team Croatia's Ljetni olimpijski sportovi
  • Team Croatia's Olimpijske Igre Pariz 2024
  • Team Croatia's Zimski olimpijski sportovi
  • Team Serbia's Letnji olimpijski sportovi
  • Team Serbia's Zimski olimpijski sportovi
  • Team Serbia's Letnje olimpijske igre u Parizu 2024.
  • Team Serbia's Kvalifikacije #Paris2024
  • Team Serbia's Opšta diskusija
  • Český a Slovenský Klub's Česká Republika - Paříž 2024
  • Český a Slovenský Klub's Slovensko - Paríž 2024
  • Český a Slovenský Klub's Česká Republika - Miláno/Cortina 2026
  • Český a Slovenský Klub's Slovensko - Miláno/Cortina 2026
  • Český a Slovenský Klub's CZE-SVK a Letné športy - Summer Sports
  • Český a Slovenský Klub's O všetkom a o ničom
  • Team GB's Team GB at the Paris Olympic Summer Games 2024
  • Team GB's Team GB in Summer Sports
  • Team GB's Team GB in Winter Sports
  • Team GB's Miscallenous
  • Camino Olímpico - España's Deportes olímpicos de verano
  • Camino Olímpico - España's Deportes olímpicos de Invierno
  • Camino Olímpico - España's Clasificación a los Juegos Olímpicos de París 2024
  • TeamNL's Sporten Olympische Zomerspelen
  • TeamNL's Sporten Olympische Winterspelen
  • TeamNL's Olympische Spelen Parijs 2024 kwalificatie
  • Club France's Sports olympiques
  • Club France's Paris 2024
  • Club France's Bla Bla
  • Team Ireland's Summer Olympic Sports
  • Team Ireland's Winter & Non-Olympic Sports
  • Team Ireland's Paris 2024 Olympic Games Qualifications
  • Team Ireland's Topics
  • Magyar Klub's Nyári sportok
  • Magyar Klub's Téli sportok
  • Magyar Klub's Párizs 2024
  • Magyar Klub's Off Topic
  • La Argentineta's Sección general
  • La Argentineta's Juegos Sudamericanos 2022
  • Klub Polska's Kwalifikacje olimpijskie - Paryż 2024
  • Klub Polska's Winter Sports
  • ROlympic TEAM - HAI Romania!!!'s Calificările pentru JO Paris 2024
  • ROlympic TEAM - HAI Romania!!!'s Jocurile Olimpice de Vară
  • ROlympic TEAM - HAI Romania!!!'s Jocurile Olimpice de Iarnă
  • Team D's Aktueller Sport
  • Team D's Paris 2024
  • Team D's Mailand 2026
  • Team USA and Friends's Domestic Professional Sports
  • Team USA and Friends's Summer Olympic Sports
  • Team USA and Friends's Winter Olympic Sports
  • Team USA and Friends's Non-Olympic Sports
  • Team USA and Friends's Domestic University Sports
  • Team USA and Friends's Paris 2024
  • Aztecas Olímpicos's Rumbo a París 2024
  • Aztecas Olímpicos's Calendario azteca

Calendars

  • Paris 2024 Qualification Events
  • Summer Olympic Sports
  • Winter Olympic Sports
  • Non-Olympic Sports
  • Paralympic Sports
  • Multi-Sport Games
  • Multi-Stage Events

Categories

  • News & Editorials
  • Past Results
  • Medal Tables
  • Nations
  • Records
  • Rules

Categories

  • Totallympics News

Categories

  • Paris 2024 Olympic Games
    • Qualification by Sport
    • Qualification by Nation
    • Schedule by Sport
    • Schedule by Day
    • World Championships Medal Counts in the Road to Paris 2024
    • Qualification Calendar
    • Qualification Rankings
  • Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
  • Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
  • Beijing 2022
  • Tokyo 2020

Categories

  • Test

Categories

  • Published Articles

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


Nation


Gender


Date of Birth

Between and

Favourite Olympic Games


Favourite Sports


Favourite Athletes


Real Name


Living City


Job

Found 4 results

  1. Last week we looked at the event changes between the 2020 and the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The other notable change ahead of those games will be the number of athletes competing. Totallympics takes a closer look. Using the qualification documents, the 2020 Olympics had an expected athlete quota of 11,114 (the final number was higher due to some sports having more athletes than expected qualify and the IOC allowing more athletes to compete at the games due to COVID-19, court appeals and via the refugee team). The 2024 Olympics is set to have a total of 10,500 athletes, a decrease of 614 quotas. As baseball/softball and karate were not selected as host selected sports, the athlete quotas were completely removed. This saw a reduction of 234 and 80 quotas respectively. However, with the other host selected sports seeing an increase in athlete quotas, this reduction had a net effect of -242. The remaining 72 quotas were split between the four sports with breaking getting the most quotas (32 athletes) as the sport is set to make its Olympic debut. Sport climbing, the only returning sport to get an increase in its total events sees a notable increase of 28 athletes while skateboarding and surfing will see increases of 8 and 4 respectively. Of the 28 core sports, all of them either saw them maintaining their 2020 quotas or saw an overall decrease. Cycling is a bit unique as while the overall sport saw a decrease of quotas (-14 athletes), the BMX freestyle (+6) and track cycling (+1) disciplines saw an increase of athletes, but were offset by a decrease in mountain biking (-4) and road cycling (-17). Among the core sports, athletics will experience the largest decrease with 90 fewer athletes expected to attend the 2024 games. Due to the removal of four events, weightlifting also has a significant decrease with 76 fewer athletes while aquatics rounds out the top 3 with 62 fewer athletes (-8 in artistic swimming, -6 in open water swimming, -26 in swimming and -22 in water polo). A summary of the quota changes can be seen in the table below. Of the sports which lost athlete quotas most of them only saw losses of less than 6% of their total quotas from 2020. The two exceptions were boxing and weightlifting. Both sports have recently lost favour in the eyes of the IOC. Even after adjusting weightlifting having fewer events, both sports will experience a decrease of over 10% of their 2020 total. While these athlete quota cuts were made by the IOC as a cost saving measure, they remain quite controversial. Detractors argue that it is not in the spirit of the Olympics and that it would make nations with smaller teams even smaller. What do you think, is the cost saving measures a necessary evil or are there other ways the IOC could cut costs?
  2. World Athletics announced the launch of a 3D virtual museum of athletics today. Known as MOWA, the Museum of World Athletics™ is the first sports museum to be established solely in the digital world. It offers visitors an interactive journey through the history of athletics and the sport’s flagship World Athletics Championships, highlighting many of the legends of the sport. The museum gives visitors a unique online experience, highlighting key athletics champions from each continent, and celebrating each edition of the World Athletics Championships, through realistic interactive content, including items donated by the athletes which help to tell the story of the sport. Among the exhibits are items owned by many of the greatest athletes in history, including Paavo Nurmi, Jesse Owens, Fanny Blankers-Koen, Irena Szewinska, Carl Lewis, Marie-Jose Perec, Jan Zelezny, Allyson Felix and Usain Bolt. World Athletes also highlighted how the museum demonstrates the universality of athletics, claiming that athletes from more than 30 countries and all six continental areas are represented. The six areas of World Athletics (Africa, Asia, Europe, North and Central America, Oceania, and South America) each have a section devoted to the history of athletics in their region as well. World Athletics also noted that the museum includes other carefully thought out details such as the lines of an athletics track on the virtual floor to guide visitors, and the shadows of the objects, providing a convincingly immersive experience for sports and museum fans. Speaking about the launch of MOWA, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said, “We are delighted to be the first international sport federation to bring a 3D virtual sports museum to a global audience. Through MOWA, sport and museums fans from around the world will, without the geographical limitations of a physical location, be able to discover the fascinating history of athletics, and the amazing achievements of our athletes. It is particularly exciting to launch this project at a time when the pandemic has limited the ability of fans to attend sporting events or visit museums in person.” Coe continued, “Athletics is the most accessible and diverse sport in the world and we were keen for the museum to reflect that by making the platform accessible to everyone, no matter where you are and what device you use.” World Athletics worked with digital sport company dcSPORT, led by Olympic gold medallist and 2004 world indoor 60m champion Jason Gardener, to create the museum. Through the use of cutting-edge 3D technology, MOWA is designed to look and feel like a real building. A visitor’s journey begins by entering through a large reception hall, which features the six continental displays, before moving through an ‘Origins Tunnel’ which follows athletics’ 3000-year journey from antiquity to the modern day, and arriving at the ‘World Championships Room’, which features all 17 editions of World Athletics’ flagship championships. Visitors can roam around the museum freely and interact with more than 60 exhibits and more than 400 items of supporting content: text, photos and video. World Athletics claims the project took six months to bring to life, and was designed with the capacity to evolve over time. World Athletics will continue to add new features and galleries regularly, beginning with an Olympic exhibition, which will open in July, before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. MOWA is hosted by the official World Athletics website and can be visited for free by clicking here.
  3. Along with millions of Olympic and sports fans, I'm wishing for a successful, smooth, and healthy Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. After this year's postponement, there are still serious lingering concerns on participant and spectator Covid-19 protocol, which likely won't be answered until 2021's springtime at the earliest. But we do need a "beacon of hope" to help frame a pandemic recovery. And, today, I choose to look at the glass half-full to start off the year. I certainly am an Olympics fan. I have been since first falling in awe with the spectacle at Los Angeles 1984. From tradition of ceremony, to compelling competition, and from unsung heroes to the camaraderie of various athletes coming together, I am all in.That said, my fandom doesn't mean that I don't have some recommendations. So, in honor of the new year, here are Games and Rings' top ten wishes for the Olympics in 2021.Chime in with your own wishes for Tokyo 2020 in the comments. And, follow Games and Rings here for roundups on Olympic sports athletes. Run, Caster, RunMiddle-distance runner Caster Semenya has one more appeal up her sleeve, to the European Court of Human Rights. Double Olympic champion in the 800 meters, Semenya is currently blocked from defending her title unless she takes testosterone-inhibiting measures, under somewhat arbitrary and selectively exclusionary new World Athletics rules.As argued a few months ago, World Athletics is on the wrong side of history's trajectory toward human rights in this case. Semenya was born female and is female. She - like some others - is just a female with elevated - but natural - testosterone, and who happened to win the genetics lottery suited for a career in athletics. Why should she be punished for that? Let her run.Protest for ChangeTeam USA recently announced not only that "It is a human right to peacefully call upon racial and social injustices during the...Games" but also that "denying the right of respectful demonstrations...runs counter to the Olympic...values."This doesn't just run counter to Team USA's own recent actions - just ask fencer Race Imboden and hammer thrower Gwen Berry for their thoughts - it runs against the International Olympic Committee's own Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which bans any political protest, including kneeling or even wearing an armband. The IOC even issued its Rule 50 guidelines at the start of the year.But a year filled with Black Lives Matter activism and increased racial awareness sure can change perspective. World Athletics, representing track & field, issued a President's Award to Mexico City 1968 protestors Tommie Smith and John Carlos (and fellow medalist Peter Norman), a surprising indication that maybe the organization will support its own athletes' Olympic protests. For its part, the IOC did give a tepid "we'll look into it" response to Team USA's recommendations. Of course, determining "appropriate" allowable protest and over what issue would be problematic on a global stage like the Olympics, with the wide variety of national interests and backgrounds. But isn't the Olympic stage built on inspiration and striving for better-ness? Will we see a meaningful gesture that spurs conversation toward greater social good? Will the IOC act supportively? Yes, I'm anxious to see it.A Russian ComeuppanceIn its bid to dominate its home Games of Sochi 2014, Russia undertook a doping system that provided its athletes with performance-enhancement and an elaborate coverup. That this was a state-level scheme is no longer in dispute.What has been the punishment? Four years later, at Pyeongchang 2018, "Russia" was banned but Russian athletes were allowed to compete under an "Olympic Athletes from Russia" moniker. Huh? Essentially, Russian officials were absent, as was the Russian flag and anthem, but otherwise, the team carried on. Really, "Russia" still participated...their flag was honored and their anthem sung.In 2016, the IOC declined to ban Russia outright despite recommendations by the World Anti-Doping Agency to do just that and following confirmation of deeper state-level manipulation. World Athletics took matters into its own hands and heavily restricted Russian presence in track & field, but elsewhere across the Games, Russia flourished.Now, after an appeal of a stronger WADA ban, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reduced penalties and restored possible Russian participation at the Games. This will likely again come under a "neutral" banner. The upcoming World Men's Handball Championship next month offers a template, with Team Russia becoming Team "Russian Handball Federation", while still wearing team colors. To paraphrase, if it looks like Russia and carries the name "Russian", it is Russia.Not much of a punishment for carrying out the largest doping affront against the Olympics, state-sponsored no less. Russia's actions in Sochi disrespected the Games, and its role as host, to say the least. And, so far, Russia has, as U.S. Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart said in response to the recent CAS reduction, "once again escape(d) a meaningful consequence proportional to the crimes...".What can be done? A repeat of 2018's "Olympic Athletes from Russia" team seems on the way, which has shown to not be much of a deterrence. Although they didn't in 2016, perhaps individual federations should take World Athletics' lead in restricting participation within their own sports. In the meantime, I'm wishing for a subdued Russian presence...maybe somehow there's a team-wide demoralization that affects performance. That's unlikely, but something needs to shake Russia into sincere compliance. Fair, and trusted Olympic-spirit competition needs it.A Full-Strength Basketball TournamentThe Covid-19 pandemic has upended the sporting calendar in 2020, with ripple effects across next year and beyond as all sports negotiate the Olympic behemoth planted now in 2021. At this stage, many rescheduled dates have been set, and one potential high-profile conflict has emerged over the last few weeks.The National Basketball Association's modified 2019-20 season, which should have ended in June 2020, finished in October. This pushed their 2020-21 season to start later than normal, in December, which then pushed the potential NBA Finals end to July 22. That's one day ahead of the Opening Ceremony for Tokyo 2020. This means a significant number of potential Olympians would not be available, or interested, in Tokyo participation given the tight turnaround between the NBA season and the Games, particularly for those that will be making deep post-season runs.U.S. stars are not the only ones affected. Spain's team usually features NBA-ers Ricky Rubio, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Nikola Mirotic. Rudy Gobert plays for France, while Patty Mills, Ben Simmons, and Matthew Dellavedova feature for Australia.Olympic qualification is massively affected, too. Usually, the final Olympic Qualifying Tournaments are held in the NBA off-season. But now in 2021, the qualifiers are set for late June, which would mean in the middle of the NBA post-season play. Would-be stars for the teams trying to qualify in these tournaments include Slovenia's Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic, Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Serbia's Nikola Jokic...not having them available would carry serious implications for their national teams' Olympic dreams.Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich is well aware of the timing conundrum, and he's in a tight turnaround, too, as an active NBA coach. Having an NBA-star-studded Olympic tournament has been a highlight of the Games since Barcelona 1992, and I'm hoping that Tokyo's version will also feature the world's best. I'm not sure how this will happen...it's unlikely a significant number of star players will miss the NBA playoffs and not be too tired to play on, but we'll see how it plays out. I also fear that, if NBA-ers pass on the Games en masse, it will set a precedent on not appearing at the Games, allowing the NBA to further push their World Cup at the expense of the Olympics.A Boxing ComebackBoxing is a classic Olympic sport, with global appeal and participation. Unfortunately, the sport is on the wrong side of competent governance and trusted integrity.Except for Stockholm 1912, boxing has been on the official Olympic program since St. Louis 1904. Boxing attracts a wide swath of nations at the Games - entrants from Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Mauritius, and Brazil have won medals across the last three Games, for example. And, supporting the IOC's goal of gender equality, women's events have been included since London 2012, with a targeted increase of equality at Paris 2024.But trusting boxing to be a fair sport has been an on-going, frustrating issue. Just some of the outrageous decisions include Evander Holyfield's loss to Kevin Barry in 1984, Park Si-Hum's victory over Roy Jones, Jr. at Seoul 1988, Eric Griffin's loss to Rafael Lozano at Barcelona 1992, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s loss to Serafim Todorov at Atlanta 1996, Satoshi Shimizu's loss to Magomed Abdulhamidov at London 2012, and Michael Conlan's loss to Vladimir Nikitin at Rio 2016.These aren't just examples of contested upset losses / wins - they're egregious examples of, at best questionable or, at worst, rigged judging. It seems there is more of a story when there isn't a controversy at an Olympics.Boxing's governing body hasn't done the sport any favors, either. Its governance and financial problems have forced the extraordinary step of the IOC taking over Olympic qualifiers. The recent election of a new International Boxing Federation president didn't stop the IOC from restricting boxing at Paris 2024 to fewer athletes than at 2020 and not allowing a full program of weight classes. That is a move that many see as punishment for the sport's continued mess.Can boxing have a smooth, non-controversial program in Tokyo? It'll have to in order to secure confidence and relevance beyond 2024. A Clean Weightlifting Competition?Speaking of trust, weightlifting is another sport on the precipice. It was on the original agenda at Athens 1896, and except for three early Games editions, it's been on the Olympic program ever since. Like boxing, it's a truly global sport, and with a bounty of spectator appeal. Unfortunately, it's an Olympic sport dogged by doping. 16 medalists and four would-be medalists from Beijing 2008 have been stripped of their placements due to retroactive drug testing. Worse, London 2012 has disqualified 32 (!) weightlifters (and counting!), decimating the original medal table. Multiple recent infractions by specific nations means that many are facing total or partial restrictions at Tokyo 2020, including Russia, Egypt, Thailand, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, India, amongst others.Worse, the International Weightlifting Federation has been beset by misgovernment and corruption, causing a complete lack of confidence by the IOC, which put a humiliating reduction on the sport in place for 2024.If the sport is to get its act together, it needs to showcase itself well - and cleanly - in Tokyo. Weightlifting has given us fans so many favorite moments - let's hope there are more.Success for Modern PentathlonI have a soft spot for the quirky sport of modern pentathlon. Despite its rather contrived origins ahead of Stockholm 1912, the sport nevertheless is a lasting testament to the modern Games' founder Baron de Coubertin and his respect for the ancient Olympic pentathlon event. It has grown into a sport enjoyed across the world, with a World Championship held annually since 1949.It's also a sport perpetually subject to IOC scrutiny and questioning when looking to reduce or alter the Games' agenda. It traditionally has struggled for visibility, as its not a television-friendly event, and had usually required multiple venues, neither of which helps when the IOC increasingly preaches downsizing and feasibility.But the sport's been flexible: moving from a five-day event to a single day at Atlanta 1996, combining the running and shooting portions at London 2012, and narrowing to a single venue for next year's event. And, in a bid to remain IOC-relevant, will be even further condensed to a 90-minute format at Paris 2024.I, for one, am looking for the sport to put on a show at Tokyo 2020. Enough to finally secure more respect and confidence from the IOC, and perhaps even expand the sport to include a mixed relay event, which has been at the World Championships since 2010 and at three Youth Olympics to success.Traditionally, the best decathlete in track & field has been dubbed the "world's greatest athlete", but perhaps we should look at modern pentathletes for that moniker. After all, with excellence across five very different sports - fencing, equestrian, swimming, running, and shooting - these competitors must deserve applause for perseverance. New Stars in SwimmingMichael Phelps has been the dominant name in Olympic swimming for the last four Games, from Athens 2004 through Rio 2016, winning a total of 28 medals along the way. and becoming the focal point in the pool coverage. With his retirement after Rio, the air is clear for new swimming names to take center stage. Who will be the swimming standard-bearer? Caeleb Dressel is the obvious Phelps-in-waiting, already a star in swimming circles. Maybe Adam Peaty, or Katie Ledecky, or even an Olympic newcomer -and feel-good story - like Rikako Ikee can make enough of an impact to take center stage. My wish? It's that we find multiple stars and multiple swimmers to champion. Let's spread the attention around and get to know the many, many athletes worthy of attention.It's good to have new names to cycle in. Not all past heroes need to stick around.A U.S. Gymnastics Team of MeritWhen Bela and Martha Karolyi were in charge of Team USA's women's gymnastics, they implemented a very subjective - and rather secretive - process to select the Olympic team. The Karolyis' Olympic trials were a marketing spectacle. A made-for-tv event separate from the annual national championships, the team makeup always seemed to carry a sense of marketing - a selection of not just who are the best athletes, but of who would be a good marketing mix. The fact that selection decisions were made behind closed doors only exacerbated the sense of potential unfairness at the expense of potentially deserving athletes. The men's team was similarly selected, and similarly drew skeptical concerns of unfairness.Cut to 2019, when USA Gymnastics (USAG) reckons with a Larry Nasser scandal that upends the governing body's structure and the destruction of public trust. In June last year, USAG announced a revamp of its team selection, promising "more transparency, defined discretionary criteria", in addition to other measures. With the smaller team sizes - now four members only - for Tokyo 2020, team selection will be even more precious and scrutinized than before.So...let's hope that the four women and four men selected for the U.S. will be the strongest and most deserving out of the trials. It's time.The Last Gymnastics Gala?Speaking of gymnastics, there is traditionally a gala that takes place after the artistic competition that features medal-winning and/or popular gymnasts in a non-judged showcase. Rumor is, this will return at Tokyo 2020. I hope it will be the last. It's a shameless outreach to television audiences and extra fan attendance, and the only non-competitive "official" event on the sports calendar of the Summer Games. Certainly, dropping this exhibition wouldn't hinder the athletic spectacle of the sport, and would help clear the calendar for more (real) gymnastics competition. Rhythmic gymnasts currently lack apparatus-specific medal competition at the Games, and acrobatics has long been an official International Gymnastics Federation discipline, yet to appear at a Games. What do you want to see happen at Tokyo 2020?
  4. Athletics Qualification for Summer Olympic Games 2016
×
×
  • Create New...