What is the dumbist sport in the Games?

I would nominate Table Tennis. I saw a competition on TV. It was totally laughable. Why not make pinball or miniture golf a sport as well?

Olympic Speed-walking.

nah, speed walking is good (ok, ireland are better at it then at other sports but that's beside the point)

Rabid Weasel Toss.


This should have been banned years ago.






Seriously, I think synchronised swimming and synchronised diving. Much more of an art thing, like dance, rather than a sport.

I agree with Xach. Speed-Walking? Please...

speed walking and synchronized swimming

Olympic Speed-walking.

someone was disqualified in 96 because it turned out they were jogging

i see them as the same thing lol

I saw the badmitton competition. What a hoot!

Why not also make lawn darts an Olympic sport. Or how about croquett?

One odd thing, has anyone noticed that China, Korea and Japan seem to do the best in "dumb" sports. I'm not joking. If you look at any sport which requires little physical effort you will find that its dominated by asiatic countries.

I saw the badmitton competition. What a hoot!

Why not also make lawn darts an Olympic sport. Or how about croquett?

One odd thing, has anyone noticed that China, Korea and Japan seem to do the best in "dumb" sports. I'm not joking. If you look at any sport which requires little physical effort you will find that its dominated by asiatic countries.

wtf is badmitton anyway?
lawn darts :rofl:
croquett??? do people even play that anymore??? :eek7: :confused:

there's speed walking in the olympics?

someone was disqualified in 96 because it turned out they were jogging

i think this year one of the irish walkers has been disqualified for jogging already :)

i have to agree with The Frogster about synchronised swimming and diving

What is the dumbist sport in the Games?

I would nominate Table Tennis. I saw a competition on TV. It was totally laughable. Why not make pinball or miniture golf a sport as well?

Any and all.

:|

JRo

trampoline....huh?? weird. i saw it the other day...

Dressage. Get on your horse and go stand over here. Then walk over there. Then come back. Then stand. WTF? They might as well add a dog show.

Honorable mention for the "Modern Pentathalon." Fencing/Pistols/Horses/Swimming/Running. Eh?


http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/ce/multi/0,1329,2858077_188068,00.html

And modern pentathlon is hardly a sport for novices -- or the faint of heart. It consists of five events, meant to recreate the trials of an ancient officer who was brought down in enemy territory as he tried to deliver a message on horseback. Having defended himself with a pistol and sword, the officer swam across a raging river before running through woods to deliver the message.

In Olympic competition, athletes fire 20 shots at 20 targets with a 4.5-milimeter air pistol; fence in a 24-person round robin; swim a 200-meter freestyle race; ride a horse over a course that has 12 jumps; and, finally, run a 3-kilometer race.


It looks like they dropped Rhythmic Gymnastics. Else that one would be on my list, too.

I nominate all olympic sports :not:

Dressage. Get on your horse and go stand over here. Then walk over there. Then come back. Then stand. WTF? They might as well add a dog show.


and yet, ireland always struggle at dressage ?

maybe we can't take orders

maybe we can't take orders

Two pints of guinness an a packet of cheese and onon please.

The sports i dont mind, it is the comentators who drive me up the wall. I could quite happily watch Olympic dwarf puking or whatever if only they wouldnt get so damn excited about it.

someone was disqualified in 96 because it turned out they were jogging
The rules are you are allowed three violations. Its not as easy a sport as it looks. If you don't believe me try walking 50,000 Km or about 30 miles.

table tennis is the second most played sport in the world, and it and badminton are great sports worthy of the games, unlike anything equestrian, synchronised swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and stupid stupid shooting.

stupid stupid shooting.

I agree, as far as ball trap is concerned .
I mean, just look at the female australian winner .. Suzanne Balrog or something, 1,66 m, 85 kg ... And yes, some women is some other sports are "heavy",but those are weightlifters, or judokas or something ...She is just fat ...
I mean, my idea of an athlete is NOT someone shooting pigeons on his ranch before eating burgers and quaffing a bottle of Jim Bean :nonono: Why not Darts then ? Petanque ? pool ? Snooker ?

Same thing with Sheikh Ahmed Mohammed Hasher Al Maktoum , male ball trap gold medalist ...

have to go with the synch swimming, I mean is water dancing really a sport?? And the sailing events they broadcasst on bravo were perhaps the most dull things i could ever watch. I think anything that is more art than physicality needs to go, as it isnt a real sport and the judging relies too much on personal opinions of artistic merit and not actualy measurable performances such as distance or time and so forth.

...try walking 50,000 Km or about 30 miles.


Well, I guess I'll take the 30 miles since I'm sure circling the earth enough times to make up fifty thousand kilometers would kill anyone.

there was a sport where teams of bikers rodea around and around in teams wearing helmets that looked like giant sperm on their head. However interesting the sport looked the ppl just looked way too ridiculous

Rabid Weasel Toss. This should have been banned years ago.
What are you talking about? Watching a rabid weasel toss a fresh honeydew while balancing on the right knee of an olympian is one of the purest sports in the olympics.


IMO, it's hurling.

i nomin ate air hockey as the next olympic event, orbilliards, if they can have ping pong then dammit one of these should be an event too!

table tennis, pfft! its ping pong!

To quote Lewis Black on the whole "Is oral sex adultery?" question: Is oral sex adultery? YES! If curling is an olympic sport, then oral sex is adultery. Oral sex should be an olympic sport, because it's harder than curling and if you're any good at it, you deserve a medal.

I saw the badmitton competition. What a hoot!

Why not also make lawn darts an Olympic sport. Or how about croquett?

One odd thing, has anyone noticed that China, Korea and Japan seem to do the best in "dumb" sports. I'm not joking. If you look at any sport which requires little physical effort you will find that its dominated by asiatic countries.
Anyone who can imply that badminton requires little physical effort obviously never played it. Or if you saw any of those matches in the Olympics, those guys were really sweating. It's a sport by any standard of definition - it is a physically demanding competitive game, requiring skill and stamina. It really is not any much different in principle than tennis - opponents hitting a projectile over a net within a court, with the objective of making it unreturnable. You can say the same about table tennis too.

If a "dumb" sport is simply to mean any sport that one personally does not play or appreciate, then any sport can be called "dumb". Maybe the Asians think football is dumb.

If you want to talk about dumb Olympic sports, how about the swimming obstacle race (http://www.topendsports.com/events/discontinued/obstacle.htm). It was only held in 1900. The competitors had to climb over a pole, then scramble over a row of boats, and then swim under another row of boats. All this while swimming in a river and dealing with the current.

Also, croquet has been in the Olympics before. See http://www.topendsports.com/events/discontinued/croquet.htm

the dumbest sport that's still an olympic sport has got to be sailing.. I'm sorry but its just boring to watch

As for badminton I can't see how it can be compared to croquet... If you play badminton properly its actually very demanding


The lamest olympic sport of all time however is tug of war... I mean come on! What were they thinking!

Basque pelota which is kind of like hacky sack also should be mentioned as well as croquet/roque... why you Americans had to invent a variant of croquet i have no idea :|

The toughest Olympic sport by far is sports gymnastics. I loooooove watching it.

There are no dumb sports. They may be more or less interesting to watch, but are all highly competitive and difficult in their own way.

Dressage. Get on your horse and go stand over here. Then walk over there. Then come back. Then stand. WTF? They might as well add a dog show.

Honorable mention for the "Modern Pentathalon." Fencing/Pistols/Horses/Swimming/Running. Eh?

Ironically you are opposed to two of the most genuine Olympic competitions. Remember that the Olympics were designed as a demonstration of combat prowess. Dressage requires very specific control of the horse and the rider. You are proving that you can control the horse well enough to be able to engage in combat while riding.
The pentathalon is to warmer climates what the biathalon is to Switzerland. The pentathalon combines all of the aspects of traditional combat: mastery of the sword, precision marksmanship, ability to control cavalry both in the confines of the arena and in the cross-country, the physical stamina to cross many miles of both land and water. You can keep your oiled men wrestling around on the floor, the pentathalon is the sport of warriors.

To quote Lewis Black on the whole "Is oral sex adultery?" question: Is oral sex adultery? YES! If curling is an olympic sport, then oral sex is adultery. Oral sex should be an olympic sport, because it's harder than curling and if you're any good at it, you deserve a medal.

I would sign on as a judge for Women's Oral Sex.

Curling is NOT a sport.

That one where they dance around twirling a ribbon..

BMX gets my vote

it's not real cycling sport, it just deprives a real male and a real female cyclists from a medal in the 1km and 500m track time trials

That one where they dance around twirling a ribbon..

You think rhythmic gymnastics is easy? I love it, and consider these girls beautiful, graceful, artistic and incredibly dedicated. I took some classes as a kid, VERY hard sport. Precision, reflexes, flexibility, strength, courage... It takes a lot of heart.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/08/27/Andriola_wideweb__430x325,1.jpg

:eek3:

She looks bendy.

:eek3:

She looks bendy.

KAMA SUTRA :D

just imagine the possibilities... :hiya:

You think rhythmic gymnastics is easy? I love it, and consider these girls beautiful, graceful, artistic and incredibly dedicated. I took some classes as a kid, VERY hard sport. Precision, reflexes, flexibility, strength, courage... It takes a lot of heart.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/08/27/Andriola_wideweb__430x325,1.jpg


Never said it was easy, I just don't think running around with a ribbon is an "olympic sport", she appears to be playing with a ball in that pic anyways.

Should breakdancing be an olympic sport too?

Never said it was easy, I just don't think running around with a ribbon is an "olympic sport", she appears to be playing with a ball in that pic anyways.

Should breakdancing be an olympic sport too?

It's a flucking Olympic sport because it requires rigorous excercise and the utmost discipline to compete among the best in the world. Also, it's a sport that uses rules and requirements, the girls work with certain contraints (certain elements must be performed). One should say, it's always a highly scrutinized routine. The movements are not random or improvised, aside from a few, to give it that special touch of originality.

You don't have a clue what you're talking about.

Rhythmic gymnastics had been around for a 100 years or more, and it is a sport that is controlled by an International Federation. This is an important factor I think - POPULARITY ACROSS THE WORLD, for the whole point of the Olympics is to "promote peace", bring people together yadda yadda... One more important factor that makes a sport Olympic is TRADITION. Rhythmic gymnastics was admitted to the Olympics in 1980 (a fairly modern sport) but it had existed long before that, practiced in many countries of the world, and taught by international standards, which makes competing against other countries possible.

When breakdancing becomes popular across the world as it is in USA (and some of Europe), when it gets a book of rules (standards) and a judging system based on those rules, when it gets a Body (Association) responsible for promotion and regulation, then maybe, just maybe, it becomes a summer Olympic SPORT, why not. So far, breakdancing has purely an entertainment value because it is highly improvisational. This makes it a form of art, rather than a competitive sport. Why? Because you can't compete fairly, for judging would be purely subjective. It is relative which breakdancing performance seems technically and aestethically better.

I hope I'd answered your question.

It's a flucking Olympic sport because it requires rigorous excercise and the utmost discipline to compete among the best in the world. Also, it's a sport that uses rules and requirements, the girls work with certain contraints (certain elements must be performed). One should say, it's always a highly scrutinized routine. The movements are not random or improvised, aside from a few, to give it that special touch of originality.

You don't have a clue what you're talking about.


I sure do, like I said, if running around twirling a ribbon is a sport, so is breakdancing, which requires plenty of strength, dexterity, stamina, and balance. Yet it would be ridiculous to make it one as it's just a dance. I don't consider anything that has to be "judged" to determine a winner to be much of a sport, where we don't have a clearly defined winner due to most points scored or lowest time, etc. And that is my OPINION, I could care less how many years people have been twirling ribbons around. Cheerleading is a very physically demanding thing as well, I don't think it should be classified a sport either, especially an olympic sport.

You are letting your opinions cloud your objectivity.


Rhythmic gymnastics had been around for a 100 years or more, and it is a sport that is controlled by an International Federation. This is an important factor I think - POPULARITY ACROSS THE WORLD, for the whole point of the Olympics is to "promote peace", bring people together yadda yadda...

I'm sure it's real popular... And I'm well aware what the olympics are about, this thread is titled "Dumb olympic sports", not olympic tradition and history.


One more important factor that makes a sport Olympic is TRADITION. Rhythmic gymnastics was admitted to the Olympics in 1980 (a fairly modern sport) but it had existed long before that, practiced in many countries of the world, and taught by international standards, which makes competing against other countries possible.

Some people jump around with poisonous snakes wrapped around their necks, because it's traditional to do so, traditions are lame..


When breakdancing becomes popular across the world as it is in USA (and some of Europe), when it gets a book of rules (standards) and a judging system based on those rules, when it gets a Body (Association) responsible for promotion and regulation, then maybe, just maybe, it becomes a summer Olympic SPORT, why not.

Because judging is subjective, not objective, and it's a dance.


So far, breakdancing has purely an entertainment value because it is highly improvisational. This makes it a form of art, rather than a competitive sport.

Same exact thing goes for ribbon twirling..

Why? Because you can't compete fairly, for judging would be purely subjective. It is relative which breakdancing performance seems technically and aestethically better.

I hope I'd answered your question.

Ha! You just gave the exact reason why judged dances like ribbon twirling shouldn't be in the olympics!

Having taught olympic weightlifting, and having almost become an olympic weightlifting coach, I think I know what a true sport is honey..;)

Corporate Avenger, do you think boxing is not a sport? It's judged, so long as one of the fighters doesn't get knocked the phluck out. Granted, the Oympics uses some kind of quantitative scoring system for adding up punches landed.

Ha! You just gave the exact reason why judged dances like ribbon twirling shouldn't be in the olympics!

Having taught olympic weightlifting, and having almost become an olympic weightlifting coach, I think I know what a true sport is honey..;)

Don't call me "honey".

I just told you that gymnasts gain scores by demostrating specific elements in their routine. There is a scoring system in place, only one portion is subjective: artistry. When you watch figure scating, notice there is never much deviation between the judges. Well, why is that? Besides, it's a sport dominated by young females, and I don't expect a weight pusher to like or appreciate a sport that requires abilities that you or the ppl that you coach will never possess.

Corporate Avenger, do you think boxing is not a sport? It's judged, so long as one of the fighters doesn't get knocked the phluck out. Granted, the Oympics uses some kind of quantitative scoring system for adding up punches landed.

More so than things like ribbing twirling, at least with boxing you can usually tell who wins, never really been a big fan though..

...never really been a big fan though..

I don't blame you. Boxing sucks.

Don't call me "honey".

Don't be so serious..

I just told you that gymnasts gain scores by demostrating specific elements in their routine. There is a scoring system in place, only one portion is subjective: artistry. When you watch figure scating, notice there is never much deviation between the judges. Well, why is that?


I don't agree, is it the end of the world??


Besides, it's a sport dominated by young females, and I don't expect a weight pusher to like or appreciate a sport that requires abilities that you or the ppl that you coach will never possess.


Oh wow..

1. You don't know anything about me, nor the people I know, I've trained everyone from runway models to pro football players, and I am fully aware what great athletes gymnasts are. I take issue with one freaking event which is more of an artistic dance than a sport and you blew a fuse.
You have no idea the incredible athletic ability it takes to perform Olympic lifts, or what incredible physical traits these people have.
I've also competed at the state championship level in Hawaii in outrigger canoeing (Now that will take you to your limit!), I'm not just a "weight pusher", as if pushing a lot of weight around is all it takes to perform an olympic lift..:rolleyes:

2. I've always defended various womens sports/competitions that many people brush off and/or assume they aren't athletes, so don't try to make this a sex issue.

3. I really don't care to argue about something so trivial, and my opinion is just that...

I don't blame you. Boxing sucks.

Although I remember loving watching the Tyson fights, but then, those were over quickly and were entertaining since you knew he was gonna knock the other guy out with a devastating blow. Those fights between the light and middleweights where they jab at eachother for an hour are sooooo boring.

Now, those UFC fights are fun to watch!

You think rhythmic gymnastics is easy? I love it, and consider these girls beautiful, graceful, artistic and incredibly dedicated. I took some classes as a kid, VERY hard sport. Precision, reflexes, flexibility, strength, courage... It takes a lot of heart.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/08/27/Andriola_wideweb__430x325,1.jpg

I would give anything to meet the young lady on that picture!

You have no idea the incredible athletic ability it takes to perform Olympic lifts, or what incredible physical traits these people have.
I've also competed at the state championship level in Hawaii in outrigger canoeing (Now that will take you to your limit!), I'm not just a "weight pusher", as if pushing a lot of weight around is all it takes to perform an olympic lift..:rolleyes:

I never said anything against any sport, and am fully aware that it takes ability to perform Olympic lifts - I did however defend rhytmic gymnastics and tried to point out that it should not be diminished in terms of difficulty, because you have no idea what it taks to "twirl that ribbon" properly, while performing complex flexibility excercises. If you tried doing it you would look ridiculous, right? So give some respect to these young ladies. Their abilities are different than yours, but just as valuable.