If you’d managed to qualify for Beijing, you would have stood a three percent chance of coming home with a gold medal. In fact, if you’d decided to spend a good portion of your life dedicated to a martial art, you’d stand an even better chance.
22 of the 302 events being contested in Beijing will be decided on the taekwondo and judo mat.
While we all might not have Tim Gable-esque knowledge about the modern pentathlon or wrestling, there’s no disputing their places at the games.
And despite the usual ignorant jokes from our pundits, handball is not a schoolyard game even if it doesn’t have the same profile as other team sports.
Football is the best example of a sport that shouldn’t be at the Olympics. For starters, the World Cup out rates the Olympics on television. Yes, it has an illustrious history at the games, but that all ended when FIFA decided the men’s competition would become an under 23’s championship in 1992.
Women’s football wasn’t even introduced until the Atlanta games.
If it’s not the highest accolade the players can win, then they don’t deserve their place at the games.
Tennis is in the same boat.
There are hundreds of tournaments on the ATP and WTA tours each year, four of which are historically more well regarded by the players.
In fact, the winners in Beijing didn’t even receive as many ranking points as they do for a Masters Series win. That’s not to say the world’s best aren’t turning out for it. They’d just rather win Wimbledon.
At least IOC officials have got it right, removing baseball and softball for the London games, even if Japan’s win in the softball has broken the American dominance.
The Major Leagues barely acknowledge that the Olympic baseball competition is going on, let alone release their players.
Maybe a few people over at the IOC got a little confused by the Summer Games tag when they decided that beach volleyball should be added for the Atlanta games. There has to be at least a second look at any sport that has rules in place stating uniforms must be under a certain size.
As for BMX and trampolining, well I just wish I’d put more effort into my post-school, pre-dinner hobbies as a child.
Shame I was too tired from trying to make the Olympic handball team at lunchtime.
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