Having complained about golf being in the Olympics, I will now complain about the sports added for 2020 and give my suggestions of what sports to be included instead.
The sports to be in 2020 are baseball/softball, surfing, sports climbing, skateboarding and karate. I have already dismissed karate as being another fighting sport. Since Judo is Japanese and Tae Kwon Do is similar to karate, I don't think karate should be added. It was also picked ahead of wushu which is the official name for kung fu, the Chinese martial art. Kung fu is in fact the original martial art so if anything should be ahead of karate. Surfing and skateboarding are sports which western nations have advantage. Sports climbing is also the case, although if they climb actual mountains without equipment then maybe serpas from Nepal may win. Baseball is popular not only in the U.S. but also in Asia and Latin America so it is alright to be included again. Softball balances out baseball for gender purposes so had to be included.
My picks to be included are sepak takraw, kabaddi and chess. Sepak takraw is a cross between badminton and soccer. Teams kick ball over net about the height of badminton net. The game is popular in southeast Asia with Thailand, Myanmar being powers, although South Korea is pretty good also. Kabaddi is a contact sport for south Asian countries. The powers are India and Iran. So give these countries a chance for medals! If money is an issue for building venues, then chess is your sport. You just need a large library! The top three nations are Russia, China and the U.S. Not too many sports where all three are contenders. But others such as India, Ukraine, Armenia, Israel, Philippines, Norway, England, Cuba are competitive. While it is a sport of the mind, endurance is essential here. The only problem is that it is not much of a spectator sport.
Ballroom dancing was considered but did not get voted in. I say if they let people play defense, ie, interrupt other couples from making good moves, then it should be in. I would be a very good defensive player since I frequently run into other couples!
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
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I wouldn't mind seeing various forms of martial arts. Heck, I wouldn't even mind if there was MMA. As far as martial arts, it would be kind of cool to use a standard scoring system but let the competitors use whatever form of martial art to score.
ReplyDeleteSepak takraw is a fun sport to watch. I've watched some highlights on Youtube and was impressed with the game. I have no idea if the scoring is the same, but would not be against that in the Olympics.
I have not heard of Kabaddi and I'm not so sure on chess. Heck, if you want chess, I would propose poker, which is a popular game to watch.
Ballroom dancing is actually intriguing since they do have an equivalent in ice dancing in the winter games. Remember that a good offense is a good defense (or something like that!).
Your mention of chess always reminds me of this clip from Saturday Night Live:
https://vimeopro.com/volleyvekst/humor/video/94507581
-LBOAYM
I agree that poker is a popular game to watch but I am against gambling and even though there is skill involved in poker I don't think it is a good idea to make gambling more popular than it is already. Besides, if I criticize golf for depending too much on luck then certainly I would not want a game that depends even more on chance than golf.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble with dancing, as is in ice dancing, it is that it is difficult to judge. So then we would have more political arguments. When I watch professional competition, unlike your favorite program DWTS, I can't tell who is better. So I would worry about the Russian judges again. I think the quote is "the best defense is a good offense"
That clip gives me the idea that maybe they can run around the block before making a move in chess while the clock is still running. That way stamina and speed will really come into play. They would also have to make faster moves since they wasted time running. That will be more spectator friendly. The coaches might even throw a chair in frustration!
Well, I wouldn't use real money for poker during the Olympics. I'd say give everyone the same amount in fake money and go from there. However, I understand where you are coming from. I'd actually like to watch a competition where there is some kind of obstacle course with chess to make it more interesting!
ReplyDelete-LBOAYM