Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?

The introduction of men's golf at the Olympics has been a bloody farce from start to finish. I hope the IGF take a long hard look at what they've done. It should never have been a straightforward 72-hole strokeplay event, for a start, when they had the opportunity to do all sorts of fun things that none of the other events on tour do, like making it matchplay, and maybe having singles and foursomes in both men's and women's and combining results up to a team medal. A bit more "representing my country" national pride might have enticed more of the multi-millionaires along than just "winning it for myself"?

[Janik]

Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?

Etienne wrote: no sport where the Olympics isn't the pinnacle should be in it - there are plenty of sports missing out that it would be the case for.

is true.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?

Darts, for a start.

What? Archery's in it. Explain the difference to me.

[Janik]

Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?

It's a pub game, mostly. Which means makes it seem as lacking athleticism. Archery has that in pulling the bow requires significant strength. They are powerful weapons and very difficult to use.
Even though in darts you now hear "I just wasn't fit enough", having known a couple of high level amateur Archers through work both talk about the dedication needed to make it at international level which includes hours in the gym. I'm not sure darts matches that yet, or indeed will ever need to. Darts fitness seems to be more being generally healthy than making oneself an Athlete.

I reckon shooting would have worked as a better example for your purposes.

Darts also falls down on being nowhere near international enough in its popularity.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?

I wasn't being entirely serious in suggesting darts. You might be surprised about its international diversity element, though - whilst it's true the great majority of top players are from Britain, Australia and (for reasons I never fully understand) Holland, the game is played at a fairly strong amateur level al over the world. The last WDF World Cup attracted entries from 50 countries, including the USA, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, India, China and Thailand. I think it would just about pass the IOC test of needing established national federations in so many countries and on so many continents. Where darts would probably fail any test at the moment is in not having a single, recognised governing body - the WDF and PDC would not agree on that - which was also golf's main problem, until the R&A and the USGA agreed to settle their differences by handing the Olympic bid over to the IGF (formerly the World Amateur Golf Council).

[tee rex]

Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?

This is the Olympic moaning thread, isn't it? Trying to leave the other one alone ...

Anyway, the weather is shit. Every time there's a campaign for a country/city to host a major event the selling point is "put Ruritania on the map" or some such. And it's worked - until now Rio was a place of enticing sunshine, or Amazon rain that was tropical and sexy, not miserable and well, British. It was on the map, but I didn't look at the map too closely.

Even the World Cup didn't change that preconception, maybe because a football stadium is a very different arena from a rowing lake or bike route.

So yeah, well done Brazil, everybody thought they knew you before you hosted the Olympics, and wanted to dance naked with you, and now you've got millions cancelling their holiday dreams and thinking about somewhere nicer, like Margate.

[tee rex]

Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?

Oh, and national anthems before team games - minor pool match-ups, everything. Bullshit: anthems are for medal ceremonies, nothing else.

And the military marching at those ceremonies. Is it Remembrance Day every day? More bullshit.

[tee rex]

Is Zika going to spoil the Olympics?

Another moan. Picking up on the golf discussion.

In New Zealand (or in pre-lottery Britain) there are/were long gaps between medal events for Our Proud Nation. So while waiting for the athletics or cycling to start, the TV network schedule needs padding. Sometimes, a lot of padding.

Eventually they run out of interviews with the local bronze medallist's auntie, and so they (used to) go over to the water polo or volleyball or any action they can find, featuring sports or countries that rarely get air time otherwise. This always used to be part of the fun of the Olympics, viewed from the couch. You'd get a taste of the variety of international sport.

But now there's golf. That goes all day, so for producers it's the perfect lazy padding. No need to try something new, with commentators explaining judo's rules or who's good at handball. Golf can fill the gaps instead.

So sports that used to be on my TV screen (more importantly, kids' screens) once every four years have now disappeared completely. Unless there's a wardrobe malfunction or a brawl, they won't exist.

Smart move, IOC.