[nickf]

Happened to be interstate today at my brothers place watching the first day of competition and for fun we tried to come up with some "must have" sports that the IOC should introduce. The list was lengthy, but among those we came up with:

- horse racing (and harness racing too but not greyhounds as there are no humans involved)
- rock, paper scissors.
- quoits
- formula 1 racing
- shuffleboard
- air hockey
- pinball
- caber tossing
- tug of war (this is actually a re-introduction)
- australian rules football
- chess boxing
- tic tac toe

there may have been more.

Is this list definitive or have we neglected to include any?

nick
sydney

[onoway]

Since you mention horse racing and harness racing it seems that there might be some reason to do an equestrian Olympics. I am told they have dropped the 3 day event and the cross country, but those are only two of the possibilities.

Besides the above, and while keeping the jumping, dressage and driving events,you could have chuckwagon and chariot races. cattle penning, cowboy polo (or even regular polo) steeplechasing, working cowhorse (where the horse/rider have to manoever the calf in a pattern much as sheepdogs do with sheep in their trials) and a sort of gymkhana champion of the 103 gymkhana events such as barrel racing, pole bending, novelty jumping courses etc.

It could include vaulting on horse back and trick riding.

It could also include jousting on horseback and all the events which have now mostly been consigned to history.

Other events could be freestyle, where a horse without saddle/bridle or rider performs a routine to music (trainer is in arena so human element still there).

There should be horse pulls for the big guys.

Not sure if I have missed anything (aside from deliberately avoiding the controversial roping events). Think that could fill up a week?

[jtfanclub]

Pole dancing?

[Winstonm]

Dodgeball
Water Polo with Horses
Individual and team tanning

[luke warm]

jtfanclub, on Aug 9 2008, 10:04 AM, said:

Pole dancing?

with lap dancing as a tie breaker?

[jdeegan]

Beer Pong. My son recently competed in national level games held in Las Vegas. I am SO proud.

[Trinidad]

I would like to see combined events:

Combine disc throwing with javelin to obtain something that looks like skeet shooting.

Or how about a combination of shotput and baseball?

Bike jumping (instead of the old fashioned horse jumping) could also be nice.

Rik

[dicklont]

Marathon skating for the winter games.

[barmar]

How about Olympics for Kids:

Hopskotch
Jacks
Tetherball

[luke warm]

and how bout that 4x100 relay last night... simply awesome

[PassedOut]

luke warm, on Aug 11 2008, 05:20 AM, said:

and how bout that 4x100 relay last night... simply awesome

Yes it was. The French team is very strong and I thought they would win until the last second or two. (It's rarely a good idea to tell reporters you are going "to crush" the other team before the event takes place.)

[Al_U_Card]

Olympic events currently in the news.....

pre-competition braggadoccio

in-competition exhortation of athletes by family members

post victory celebrations by the victors

post defeat disappointment by the losers



oh...and should I mention...incomprehensible interviews of heads of state by Bob Costas?

[hrothgar]

Funny to see this thread:

A group of friends and I regularly meet to watch "So You Think You Can Dance". (We used to heckle the show, but in a terriifying development we've gotten sucked in)

In any case, we've started hoping that the powers that be would start dredging out some REALLY bizzarre categories like

"Riverdance"
"Pole Dancing"
"The Chicken Dance"

Just seeing the contestant's faces when they draw "Riverdance" would make my year... (Well that and seeing Napoleon and Tabita drawn and quartered)

[TimG]

barmar, on Aug 10 2008, 10:15 PM, said:

How about Olympics for Kids:

Hopskotch
Jacks
Tetherball

And...gymnastics.

[Al_U_Card]

hrothgar, on Aug 11 2008, 08:29 AM, said:

Funny to see this thread:

A group of friends and I regularly meet to watch "So You Think You Can Dance". (We used to heckle the show, but in a terriifying development we've gotten sucked in)

In any case, we've started hoping that the powers that be would start dredging out some REALLY bizzarre categories like

"Riverdance"
"Pole Dancing"
"The Chicken Dance"

Just seeing the contestant's faces when they draw "Riverdance" would make my year... (Well that and seeing Napoleon and Tabita drawn and quartered)

I am a devoted viewer of this program which I find to be one of the most enjoyable I have seen since my dear departed X-files....

Such talent and youthful exuberance is a joy to behold. I still get goose-bumps when I watch the tape of some of the routines. No matter the "ick" factor of certain contributors or the incessant hi-pitched screaming of Mary Murphy....it is a "talent" reality show where there is tremendous demonstration of the human potential.

btw, I am sure that all of the contestants to date would prefer any of your 3 propositions to the "dreaded" foxtrot...