Contemplate the colossal banquet – an interminable progression of dishes. In the past fortnight and a bit, the metropolis has been bloated with sports activities filling every corner, to an extent that necessitated transferring some to suburban areas and even packing some for a remote island like Tahiti.
Aren’t we all filled to the brim? Meandering with satisfaction along the streets, toothpick in hand, trying to avoid the impending Monday morning bloating, the vivid memories of Paris 2024 stay as fresh and flawless as ever.
Just like processing an opulent dinner, our system cleverly segregates essential nutrients from waste. The Olympics should ideally emulated this process. Today’s Olympic Games feature 48 disciplines from 32 sports that include sub-disciplines like BMX freestyle and rhythmic gymnastics. This is a stark 41% rise since the 1992 event in Barcelona and 20% since London 2012. How much more can we stretch?
The upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Games anticipate the introduction of five new sports: baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash. Conversely, breaking and possibly boxing are on the verge of being ousted. But the opportunities for fine-tuning are endless. This patient – the Olympics – must embark on a slimming regimen to preclude self-inflicted detriment.
Now, before we start, let’s establish a few principles. Sports that draw the largest global audience should take precedence. Additional consideration should be given to sports that are suitable for urban areas, and those with the “wow factor” – the ones that generate as much excitement on social platforms as they do in arenas, and the ones that challenge the physical limits rather than just turning the athletes increasingly sweat-soaked.
Athletics is set to remain, along with gymnastics, cycling, basketball, BMX, skateboarding and climbing, all of which fulfil various criteria. Meanwhile, wrestling and weightlifting offer straightforward, raw tests of physical strength. Amongst combative sports, judo, boxing and taekwondo hold the highest pureness. Hand-eye coordination challenges are tackled through sports like handball, table tennis and badminton, which also have easy access. ‘Wow factor’ sports include diving, canoeing and beach volleyball. Other categories like shooting, fencing and hockey just manage to maintain their Olympic reputation. However, there are certain sports that are under scrutiny.
Sailing continues to stand out as an outdated fixture in the modern Olympics. The sport is associated with the wealthy founders of the Games and remains largely inaccessible to a significant portion of the world’s countries, notwithstanding those with substantial coastlines. In addition to this, most viewers find it uninteresting to watch and its complicated set of penalty rules confuses anyone who is not a passionate sailor. They also require ideal wind conditions for sailing which are unpredictable.
Looking at the Olympic charter, it clearly states, “Sports, disciplines or events where performance primarily relies on mechanical propulsion are unacceptable.” If so, then why is horse-related sport, a lively type of mechanical propulsion, still included?
Archery, although a nod to ancient battle, has become a mundane activity, more suited to a holiday camp than an Olympic event. If we are to include a sport involving arrows in the Olympics, then there are certainly better alternatives.
Lastly, surfing. It’s a fantastic sport but similar to sailing, it presents the issue of needing to organise it away from the main Olympic events.
3×3 basketball: This may seem like a practical solution when there’s a shortage of players, and we’ve all been in that situation where we’ve had to participate in half-ground football or lend players to the rival team due to inadequate squad numbers. However, the participation in 3×3 basketball seems out of context when raised to the Olympic medal level.
Golf: Candidly speaking, the idea of golf as an Olympic sport hasn’t shown impressive results. Seeing Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler expanding their trophy collection before softly cheering spectators doesn’t symbolise “Olympics” at all. The founding principles of golf: seclusion, tranquillity, and solitude contradict the very spirit of Olympics. The concept of a golfer carrying the Olympic flame lacks realism, unless they use a cigarette lighter.
Volleyball: With the Olympics continuing to evolve, it’s becoming more challenging to defend having two distinct volleyball formats, and to be honest, beach volleyball takes the upper hand. Unfortunately, volleyball seems to be the fall guy among the numerous events exhibiting the aura of a local sports complex at dusk.
Men’s Football: There’s a certain catch here. The event can maintain its relevance only if the finest players worldwide arrive in the same way they do for tennis.
Swimming: Generally, not all swimming events are questionable, but particularly the ones that feature peculiar forms. You may not find many sports permitting contenders to perform in reverse and bestowing it with separate medals. The capability of athletes like Michael Phelps and Léon Marchand to obtain numerous medals in different categories challenges the distinctiveness of the disciplines. The sport takes up a substantial amount of the Games schedule. Necessary alterations would be keeping varied distances of freestyle and a single medley event for athletes like Adam Peaty to occupy on a leisure day. The rest, regretfully but constructively, should be cut off for the overall benefit of the games.