Basic HTML Version
Touchline issue 22 | November 2015 | 23
THE NEW
COMERS
B
ack in 2012, the IOC announced three new Olympic
sports would be appearing at Rio. Golf, Rugby Union
and Kitesurfing were to be replacing baseball and
softball.
Golf has been waiting since 1904 to get back into the
Olympic rotation, though it will not be fought out between
countries. It will be an individual tournament where the top
fifteen ranked players will be allowed to compete, provided
there are only four per country. From 16 to 60, players will
join the competition provided there are only two players
from each country. Each player will play 72 holes and the
top three will get the medals. The odds suggest the USA will
place well in the competition. Golf is a genuinely global sport
and few have opposed its inclusion at Rio. It also brings real
star power, with many of its top players household names.
Rugby is also a welcome returnee to the Olympics.
Last played in 1924, this is another game with a global
reach, despite its Commonwealth roots. Unlike golf, it
probably does not provide the US with another chance of
a gold: though surprisingly they have won half of all the
competitions played at this level. The USA holds two gold
medals, from 1920 and 1924. In Rio, the traditional 15 a side
game will be replaced by the faster incarnation of Sevens.
Expect strong performances from the All Blacks and the
Wallabies.
Kitesurfing was scheduled to be included in the Olympics for
the first time, but was controversially dropped in late 2012.
Noted kitesurfer and fulltime entrepreneur Richard Branson
was just one of the people horrified when the IOC went back
on its initial decision to drop windsurfing in favour of the
high-flying alternative. The voting apparently came down to
two votes. Then it was revealed that the Spanish delegation
got confused by the translation of the two sports and voted
the wrong way. A do-over was called and windsurfing was
back in. Sadly, during the heady six months when kitesurfing
went Olympic, many hardcore windsurfers dumped the long
board and moved over to the rival water sport. Only to move
back. Such are the risks and complexities of being on the
fringes of the Olympics.
THE FRINGE
DWELLERS
W
hile new sports hover around the edges,
determined to join the party, there seem to be some
sports that get a free ticket at the Olympics. These
are the sports that western audiences watch in interested
confusion for a spell before flicking the channel to see who
is being kicked off a runway or island. Many of these sports
are hugely popular in other parts of the globe, or have
simply been around for so long that no one questions their
relevance to the games. All have a devoted viewership, who
generally spend four years waiting for this brief moment of
exposure.
Equestrian is one such sport. Olympic to the bone, the
different disciplines within this sport are baffling to the
layman. Dressage –otherwise known as horse dancing- is
fascinating despite being impossible for 98 per cent of the
viewership to judge. When the scores flash up, it can be
quite a surprise.
One of the lowest profile sports at Rio will be trampoline,
which is hardly surprising, given that most see the
trampoline as an effective way to get kids out of the house
rather than as an elite sport. But of all the sports on offer, it
is one that can really make viewers gape with amazement.
The trampolinists get serious air and can spin and pike as
well as any diver.
Another sport that people might not immediately equate
to Olympics is canoeing. Here is a sport where the athletes
slalom through wet obstacle courses at enormous pace.
Table tennis and badminton have huge following in Asia and
the skill involved should be rewarded with a view. For sheer
viewing weirdness, synchronized swimming will again be at
the Olympics.
Finally, one sport that should get more coverage than it
does is the modern pentathlon. This competition makes
the triathlon look a bit tame, as it requires the endurance
of its three-pronged sibling, but includes weapons. A nod to
the classical past where the Olympics were partly a training
exercise for soldiers, this sport includes pistol shooting,
fencing, swimming, running and horse back riding.
The Olympics will reward the adventurous viewer who keeps
an open mind.