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Subscribe to RSSHere at 30 Rock, we've been enjoying the Olympic Games, but also discussing some of the more eccentric Olympic sports. The other day as we were watching the trampoline events --which I’m sure is hard work-- it reminded me of being a child and jumping up and down on your bed, wishing it was a trampoline.
Thomas Coex / AFP - Getty Images
Gymnasts practice before the men's trampoline final of the artistic gymnastics event of the London 2012 Olympic Games in London on August 3, 2012.
One of the picture editors watching it live thought it was particularly funny when the TV camera panned to the photographers covering the event and we saw bobbing heads going up and down, up and down, as they followed the athletes with their lens. Some sports are better in video than as still images.
Julie Jacobson / AP
Judges watch the trampoline performance of gold medallist Dong Dong of China at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in London.
Another sport where a still photograph can make it look silly, is table tennis (don't call it Ping-Pong!).
Saeed Khan / AFP - Getty Images
Austria's Werner Schlager serves to China's Wang Hao in the table tennis men's singles round match at the Excel centre in London on July 30, 2012 during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Maybe because the photographers like to get the ball right in front of the player's nose or eye.
Saeed Khan / AFP - Getty Images
Ding Ning of China returns the ball during the Women's singles final round table tennis match of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Excel centre in London on July 31, 2012.
Today we were watching synchronized swimming. It must be very difficult to do - requiring not only flexibility and strength, but the ability to hold your breath for a very long time.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
The team from China competes during the synchronized swimming team technical routine at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012.
But something about it is strange. The views from under the water are really interesting, so maybe it's the excessive make-up they wear?
Patrick B. Kraemer / EPA
First placed Russia's Natalia Ishchenko and Russia's Svetlana Romashina compete in the Synchronized Swimming Duet Free Routine final at the London 2012 Olympic Games, London, Britain, August 7, 2012.
Rhythmic gymnasts are incredible athletes, but also must be as graceful as a professional dancer.
Julian Finney / Getty Images
Julieta Cantaluppi of Italy performs with the hoop during the Rhythmic Gymnastics qualification on Day 13 of the London 2012 Olympics Games at Wembley Arena on August 9, 2012 in London, England.
Still, it does look a bit peculiar. It feels like watching a circus performance or Cirque du Soleil, instead of an athletic competition.
Julian Finney / Getty Images
Evgeniya Kanaeva of Russia performs with the ball during the Rhythmic Gymnastics qualification on Day 13 of the London 2012 Olympics Games at Wembley Arena on August 9, 2012 in London, England.
What do you think the strangest olympic sport is? Take the poll or add your comments below.
Leave a Comment:
Trampoline, Sync Swimming and Rhythmic Gymnastics are NOT sports and should all be removed from the summer Olympics. The ONLY thing these "sports" do is pad the Chinese and Russian medal totals. As for Ping Pong being a "sport" that one is questionable too !!!
It would be more fun to critique the strangest of athletes themselves.
As should water polo and beach volleyball. WTF.
Trampoline, Synchronized Swimming, Rhythmic Gymnastics all in the Olympics? The ancient Greeks would be ashamed; these are the things they had their slaves do to provide entertainment.
And I thought I was the only one.
Beach Volley Ball has got to go - along with the aforementioned and BMX, Badminton, speed walking, rhythmic gymnastics, air rifles, kayaking, curling, style skiing, Ice Dancing, (I know it's he summer O's but I just had to)
These are not sports, they're recreations.
Thanks God, I am not alone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like trampoline, why not add the childhood games of marbles, jump rope and hopscotch to the list of possible Olympic sports. After all, a round or two of marbles could be very intense and can even cause serious bodily harm (e.g., you can lose an eye; at least that's what my elders believed). I would not even mention the possibility of breaking a leg in a game of hopscotch. I am sure we could all handle the inherent dangers in those "sports."
I challenge any of you who feel synchronized swimming to do one routine, then tell me it isn't a sport. The strength, flexibility and stamina required of synchro swimmers in matched by very few "athletes," I would hazard to guess the only athletes who could keep up with a synchro swimmer would be gymnasts and figure skaters.
Without a doubt, it's Women's Boxing. Women were not designed to beat each other's heads in. With men, there is less damage to be done.
natedom,
It's not a sport. If it was Ballet and Ball Room Dancing would be in the Olympics. Just because it's strenuous doesn't make it a sport.
I guess break-dancing, rope jumping, logging, coal shoveling, pole dancing, axe throwing, arm wrestling, tightrope walking, cup stacking, parachuting, underwater basket-weaving, beer pong, and TV remote programming should also be in the Olympics. /s
There are many things that require above average strength, flexibility, stamina, or coordination, and anything can be made into a competition. At some point, though, one needs to draw a line for the introduction of a "sport" into the Olympics, else the entire event begins to lose it's significance. I'm not sure there is a line right now. Trampoline is in the Olympics, but not softball? And if they have synchronized swimming, then why not cheerleading?
Everyone seems to forget about the equestrian events. These should be removed. the horses are the athletes, not the riders. I'm sure that the rider that takes fourth or fifth in this event could just as easily have been gold if they had been riding the same mount as the gold medal winner.
The only way to make it fair would be for them all to have to use the same horse.......
Oh and the reason cheerleading isn't in the Olympics, is because it really isn't a sport and the courts have confirmed it.
Yeah, I forgot about that. And yes to no equestrian events. Unless they bring polo back.
Anything to do with a judge giving points as a result isn't a sport..a sport is one on one or team on team challenge..not leaving it up to a judge to decide whats what!
As of the four names for this article..only ping pong ( yes not table tennis) is a sport..no judges decide for it.
Even in boxing its left up to the judges (if no knock-out)..and those fights are fixed so many times..its not a sport to me then!
I recall when a fighter knocked down his opponent five times in a fight in this 2012 Olympics and they said he lost..was reverse after too many complained!
Rhythmic Gymnastics is SO STUPID. It made me ILL.
I agree. ANYTHING with judges is NOT A SPORT, it is a BEAUTY CONTEST. As for boxing, it is not a sport for certain. Given the violent nature it ABSOLUTELY does not belong in the Olympics or ANYWHERE else.
Why is it less of a sport? Yes, boxing can be brutal, but the modern olympics were an attempt emulate the ancient olympics, which were "showcases" for men's athletic prowess in events modeled after real skills needed in battle.
Violence does not negate a reason to pull an event from the olympics.
There are a few games left over from ancient times, such as the Discus, that don't seem to make a lot of sense.
I have to make my statement in regard to Sincronized swimming, even though it is extremely tough physically, probably more so than Badminton, which in my opinion is just as ludicrus. Physical competition is the name of the game, literally. Boxing is a straight competition, and even though I don't particularly enjoy watching it, is much more legitimate.
Rhythmic Gymnastics...that is like making the Salsa an Olymic sport.
Yes, these sports should be about a physical contest of wills, not subjective impressing of judges. The motto of the Olympics is "Faster, Higher, Stronger," not "Fancier, Prettier, More Aesthetically Pleasing-er."
I agree with Mike - if you need personal opinion to score a victory - it is not a sport. So there is no place for "sports" like figure skating and artistic gymnastics in the Olympics too.
Therefore boxing should be excluded as well.
Trampoline over Softball. They got rid of Softball because USA was dominating, but we won Silver in Beijing 2008
So it's called "rhythmic gymnastics"? I thought it was "prancing with ribbons". Not a sport.
Maybe if you tried "prancing with a ribbon" you'd realise how fit and flexible you need to be to do it. Your comments reflect the typical sexist attitude to women's events. Table tennis requires skill too but I don't think they can do the splits. Maybe get rid of bmx bikes or the silly bowling event, or is that already gone?
Diane, running on a treadmill takes flexibilty and fitness, but that doesn't make it a sport. All the above mentioned things are activities, they are NOT sports. Enjoy them if you want but don't call it a sport.
@diane38: I agree with you 100% that Trampoline, Rhythmic Gymnastics and Synchronized Swimming all require tremendous effort, training and commitment. That said, I do not agree that these are sports, and I definitely don't think they should be in the Olympics. I agree with most folks here; if the activity requires judges to create a score, it's not a sport. Is it athletic? Definitely. Is it difficult? Sure. Can I (or do I) want to do them? Nope.
Judges are human, and they miss things and/or come in with their own biases. When that happens, the scores are arbitrary; judges will not necessarily give someone the score they think they should get because they are holding a spot open for someone later in the program. Also, in international events, these judges have seen the athletes perform before, so they have an idea where they should rank in the Olympic events.
Maybe now you can see why having an objective score makes something a sport, and subjective scores are just artificial.
Ballet, singing opera etc are physical and also take tremendous effort, training and commitment but they are not considered sports - they are considered art. Rhythmic gymnastics probably has more in common with ballet than with gymnastics.
As much as I would miss something like diving, I have to agree that anything that can not be measured by time, distance, strikes to a target etc should be eliminated from the Olympics. I was completely disgusted to hear that anyone was seriously thinking of adding ballroom dancing to the Olympics! I don't care if the sport is obscure (curling, table tennis anyone) as long as it has physical effort and objective scoring criteria.
You obviously have never tried to do any of these sports. It takes years of training to do any of them. They are the sports I would really like to see televised.
Equestrian takes the 'silly cake' hands down.
Obviously it's completely silly when it was one of the original ancient olympic sports...
Horse dancing sure as hell was not one of the original Olympic sports. You want to have chariot races, I'm all for that. Perhaps they should start a "1% Olympics" and move the dressage there. Also the sailing and rowing, and golf. They could bring back polo for it too. It would be an incredible bore, but it would provide the swells a wonderful opportunity to impress each other.
Ancient doesn't mean good today. Like the GOP for instance, they want ancient rules for women to apply today. Yeah, NO !!
I agree. The rider is only guiding the gorse who is doing all the work. It's a bogus event with only the uber rich able to participate. Gymnastics and other individual event that requires massive talent and discipline should stay. They work their entire lives to get to this point. Let them have their spotlight.
I agree dressage is a dumb part of olympic equestrian, but lets see you control a 1/4 ton animal, maintain balance and speed while jumping said animal in the eventing, jumping and vault portions.
And no, it's not only the uber rich who participate. The moderate to uber rich all sponsor riders and horses, much in the same way jockeys are sponsored. Most riders start out from somewhat humble beginnings.
Why do people only associate olympic equestrian events with the dressage event?
The dumbest event isn't even listed here: RACE WALKING!!!
I do not recall ever in my life time of going to a "Sports Venue" to watch any of these "alleged" Sports mentioned..A couple of them the one and only time you are reminded that they exist is either in the news or as we see here, in the Olympics. Other than Table Tennis or Ping Pong, if you take enough "Athletes"? and drill them every day in the same routine over and over and over like trained monkeys you eventually get them synchronized,,so are these "Sports" designed to show us who trains their Monkeys the best? Appears so...
eddie - as a former synchro swimmer, I can assure you, doing the same routine over and over again does not ensure synchronization. As for your questioning the athleticism of these sports, try doing any of it, you will see how extremely difficult they are.
Beach volleyball? Target shooting? Bring in European style handball in their stead.
@WhenceOneWonders - "European style handball", better known as team handball, has been an Olympic sport since 1972 (men's) and 1976 (women's). And please explain how beach volleyball is not a sport. It requires speed, strength, stamina, athleticism and skill. And no judges giving style points.
LogicRules-01: Forgive my terminology: by "European style handball" I meant the two-persons-and-a-wall version of handball played in many northern(?) European countries and in the US. Similar sports (racquetball and squash among others) would be welcome additions to the Olympics.
I did not write or imply that beach volleyball was not a sport: it is, and success at it does indeed require the things you mentioned (as does, for that matter, participating in pornographic films). My objection to beach volleyball is that it is "strange" and not so popular as any number of other sports, including the aforementioned version of handball, karate, bowling, cricket, and cross-country (foot) racing. I have long lived in two of the countries that regularly dominate international beach volleyball competitions and have frequented beaches in different parts of those same countries and have never even heard of anyone playing beach volleyball (as compared with volleyball on the beach) or aspiring to do so, though I've met people who do or have done almost all of the other sports in the Olympics, the exceptions being a couple of the sailing events and target shooting events.
I like these sports - not much different than gymnastics in general.
im so sick of these f*cking olympics. enough already. most of this crap is not even a sport its a competition. no one cares about womens volleyball or soccer except the mullfer shop lesbians and their parents. thank god these stupid games only come every 4 years.
don't watch it then uncle henry, actually no one is interested in your stupid, sexist comments
I like women's volleyball and soccer. Maybe that's just because we kick butt at both.
Uncle Henry is small-minded, or he's just going for a rise. Betcha can't wait to vote for Romney, huh Uncle Henry?
@UncleH Another downer....feel sorry for your family having to deal with you...just go away already
@ThaPyngwyn - I'm with you. Maybe Uncle Henry got his butt kicked by a girl when he was in grade school and has difficulty moving on.
You would not say it was ''prancing with ribbons" if you tried to do it yourself. They are fit and flexible entertaining. Table tennis takes skill also. Get rid of the bmx bikes and the boring indoor bowls, or is that already gone?
indoor bowls? are you referring to track cycling? if so, you crazy. track cycling is amazing. i agree with bmx though. leave that with the X-games.
Indoor bowls? Are you talking about bowling or curling? Bowling is not in the Olympics but probably should be. There is certainly a bigger talent pool to draw from globally than, for example, that of synchronized diving. Curling is an increasingly popular fixture of the Winter Games.
I'd vote to rid the Games of equestrian and sailing: wind and horses shouldn't determine medals. Besides they're sports for the upper class toffs that can afford them.
Only when two different team members qr more are performing at the same time is it a sport. The rest is just AMAZING demonstrations of what a human body can do. I'd watch it all, at the same time, if I had a dozen eyes; wish I was a fly!
There isn't much of anything that's a sport by the 'lacks a judge' factor. It leaves out tennis, baseball, football, boxing, soccer, sculling, swimming, diving... I could go on and on.
All sports have a judge in one form or another.
@mj1451595 - mike277 wrote "a judge giving points". I can't speak for him nor do I necessarily agree with him but I'd venture to guess he meant style points. This would contrast judges whose responsibility it is to ensure the competitors abide by the rules of the sport. Yes, all competitions have the latter.
Only something like gymnastics uses judges. But several sports are almost impossible to umpire totally fairly. Take soccer which almost always has controversial calls and fake flops by the athletes in an attempt to draw free kicks.
On the other hand in the winter sport curling, officiating is effectively reduced to only measuring which stone is the nearest at the end of a round. The rest is done by an honor system among the players which is ingrained in curling culture.
Don't forget all of gymnastics requires a judge.
Wow--what a bunch of Negative Nellys! I didn't vote on the list, because I don't find any of these "sports" weird or unusual. They all take tons of stamina, coordination, accuracy, art, muscle, brains and everything in between. The Olympics are not just about "sports." Perhaps folks need to get back to what is really important in the life, and it's enjoyment, to help add to the definition. And trying to define "sports" is another whole ballgame. (Wow, what a great pun!) Too many people have forgotten to wear their helmets, if that's what they are demanding and/or supposing.
I'm extremely happy for all the competitors at the Olympics. These very few representatives from nations around the world bring out the some of the best of athletics that has ever been seen on the face of the planet. Of the seven BILLION people, these few thousand are prime examples of what can be accomplished with and through hard word and perseverance.
Please don't discount any of these wonderful people because of someone else's lack of vision, sour grapes, or narrow viewpoint on what is important. The Olympics are important to the competitors (and many others). If it's not your cup of tea, then don't watch.
(Whenever I go to a restaurant, I always try to order something different from the menu. It might not be something I would usually order, but how would I ever know if it was something I liked, unless I tried it? Yes, I've had some really bad results; however, I've also encountered some new dishes that I love. How would I have ever known if I hadn't expanded my horizons?)
1) to people saying these events are sports: no @!$%#. most people don't claim they are sports, but nowhere does it say the olympic GAMES have to be sports.
2) equestrian is the dumbest @!$%# ever. the only time animals should be involved in competition is if you're fighting them. horse dancing? really?
What I find unusual is the ridiculous grinning that goes on with the syncro swimmers. That's the only sport in the olympics where performers put on a huge fake smile. Such a turnoff.
I have always wondered about the equestrian events. Do the horses get the medals or the humans? Seems to me that, while it takes talent, it is mainly an animal event and has real no place in the olympics where the competition should be about human competition.
1 - Get rid of equestrian events.
2 - The BMX bike racing is grown men on little circus bikes. Whoever is in the lead at the bottom of the take-off hill wins. I never saw anyone pass the leader. This ain't the 'X-Games' for gods sake. And boring. Get rid of it.
3 - Do we need air rifle AND real rifles? Get rid of the air rifles.
4 - MORE COVERAGE OF TRACK FIELD EVENTS. Hammer, shot, javelin, discus! When else are you going to see these unless you watch the Olympics? NBCs coverage is absolutely abysmal.
agreed on #4. that first week i was convinced that the only two olympic sports were swimming and gymnastics. where's the men's field hockey coverage? handball? women's keirin? jeez.
Totally agree with #4! Prime time coverage has been awful. We see every quarterfinal dive but no hammer or other field events. Ridiculous!
I also agree with #4. NBC coverage is pathetic. For those without paid TV subscription (i.e., cable) it is even worse. They advertise that you can also watch the games online. But that advertisement is highly deceptive. What they don't tell you is that you need not just paid cable subscription, but premium paid subscription to watch it online (some basic cable package is not enough). Why is it arranged so that the Online viewing is only accessible to those with expensive subscription? Since the games happen every four years, why not make it accessible to anyone with internet service. Those with internet service but no cable subscription should not have to feel left out. It is just another example of how the Olympics has turned into an "elite members only club" and in so doing deprive the poor and unfortunate the opportunity to truly enjoy the games. Moreover, since NBC's nightly coverage is so one dimensional some segments of society will never be able to see certain sports unless there is a controversy involved (i.e., badminton, ping pong). Absolutely disgusting!
I am glad someone brought up the subject because I was looking forward to seeing an article or a poll on how others feel about the coverage. Of course I do not expect such an article or poll to appear on this site. Self criticism I guess is a bad thing.
Prancing and dancing horses should NOT be an Olympic event. This should be about HUMAN performances NOT horses abilities. The horse doesn't care to do that. Sigh, dumb elitists.
I fully agree with clem238, animals shouldn't be part of the Olympics. No criticism of the riders, they are great sportspeople, but so are Formula 1 drivers and Moto GP riders, and no-one suggests that motorsport should be part of the Olympics, even though that would be more rational, since every competitor could have the same car or bike. Not so with equestrian sports where it is a combination of human and horse.