Refs can be even worse than judges. You'd have to exclude baseball and football, as refs could decide the match based on their subjective use of penalties or fair/foul balls. Pretty much applies to all team sports - hockey, softball, volleyball, and...water polo, all out.
Tennis has a ref - deciding whether a ball is in or out of bounds, so that's out. Badminton and Ping Pong too.
Weightlifting has judges to determine if it's a good lift or not, that's out.
All track events have officials in the case of a photo finish - that's out.
Shooting and archery events have judges who determine whether a shot was made correctly, those events are out.
Judo and Taekwondo are judged similarly to boxing, they're out. Wrestling too.
Swimming events can be decided by an official declaring a false start - they're out.
Sooo, in the end you have...sailing?
How are you defining popularity? Bums on seats? TV figures? With the track and field yet to come, it's a bit premature to call it the most popular, surely?
Personally, I'm no fan of gymnastics. It certainly is a very subjective sport. However, I'm happy enough for it to be in the Olympics - as the Olympics is definitely the highlight of this sport. In the Olympics brought to you by, jonnye, I'd probably throw out tennis and football though (actually, definitely rather than probably. Baseball and basketball might survive as there isn't really a 'world championship' of note for these sports. The horsey events would also be debatable as to their inclusion ....
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq77dceoiCY"]Irony?[/ame]
A somewhat unfortunate advert, seeing as though Zara Phillips is in perfect health right at the moment, and not in Hong Kong due to an injury to Toytown...
Not my personal favorite, just something I read from AP
The Associated Press: Most Americans back holding Olympics in China
Personally, I like the fact that many sports are there and though I don't enjoy many of them, it's nice that they have a place to come together. They have rules for inclusions of sports in the Olympics and I am quite satisfied with those...
I did find it kind of funny how during the medal ceremony for equestrian, the humans were given medals and the horses relegated to the background. Horses got shafted there. :P
Anyways, baseball and softball are indeed out for 2012. Baseball's kind of a bummer, but I can see how softball gets kicked out, since the US has been outscoring the opponents for the last 12 years 160006006000 - 1.
Tennis however, is a fantastic event for the Olympics and I don't see them getting rid of that anytime soon.
That's not the only reason, they are getting kicked out. Major League baseball refuses to let the stars go unlike the NHL and NBA which hurts the financial side of the game as well as preventing many latin americans competing for their country. The US men didn't even qualify for the Athens olympic.
Much of the blame lays with the MLB...
Yep - when the horse gets back to the stables and brags to his/her mates they'll be horribly bullied by the other horses 'show us yer medal!'
Had forgotten softball was an Olympic sport. Isn't softball underarm baseball? (which in turn, is just rounders for adults of course...)Anyways, baseball and softball are indeed out for 2012. Baseball's kind of a bummer, but I can see how softball gets kicked out, since the US has been outscoring the opponents for the last 12 years 160006006000 - 1.
I don't see them getting rid of it either (unless in a shock result I'm elected as IOC president). I can't share your enthusiasm for tennis as an Olympic event. Should we have golf too? Basically, tennis is already catered for with four major tournaments per year, and a high profile professional tour. There's also a perfectly healthy international event in the Davis Cup. I don't see what it adds to the Olympics.Tennis however, is a fantastic event for the Olympics and I don't see them getting rid of that anytime soon.
I wouldn't mind seeing golf at the Olympics... the one thing that I do find interesting that these tennis players who are arguably some of the hardest working professional athletes with a fairly short shelf life decide to trek around the world for no money to represent their country. If I was Federer or Nadal, I'm not sure I would go especially with the rotten schedule they have in Beijing often playing twice a day but then again it's only every four years...
they should have 20 20 cricket in and squash (if it isn't already).
they should get rid of synchronised swimming and the horse events.
Here's an example of what I don't like about judges having all the authority.
Last night the US dressage team was 4th and the Danes were 3rd. The last US rider needed to score above 70 to take over 3rd place. He didn't. When the individual judges scores were released they were all above 70 except for one way down at 67 point something. Care to guess which European country gave the 67? Denmark of course. Not that the rider didn't deserve a 67, but the question is out there and many people noticed. In just about every case last night the judges were all within a point or so of each other. The 67 was 3 to 4 points below the top score.
Krad, I don't think refs are worse than judges. Refs can throw a team game, but it is harder work than a judge.
Having people deciding photo finishes isn't the same as having 5 guys on the sidelines of a track meet deciding who won based on their angle.
How many false starts are there in swimming?
I'm talking about sports were the whole thing from beginning to end is decided by people sitting on the sidelines.