Monday, August 22, 2016
The Next Olympic Games
For many years, I have
been a strong advocate for the Olympic Games. Great memories flash through my
mind when I reflect on past Games. The Games became an important impetus for
learning in my classroom. A wonderful activity used to study geography, sport,
culture, and many other subjects.
I will continue to follow
many Olympic activities, to my dying days. I will follow the careers of great
athletes. But I have had it with the extravagance of the games, and the cost.
And the politics, and the cheating, and the drug factor, and all of the other
negatives about the Games.
Before they ever raised
the Olympic flag, and uttered the Olympic oath, there were serious doubts
raised about the Games. Water activities were to take place in cesspools, some
Olympic fat cats were accused of lining their pockets. Russian athletes were
banned from the Games. Nations threatened to pull out for political reasons.
What else is new?
The Brazilian authorities
managed to get to the closing ceremonies without terrible repercussions.
Apparently, thievery was rampant. Drunken American athletes had to apologize
for staging silly behaviour. Coaches in a circled-ring event went bonkers after
a result was announced, and stripped to their jockey shorts, to protest the
decision.
With all of that in mind,
I have a few suggestions in mind to help with the next Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo
All activities involving
horses and boats are eliminated. Can you imagine how much money governments
would save with that suggestion? No more hay burners in the dressage ring.
All team events are no
longer welcome: basketball, (always a joke), volleyball, handball, water polo,
soccer, tennis…it is a long list. One exception, naturally---beach volleyball.
I knew you’d agree. Team sports have their own individual world
championships, and do not need the Olympics to highlight their sport.
Most judged events will be
history, especially boxing, wrestling, taekwondo, judo, gymnastics, and
synchronized swimming. There will be one diving event, off the tower, for men
and women. Just for fun, the tower will be 30 metres high…no, make that fifty.
Like the Mexican cliffs or the mountain at Canada
That will leave us very
few events: Archery-hit the target, you win. Period; athletics, with lots of
running, jumping, and hurling of various objects; swimming, with the
elimination of several unnecessary races; pentathlon and triathlon, and the
marathon, of course, to determine the best athletes in the world.
I have even contemplated
events for the next Winter Olympic Games, and the same conditions apply: no
team sports, (we don’t need the Olympics, we have the Stanley
Kudos to all the Olympic
champions. Good luck to the International Olympic Committee as they begin to
disassemble the Games, according to my specifications.
# posted by James Hurst @ 6:47 PM 
