h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Getting into the whole Olympic spirit that's permeating h2g2 just now, what do you think the most pointless, dull, ridiculous and/or boring events are?

My votes go to anything with the word "synchronised" in it, the 10k walk, dressage and ping-pong.

As for beach volleyball - has there ever been a more blatant attempt to use sex to get tv coverage in any other sporting event?

I agree completely. the whole Olympic ideal was founded on Amateurism now it's just a massive money making machine with too many events. darts will be in it next and snooker. wait and see.

What happened to 'demonstration events'? I thought we'd be holding unofficial events in cheese-rolling, bog-snorkelling, shove-ha'penny, etc.

I love Olympic table tennis*! It's so fast and exciting to watch. For me, that kind of intense action is what sport is all about, and especially the Olympics.
The real pointless bits are the opening and closing ceremonies. If it's not sport, it's not relevant!

* Although I don't bother seeking it out for the rest of the sporting calendar.

As seemingly pointless as some of the sports are, there are some terrifically fabulus 'cultural', or 'artistic' pointlessnessess being spuriously associated with or apparently related to the Olympics... Some of the artists or whoever involved in these have taken absolutely no inspiration from the olympics, and what it is, and seemingly come up with entirely unrelated and therefore utterly pointless 'things' and joined them spuriously to the olympics... I'm still puzzling over this one with the 'bell ringing', I just can't associate it, however much I think about it, with any aspect of the olympics... It might as well be marking the queens birthday, or the Cambridge Oxford boat race, or... well, anything, as it just doesn't seem to be anything remotely related to the olympics... I've invented a new olympic sport, which is rapid remote control usage, to turn the wireless off, as soon as the merest hint of a mention of the 'O' word hits the airwaves... I've got it down to 1 second, useually by the time they get to the 'lym', part of the word 'Olympic'... trying for half a second now...

I'd nominate any sport where the Olympics isn't the highlight of that sport's calendar. So... (mens') football and tennis for starters. Athletics does have a world championship (as do many other sports) but I think the Olympics is a bigger deal.

I'm a big fan of football, but frankly it dominates for much of the year. It's a time for other sports to have their moment in the spotlight. Olympic mens' football has generally been ignored in the UK up until this year, so it's probably annoying me more than it usually would.

We could just enjoy it. I mean, we've paid for it now. And the running and jumping and ladies floor gymnastics events are all good TV...

At the recent British Grand Prix Formula One auto race
the head of the Olympix was asked if some sort of auto-
racing might ever become part of the Games.

He apparently replied emphatically No, because racing is
about the equipment and not the athletes.

His lack of understanding about the athleticism of F-1
drivers notwithstanding I was left wondering if he could
think of any sport that was not equipment based. Canoes,
sailboats, cycling, shooting... Even running and swimming
and football are dependent on very highly specialised and
expensively developed equipment.

I can't even think of a sport that doesn't include some kind
of high tech gear which quite often determines the results.
Those now-banned American swimsuits being a good example
of how clearly money and design can change outcomes.

OK, there was that barefoot Ethiopian runner a few decades ago...


~jwf~

Probably less drugs in F1

"The real pointless bits are the opening and closing ceremonies. If it's not sport, it's not relevant!"

Except that the Olympics were never meant to be all about sport in the first place.

A87734505

Well...call me a spoil sport....

but why not just embrace it and enjoy the spectacle...especially if you are british....it's only for a week or two...

I think it's great and so do my kids...

Oh I agree there are good bits. The running, jumping and throwing stuff, all very entertaining. But there are some "sports" I find faintly ridiculous and I wondered if anyone agreed.

I mean, a 10k mince?

the thing about beach volleyball is that it is a really entertaining and athletic sport without the stupid skimpy costumes the women wear.

I don't really think any sport where the participants have to be scored (sorry, Diving) is really the kind of thing that I want to see. Although I have to admit to a liking for the men's gymnastics.

[lewd, sexist and frankly unfunny remark removed by moderator]

I'll be enjoying every minute of it, even the ridiculous bits, but some of them really are genuinely ridiculous.

Me too! I don't really go for sport normally, but I love the Olympics. And I can very quickly become an armchair expert in something I've never previously seen.

Mol

The beach volleyball practice courts are in one of the London parks. The players have complained that squirrels have been burying nuts and acorns in the sand - quite painful for bare feet, and other bits

Good for the squirrels. They were there first, and they'll be there when everyone's gone home and the London Olympics is just a collection of soundbites on Channel 4 called "I Love 2012".

Oo! Oo! I have a question.

Will England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
be scored as separate countries in the medal count?


~jwf~

No. The misnomer is "Team GB" for the UK (even though the full title of the country is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

I'm not a huge fan of sport on TV at any time - I will be particularly looking forward to the opening and closing ceremonies. I like the diving and the gymnastics, and find things like shooting the most boring.