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Sport Climbing in the Olympics?

Original Post
Randy Aristotle · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 239

Sport climbing on Olympics short list to replace wrestling:

bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/…
climbing.com/news/climbing-…

Craig T · · Chicago, IL · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 0

Interesting that "roller sports" will involve multiple events, but climbing is limited to sport climbing only. I had always figured the bid would involve a lead, bouldering, and speed event.

I think karate and baseball are more likely. Wakeboarding seems weird with the whole cable-driven aspect (though you could argue its as real as lead climbing on plastic).

Ian Stewart · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 155

Interesting that, in the first link, the picture of "sport climbing" is actually bouldering.

If climbing doesn't make the cut, I just hope that neither roller sports nor indoor softball take its place. Roller sports would be "just another foot race", which are fucking boring to watch (except maybe the short-distance sprints), and softball is...well...softball.

I love the quote about why softball should be in the olympics:
"Softball brings so much to the Olympic Movement," said Don Porter, president of the International Softball Federation. "It should go without saying that a sport clear of doping problems is a must."

Clear of doping problems? Yeah...sure.

Woodchuck ATC · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 3,280

I'd prefer to keep our sport out of Olympic hands,,nothing but screwed up things can happen to what we consider real climbing. With wrestling being eliminated, I'd guess boxing could be right behind. The norm seems to be taking any violence out of the sports....so who knows if karate and any martial arts may be gone too someday. Sucks that both winter and summer have stooped to the TV ratings desires, to pick sports that are not Olympic' traditional at all. We need to instill pride in the Historic Olympics, not adjust it to attract youth interest these days. My rant on the Olympics,,,,,part 1 if I continue ......

reboot · · . · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 125

No sport in the Olympics is "real", but many of the sports are derived from something "real". Softball, roller sports, wakeboarding? Those are invented as games to pass time. In that sense, I think the exclusion of a sport as fundamental as wrestling would be a travesty; it goes way beyond tradition. In the same vein, climbing, although devoid of a long organized competitive history, is much more deserving as an Olympic sport than activities that started as mere games. But ratings be damned.

camhead · · Vandalia, Appalachia · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 1,240
Woodchuck ATC wrote:...so who knows if karate and any martial arts may be gone too someday.
FYI, Karate is not in the Olympics, and seems to be way ahead of climbing for inclusion in 2020.
Woodchuck ATC · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 3,280
camhead wrote: FYI, Karate is not in the Olympics, and seems to be way ahead of climbing for inclusion in 2020.
Sorry, dont know my martial arts,,is it TaiKwanDo that is in already? All the fighting sports are in jeopardy of being removed I fear....
J. Thompson · · denver, co · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,425

I, for one, am completely pissed that they are removing wrestling from the Olympics.

Wrestling was not only one of the longest running Olympic events(one of the original?) it is, argueably, the highest point of most wrestlers careers.
Sport climbing? Roller sports?
The IOC is giving into the "extreme" sports crap.

Eliminating wrestling from the Olympics is one more example of the IOC selling out.

josh

M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911
J. Thompson wrote:I, for one, am completely pissed that they are removing wrestling from the Olympics. Wrestling was not only one of the longest running Olympic events(one of the original?) it is, argueably, the highest point of most wrestlers careers. Sport climbing? Roller sports? The IOC is giving into the "extreme" sports crap. Eliminating wrestling from the Olympics is one more example of the IOC selling out. josh
I think it sucks too. In reality they could keep it around and just forget any extra expenses for it like to TV coverage, give the ball sniffing boys a place to sniff crotch and sweat all over each other in private. If the fans want to film/record and show it great but dont get rid of it. Maybe add womens mud wresting too.
Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880
J. Thompson wrote:I, for one, am completely pissed that they are removing wrestling from the Olympics. Wrestling was not only one of the longest running Olympic events(one of the original?) it is, argueably, the highest point of most wrestlers careers. Sport climbing? Roller sports? The IOC is giving into the "extreme" sports crap. Eliminating wrestling from the Olympics is one more example of the IOC selling out. josh
How can they dump one of the most classical sports there is!?! Mind-boggling stupid. Even the poorest country can afford to send a wrestler. And none of those sports listed qualify as adequate replacements, including climbing.
Without Olympic wrestling, we would never have heard of Alexander Karelin, arguably the most dominant athlete ever.
dougie2008 · · Boulder · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 0

I would love to see climbing as an Olympic sport, however if I had to choose between climbing and wrestling I would vote wrestling hands down. I wrestled for over 15 years through school and it is one of the only sports that is truly about out maneuvering and out powering another person. It is a sport that is really only understood if you have competed in it.

As to the the ball grabbing and sweating on each other comment please think before you disrespect one of the oldest sports. If it was just ball grabbing and sweating they would call it basket ball or base ball (I only mean a little offence).

I view wrestling as one of the pure sports where it is you verses the other person and you are both within some defined rules (for safety) trying to beat the crap out of each other. Wrestling is like trying to play baseball with a ball that can change direction when it wants to or basket ball where the hoop moves around randomly. High jump with a bar that will move towards you away from you up and down making the athlete adjust on the fly and improvise. Sorry for the long winded answer.

Mike Wysuph · · Broomfield, CO · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 5
dougie2008 wrote:...it is one of the only sports that is truly about out maneuvering and out powering another person.
Does this explain wrestling........or sport climbing??
dougie2008 · · Boulder · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 0
Mike Wysuph wrote: Does this explain wrestling........or sport climbing??
Wrestling and sometimes gym climbing when people are inconsiderate of the route you are climbing and you have to chase them off route.
Mike Belu · · Chicago, IL · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 135

In reference to another recent thread....if climbing goes olympic, here comes steroids/performance enhancing drugs in climbing.

Jon Zucco · · Denver, CO · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 245

Wrestling oughta stay. No reason to replace it with any of these sports... Wrestling IS the original Olympic event.

Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880

They should add roller derby instead of some bullshit rollerblade racing.
And keep wrestling, even though the international Freestyle version sucks compared to our Collegiate system.

Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245

I thought the reason they came up with the X Games was for all of the alternative and extreme sports - not that climbing really falls into either of those categories.

Personally I would be rather embarrassed as a climber to have any kind of climbing replace wrestling. That seems like a pretty big mistake on the part of the IOC if you ask me. I'm no historian but I would guess that wrestling is tied very closely to the origins of the Olympic Games. camhead would know...

Craig T · · Chicago, IL · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 0
Mike Lane wrote:They should add roller derby instead of some bullshit rollerblade racing.
Word. If Im going to watch yet another olympic sport where people go in circles, I want to at least see some hip checking.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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