Great comment! :-)

Your point about running around in circles or swimming back and forth is excellent.

Perhaps that’s why events like the Coast-To-Coast grab our imagination?

@tr3v – me too!

Or maybe its because I can’t ride a horse.

I’ve heard the “no sports that require judges” and “no team sports” arguments before (in fact, I may have made those arguments myself at various times).

There is another common one: “no sports where the Olympics isn’t the pinnacle of the sport”.

But, the devil is in the details. For example, there are hardly any sports that don’t involve some form of referee – like the person who decides if an athlete is disqualified if he steps on the line in athletics. Is that “judging”? I assume you’re talking about subjective judging – e.g. points out of 10 for artistic merit.

Let’s go through the sports and see what would be left…

* Archery – In
* Athletics – In, although the walking and hurdles events might not qualify (in the same way as butterfly and breaststroke don’t in the swimming)
* Badminton – In?
* Basketball – Out, team sport and also not the pinnacle of the sport
* Boxing – Out, requires judges (unless each fight is to a KO!)
* Canoe / Kayak – In
* Cycling – In, although does the Team Pursuit count as a team sport – the name would suggest it does.
* Diving – Out, requires judges
* Equestrian – In, apart from those events that include dressage as that requires judges.
* Fencing – In
* Football – Out, a team sport and REALLY not the pinnacle of the sport (well I suppose it is for those under 23!)
* Gymnastics – SOOOO Out
* Handball – Out, team sport
* Hockey – Out, team sport
* Judo – Out, judges
* Modern pentathlon – In
* Rowing – In
* Sailing – In
* Shooting – In
* Synchronized Swimming – Out
* Swimming – In, but significantly reduced as only freestyle events would be allowed
* Table tennis – In, curiously
* Taekwondo – Out, judges
* Tennis – Out, not the pinnacle of the sport
* Triathlon – In
* Volleyball – Out, team sport
* Water Polo – Out, team sport
* Weightlifting – Too close to call: does it require judges (yes, but it’s hard to say if the judging is subjective), and it would probably be a Clean-And-Jerk event only as the Snatch is clearly not the most efficient lifting technique
* Wrestling – Out, judges

I have to say, it would be a much smaller and, I reckon, much less interesting event if that were to happen.

Don’t hold your breath!

PS If you think you’re angry now just wait until golf, roller skating, surfing and (wait for it) bridge are included in the Olympics – all four “sports” are recognised by the IOC. I would argue that Tug-o-War (last contested at the Antwerp Olympics in 1920) should come back onto the programme ahead of all of those.

I also believe that all competition where judging is used should be canned, and all team sports should be canned.

My point is simply this: There has never been a 100m/race walking medalist at the Olympics. The reason: They are very different events (primarily in distance, and not in muscles used. If there were ever a 100m walk then it would be different story completely).

Swimming is different.

People can easily win 6…7….8….(?) medals, and are then touted as the ‘Greatest Olympian of All Time’, where in fact they simply able to compete in many events that have huge cross-over between them – and so allow versatile athletes with good team mates to clean up. Of course they have to be phenomenal athletes too – which Phelps undoubtedly is.

And just for the record: I love swimming. Also, I never want to see a 100m walking race.