IOC consider cutting track and field events from the Olympic schedule

Netwerk Errer

The 10,000m, 200m, 20k race walk, shot put and triple-jump are the some of the favourites for the chop. The 200 is definitely the shock contender given the hype it creates. The 10,000m is the favourite to go but personally(I'm biased here) I would like to see it stay. If it has to go, I would like to see xc introduced but I doubt the IOC would make that swap.

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/athletics/bolt-from-the-blue-200-metres-10000-metres-and-shot-put-under-threat-at-olympics-20141210-1240lr.html

I really think some of the swimming events should be the ones to get the chop. If someone like Phelps can go to three Olympics and bring home 20+ medals, there's way too many similar events.

Sacksian

I was doing some reading around about the death of the 10,000m and found this relatively recent article from Runners' World, which I thought was interesting:

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/is-the-10000m-verging-on-extinction

It suggests a couple of factors. Firstly, the lack of good quality 10,000m races anywhere - they're particularly scarce in Europe. In 2014, all of the top men’s times were run in the United States or Japan and 9 of the 10 fastest women's times were from a single race in the US.

Also, many of the most likely 10,000m guys are heading straight for the roads.

In Ireland, I can't think of any opportunities other than the Dublin Champs and the Nationals - none at Masters or provincial track competitions.

I think it's a great spectator race, would love to see it saved, and, if I was fit enough, I'd love to race one on the track but I can see how it might not survive as an olympic event - especially when it's so rarely raced outside major championships.

menoscemo

Netwerk Errer wrote: »

If it has to go, I would like to see xc introduced but I doubt the IOC would make that swap.

Wasn't there talk of introducing XC into the winter Olympic schedule? I believe it was in it in the past.

pgmcpq

Absolutely insane .... and to allow room for the addition of sports like .... golf, tennis ?

Calvin Johnson

menoscemo wrote: »

Wasn't there talk of introducing XC into the winter Olympic schedule? I believe it was in it in the past.

That's a great idea, would love to see it happen.

RayCun

swapping 10000 on the track for 10k on the road makes at least some sense
feck the walk
but athletics is the centre of the olympics, it shouldn't be cut back to make room for golf, rugby, soccer...

Chivito550

The IAAF should turn to the IOC and say it's 47 events or 0 events. The IOC will backtrack pretty quickly then, if there was a risk that their major stakeholder would walk out.

Ridiculous to be considering that any athletics event to be scrapped. Swimming is the area that needs serious scrutiny. There's a disproportionate amount of events compared to the number of people who swim competitively. The swim programme is also too long, too many similar events, distances that are too close to each other, and add in the fact that it is so much easier to recover from swimming than it is from running, means that people can rack up a stupid number of medals. While a rower has to grind through a full week of competition for a shot at one medal. Swimming needs to lose about half of its events IMO, and this is coming from someone who actually likes Swimming!

ECOLII

I have to say I would be pretty gutted to see the 10,000m go but at the moment the sit and kick nature is really killing it off as there is very little difference on the mens side between that and 5k at championship level given the migration to the marathon I can't see this changing any time soon.

Women's side is a little better but again hard for a 30 min race to keep the attention of the casual spectator.

This year say's alot though in terms of the status of 10,000m

- Van Damme meet dropping the top 10,000m race on the calendar
- Prefontaine having 10k on a distance night previous to the main event
- No DL event's hosting a 10,000m on (outside of Pre)

walshb

Golf is is the Olympics and the IOC is squabbling about scrapping track and field events? Bonkers.

ECOLII

walshb wrote: »

Golf is is the Olympics and the IOC is squabbling about scrapping track and field events? Bonkers.

It's a matter of weighing up markets if you cut a couple of events in one sport the audience will be transferable to a point yet bring in Golf opens up a complete new market.

It makes sense for a business point of view and unfortunately that is what the Olympics is

Chivito550

This will not be a popular opinion here, and while I hope it never comes to any athletics events getting cut, if there had to be one, then IMO the marathon should be the one getting the chop. The old argument that the Olympics should be the pinnacle of each sport, could be applied to the marathon. It's only in recent years that the top East Africans have bothered with the Olympic marathon, rather than chasing the dough in Berlin, Chicago or NYC later in the year. Even now, with there being good money available for fourth rate Kenyans, winning fifth rate marathons around Europe, you'd wonder just how many marathon runners really look towards the Olympic Games as being the number 1 of their discipline.

Of course, it will never happen, given the ancient Greek link to the event.

No athletics event should go, but if one had to, that would be my pick, because like Tennis, Golf, Football etc, the marathon has a lot more to offer. It can easily survive without the Olympics. Cut the 10000m, and you basically kill the event. Same with the racewalk.