topic Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport? in Community Chat

Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

JoyFilled Warrior — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:23:18 GMT

Whatta think?

Is it possible to select the most difficult of these Olympic Sports?

If I force myself, .. Id *have* to force myself

to select:

Surfing (a Wave)!

(That's NOT to say its truly the most difficult.

I happen think EVERY ONE of the Olympic Sports are the most difficult.

It's just that watching Surfers Ride those most Outrageous Waves, dealing with a sometimes unforgiving Mother Nature, makes me instantly swallow my stomach. (Takes awhile to retrieve my stomach thereafter!)

(Stills of Some Life Cycles of an Olympic Wave)

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

kitcat51 — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:31:30 GMT

Women boxing men.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

spumoni99 — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:43:47 GMT

I haven't watched surfing but I wonder how they can score them when each wave is different?

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

on the bay — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 01:10:16 GMT

@JoyFilled Warrior,

I was thinking the very same thing today again watching the surfing. Absolutely doing the impossible! Everytime. I've never seen surfing like this.

The gymnastics is amazing and insane also but I've gotta say the surfing is not humanly possible but they do it.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

Kachina624 — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 01:39:54 GMT

I think selecting the most difficult is like comparing apples to rutabagas. They're so different and take so many complex skills.

I decided, however, the biggest joke and most inappropriate is pool. Yes, the game you play at a pool table is an Olympic sport.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

deepwaterdotter — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:07:16 GMT

@Kachina624 I didn't know that pool was an Olympic sport. Is it a summer or winter event?

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

Kachina624 — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:09:18 GMT

@deepwaterdotter. Summer I guess. I saw it mentioned on the agenda.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

They CallMe MRWILKES — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:10:36 GMT

It's not on the Paris 2024 Official Program.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

Kachina624 — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:13:27 GMT

@deepwaterdotter. Itc appears I was mistaken, although I don't know why it was mentioned.

"Although pool is not currently an Olympic sport, the ongoing discussions around "Is pool an Olympic sport?" highlight its potential for inclusion. The consideration for the Olympics indicates a growing recognition of the game's complexity and competitiveness on a global stage"

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

They CallMe MRWILKES — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:16:04 GMT

"The World Confederation of Billiards Sports, the International group bidding for cue sports to be added to the Olympic program, must now target the 2028 Games in Los Angeles after missing out on Paris 2024."

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

sunshine45 — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:32:39 GMT

i would consider billiards a sport.

would love to see them add it in.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

They CallMe MRWILKES — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:35:30 GMT

I remember when bowling was a demonstration sport in Seoul in 1988. It was the last time.

The IOC never made it part of the permanent agenda.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

on the bay — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:49:37 GMT

I'd love to see pool played too in the Olympics! I think it's so much fun to watch and to play.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

JoyFilled Warrior — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 05:42:52 GMT

@on the bay

I totally agree.

To me, it feels almost like a miracle; But not just one miracle, miracleS.. plural.

HOW do they practice riding those size waves, over & over, & over again, before possibly even signing up to enter the Olympics??

Granted devoted, repetitive prep & practice for anything WW Olympics level has its awful risks. Pushing the body to it's utmost level, many times knocking possible contenders out from applying, even qualifying for admission!

But to me, practicing this Olympic level of surfing "practice" waves - unfathomable.

Water can be very very unforgiving. Imagine a WALL of water? Imagine a WALL of water, at yr immediate backside! Imagine, even if riding that wave successfully, just how long you're under pressurized water before surfacing for air! .. while your ankle is also tethered to a heavy surfboard, somewhere in your immediate vicinity, in/under water with you!

Yet, I never seem to read much abt any surfers, incl Olympic level practicing, that died, practicing, trying.

Then, they qualify & show up for the meanest, tallest, most powerful, Mother Nature, Walls of Water, Waves, & perform at the WW Olympics ..

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

JoyFilled Warrior — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 13:59:15 GMT

Hi @Kachina624

I can remember the Olympics ?Comm, spending soo much time about adding Skateboarding finally in the Olympics. Sometimes, seems to happen. Perhaps, some times it doesnt.

I wasnt aware that this had been also happening for Pool. Thanks for bringing this up!

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

SoCal Bred — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 11:36:16 GMT

Saw this photo captured on ABC World News a few nights ago of Brazil's Gabriel Medina @ the 2024 Olympic's, awesome shot, just wanted to share.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

songbird — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 11:35:43 GMT

Officially the hardest is gymnastic (also the most dangerous) Several spine injuries and early death as the result of). At least one current gymnast is paralyzed. The easiest is swimming, with very few, if any injuries

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

They CallMe MRWILKES — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 19:03:29 GMT

Every Olympic sport requires highly specialized skills and talents. But my top 3 in terms of "difficulty", which can be defined in various ways:

Women's Gymnastics: Balance Beam. The flips and tumbling, often backward on an apparatus just under 4 inches in width is unbelievable. And risky.

Decathlon: Requires a multitude of skills including sprinting (100 m), longer distance (1500 m), hurdles and various field events like the pole vault (which is a difficult skill itself.)

Water Polo: Imagine treading water for 30-35 minutes at a time, along with swimming the pool length, hurling the ball and having physical, sometimes fierce contact with opponents! Requires fabulous energy and endurance.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

gardenman — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 12:27:26 GMT

I would say the most difficult events are those where Mother Nature plays a major role. Things like Archery where a stray gust of wind can move your arrow off target. You can do everything absolutely perfectly and still miss. If you've ever shot a bow you know that you can line up the same shot five times in a row and have the arrow go to five different locations. Once it leaves the bow it's up to God as to where it lands.

Re: Possible to select most difficult Olympic Sport?

bikerbabe — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 14:29:58 GMT

Decathlon
Gymnastics