Speed Skating
CarlLewis
Posts: 6,233 Forum Member
✭
It always seems to me to be wrong to have 2 different types of speed skating in Olympics.
After all, there are 2 sets of medals for skating 500, 1000 and 1500m. This means either a skater can win 2 medals for the same event or, if you have separate competitors for each event, the talent pool is diluted.
I have always considered that short track should be deleted because long track is the purer event, without the same number of crashes and bizarre judging decisions.
However, it seems long track may be losing popularity
http://www.canindia.com/2014/02/speed-skating-world-worried-about-their-future/#
Short track can be performed on a standard ice rink rather than a vast oval, and is therefore much more accessible than long track, surely it meets the criteria for inclusion better than long track?
It pains me to ask this (especially when thinking of Eric Heiden and Johan-Olav Koss) but is it time to ditch long track?
After all, there are 2 sets of medals for skating 500, 1000 and 1500m. This means either a skater can win 2 medals for the same event or, if you have separate competitors for each event, the talent pool is diluted.
I have always considered that short track should be deleted because long track is the purer event, without the same number of crashes and bizarre judging decisions.
However, it seems long track may be losing popularity
http://www.canindia.com/2014/02/speed-skating-world-worried-about-their-future/#
Short track can be performed on a standard ice rink rather than a vast oval, and is therefore much more accessible than long track, surely it meets the criteria for inclusion better than long track?
It pains me to ask this (especially when thinking of Eric Heiden and Johan-Olav Koss) but is it time to ditch long track?
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Comments
After all, Ireen Wüst - if she were a country - ranks higher on the medal table than for instance a certain kingdom on the shores of the North Sea. No, not Belgium or Denmark.
That's just wrong on all levels.
And let's get rid of all those Langlauf and Biathlon distances. One for each is better.
And one downhill event is more than enough.
Curling. No need for separate tournaments for the men and women.
And all those sports where judges determine the outcome. It's not a flower show or Crufts! Get rid of them.
If it weren't for the ice hockey it all could fit in one weekend easily. Much better for TV-schedules. Therefore dump the ice hockey. Far too violent anyway.
But seriously, much as I love bobsleigh, what's the point of it outside of sport (as with most events)? It hasn't even got an engine!! So it's useless outside of the arena! At least with ice-dancing if you can do that down your local club you might pull, ice hockey is a good alternatve for hockey players if their local astro is frozen over....
4 different strokes in all distance from 50m to 1500m. No wonder the huggers get dozens of medals
Long track is like track cycling, and just as good.