Version by Alexei Avdokhin.
The Summer Olympics continues to "get fat" - the other day, the IOC included many new disciplines in the program of the 2020 Summer Games. Now we will need 18 sets of medals more than were awarded in Rio 2016.
This is problem - Summer Games already overloaded with events. Three hundred disciplines are mercilessly rammed into two short weeks - two dozen Olympic champions every day, top events overlapping each other, an insane number of simultaneous events that are unrealistic to keep track of.
But the IOC doesn't seem to care much - officials are adding weird new disciplines (baseball, skateboarding, rock climbing, surfing, BMX freestyle, a bunch of mixed competitions in different sports), but for some reason they don't dare to say goodbye to the old ones.
Which, there is a feeling, this Olympics is not really needed.
Perhaps the IOC should be more decisive not only when it comes to including new sports in the Olympic program. Parting with useless species must be no less decisive. And in what cases:
- if the Olympics for this sport is a second-rate tournament, to which neither top stars nor fans want to come;
- if the sport discredits the Olympics with endless scandals, revision of the final results and corruption schemes;
- if the sport is hopelessly outdated and not ready to change;
- if it is tritely unspectacular and uninteresting;
- if it's not really a sport at all.
Who are the main contenders to turn into Olympic pariahs?
Football
Male Olympic tournament- perhaps the most pointless event in the world football calendar (several times more pointless than the Confederations Cup). There are many reasons:
- the idiotic quota of three people over 23 years old per team discredits the Olympic idea - there are no age restrictions in any other sport at the Games;
- v Olympic year more status and rating tournaments are held (for example, in 2016 it was the European Championship and Copa America);
- inadequate qualification system - out of 16 participants, Europe has only 4 licenses, and South America has a total of one and a half. But three each for Asia, Africa and CONCACAF countries;
- FIFA, fearing competition with the IOC for popularity and sponsorship contracts, still does not include the Olympics in the official international calendar;
- taking advantage of this, clubs have the right not to release (and even block the call) to the Olympic teams already not the most top players - national federations need to negotiate with each player and his club separately.
Messi, Neymar, Eto'o - in the modern history of the Olympics, of course, there have been rare advents of football geniuses. But usually the symbolic team of stars who made it to the football tournament looks as dull as before Rio 2016:
The Olympics need football more than football needs the Olympics, and it is clear that the IOC will not abandon it, even if FIFA again bans professionals from coming to the Games (as it was before 1992). But the formality and fictitiousness of the tournament in its current form seems obvious even to IOC officials.
Weightlifting
Perhaps the most shameful discipline of the last Olympics. Just take a look at medal table in the weightlifting Games 2012 in London.
Crazy numbers - 14 winners of London took doping and must return the medals back.
In Beijing 2008, it was even worse - 17 out of 45 winners lifted the bar on doping. And just after those Games, positive tests surfaced in more than three dozen weightlifters.
We have yet to learn the truth about their samples from Rio 2016, but even without this, weightlifting deserved a harsh quarantine.
Tennis
The Olympics are crammed into the tight tennis calendar, where traditionally August is the time for prestigious tournaments in America. Not everyone makes the choice in favor of five rings.
But even those tennis players who reluctantly choose the Games to the detriment of earnings (during the Olympics, parallel tournaments with a solid prize fund are held), rating points (the ATP canceled their accrual for the Olympics) or recreation, see them as an exhibition or preparatory tournament that wormed its way between Wimbledon and US Open.
And no matter who wins: underdogs like the Chilean Nicolás Massu and Monica Puig from Puerto Rico or the top Williams sisters with Nadal and Murray, the title of Olympic champion in their profile will still never be the main achievement.
Horseback Riding
Equestrian sports were watched at the ancient Olympics - then they competed in quadrigas and chariots, and not drivers, but wealthy horse owners, were recognized as champions.
Modern equestrian sport at the Olympics is dressage, show jumping and triathlon, but so far success in these disciplines (in show jumping, however, to a slightly lesser extent) depends on the preparation / training of horses, and not riders.
Here, for example, is how the first chapter of the dressage rules begins: “The purpose of dressage is the harmonious development of the physical abilities and abilities of the horse.”
Did you pay attention? Not a rider, but a horse! When grading, its general appearance, harmony and natural ability for elastic beautiful movements are taken into account - approximately with the same success, for example, dog shows, circus performances with animals or cockroach races could be included in the Olympic program.
And it is also the only Olympic sport in which you can win the Olympics a year before your own 60th birthday (like the Briton Nick Skelton in Rio 2016) or quietly perform in the eighth decade (Hiroshi Hoketshu from Japan).
Golf
Another sport where the Olympics are neglected is too pretentious and elitist golf next to all the others. In the two-week framework of the Olympiad, he is especially cramped and embarrassed - here they do not pay for the victory, as at the Masters (about $ 2 million), they do not award points to the world ranking and generally do not indulge in excessive attention.
Golf has not been at the Olympics for more than a century (the last time in 1904), but despite this, none of the top 5 ratings arrived at the 2016 Games International Federation golf. Yes, and from the top 50 in Rio, only a dozen and a half came, many of whom refused to live with everyone in the Olympic village, renting apartments in expensive hotels.
It is not clear then why golf was returned to the Games at all. Yes, he is indeed handsome, interesting and telegenic, but without the main stars, all this instantly loses its meaning. Except to look at slender golfers in skimpy outfits.
Boxing
And not only female, with whom, probably, everything is clear.
But also male amateur boxing is dying. He became insanely boring, unspectacular and mired in corruption scandals up to his ears. An unequal fight with professional boxing was lost by knockout - rare stars from amateurs run to professionals at the first opportunity.
Continuous reforms of the vague refereeing system (which the IOC requires, threatening boxing with exclusion from the program) have not yet led to an improvement - and after Rio 2016 another one is started.
No, it is almost impossible to imagine the Olympic Games without boxing, but in its current strange form, this is one of the fattest blots of the entire program, which has not been possible to bring out for several Olympic cycles.
Sailing
It is easy to get confused in numerous sailing classes - almost fifty of them have been in the Olympic program throughout history. But still, sailing is, first of all, prestigious sailing regattas, the world Super Series, prestigious recreation, and only then the Olympic discipline.
You can, of course, try to distinguish the Finn class from the Star class, or you can ask a more ambitious question: what, apart from Olympic traditions, is the fundamental difference between yachts, say, Formula 1 cars? After all, technologies in sailing (even despite the division into classes) have not been inferior to automobiles for a long time.
And why was the presence of yachtsmen at the Games not questioned at any of the IOC congresses, but why does the IOC still shy away from everything connected with motors?
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Sailing or Yachting(English) Sailing) - an Olympic sport that consists in overcoming the distance on the water with the help of sailing equipment, in particular a yacht.
History of sailing
The history of shipping and shipbuilding goes back about six thousand years. Initially, shipping was a necessity, but at the end of the 15th century, a special branch of sailing was formed with special ships - yachts, which were intended for competition or sailing for pleasure. The first mention of yachting is noted in the Dutch-Latin dictionary of 1599, in this regard, the Netherlands is considered the ancestor of sailing.
The first document on amateur sailing is dated April 19, 1601 and was a request for permission to sail from Vlissingen to London.
In 1720 the Royal Cork Yacht Club was founded in Ireland.
Until the middle of the 19th century, yachts served for travel and walks, but in 1775 the Cumberland Flotilla arose in England, which was specially designed for the preparation and holding of regattas. In 1812, the Royal Yachting Squadron was founded in Cowes, which is considered the oldest English yacht club.
Dates of creation of other oldest yacht clubs:
1830 Swedish Royal Sailing Club;
1838 Racing Society in Le Havre;
1844 - New York Yacht Club;
1846 - Imperial St. Petersburg Yacht Club;
1858 - Paris Sailing Club;
1858 - "Sailor of all trades" (St. Petersburg).
Since 1900, sailing has been included in the program of the Olympic Games. Modern Olympic program includes 11 disciplines in nine classes of ships:
- "Finn" (men)
- "Laser" (mixed),
- "470" (double dinghy, men and women),
- "Europe" (women),
- keel yachts "Star" (men),
- "Yngling" (women),
- single sailing board - class "Mistral" (men and women),
- catamaran-two - class "Tornado" (men).
In 1907, the International Union of Sailing Competitions (IYaRU) began its activities, which made it possible to organize and hold international meetings.
Types of sailing
Sailing competitions are classified:
- By sailing area:
- round the world;
- oceanic;
- marine;
- local.
- By type or class of yachts:
- monotypes;
- maxi yachts;
- yachts corresponding to the measurement formula;
- cruising keel yachts and dinghies;
- single-hull;
- catamarans;
- trimarans.
- By professional qualification:
- professional;
- amateur;
- mixed;
- according to the composition of the crew;
- single;
- command;
- age;
- by gender.
- By type of distance:
- milestone;
- scheduled.
- By distance:
- short;
- long.
- According to the rules of the competition:
- match;
- command;
- with transplant;
- handicap;
- upon arrival.
Sailing rules
Usually, the regatta consists of 7 races, which take place in each class of vessels. Athletes receive points for the places they occupy in the race. For 1st place a yachtsman gets 0 points, for 2nd place - 3 points, for 3rd place - 5.7 points, for 4th place - 8 points, for 5th place - 10 points, for 6th place - 11.7 points, and then plus 6 points for each subsequent place. Only the first six results are counted.
Sailing equipment
The equipment of the athlete depends on the subspecies and the duration of the race.
- Sailing clothing: Shorts and a T-shirt are suitable for a short swim in hot weather. If you plan a long passage through the sea or ocean, it is better to use a waterproof suit / overalls that protect against wind, rain and salty sea spray. It is desirable that the suit is made of breathable fabric. In order to avoid the "greenhouse effect" under an ordinary waterproof suit, you should wear special underwear that fits snugly to the body (preferably made of polypropylene), and on top of it, to keep warm, wear clothes made of "breathable" fabrics (polartec or fleece).
- Shoes: for a short swim in good weather - ordinary sneakers or light summer shoes (except for high-heeled shoes). And for a longer trip, yacht moccasins ("deck shoes") are suitable - durable, waterproof, equipped with leather laces, and thanks to a soft flat sole, they do not slip on a wet deck and do not fall off your feet during sudden movements. For rainy weather - special models of rubber boots with flat soles in white (so as not to stain the deck), equipped with a welded fabric lining.
- Synthetic leather gloves with Kevlar inserts, "short" fingers, reinforcements at the bottom of the palm and double Velcro at the wrist, or neoprene gloves - for cold weather.
- Sunglasses with shatterproof lenses (preferably with polarized effect).
International sailing regattas (sailing competitions)
The Olympic Games are the most prestigious sailing competition.
One of the most spectacular and exciting sports disciplines is sailing. Competitions on it are included in the Summer Olympic Games in Rio. Men's, women's and mixed teams will compete. The mixed class of sailing events is what the Olympics will show fans of the discipline for the first time. This was done to involve women in Olympic sports sports. Until 1988, both sexes in the sport competed in the same categories. Sailing first appeared at the 1900 Olympics in Paris.
Sailing games participants
A total of 380 athletes will take part in sailing sports. The participants are 217 men and 163 women. Each country can represent one crew for one competitive discipline. No more than 15 participants can be proposed from one country.
The competition class is determined by the type of vessel. The games will feature vessels of nine different classes. All races take place along a pre-designed route, which is compiled taking into account ocean currents and weather conditions.
Ten sets of awards will be awarded in the following disciplines of sailing.
Men's disciplines:
- RS:X (windsurfing);
- Laser;
- Finn;
- 49th.
Women's disciplines:
- RS:X (windsurfing);
- Laser;
- 49th FX.
Mixed class:
- Nakra 17.
Sailing has undergone several changes from previous Summer Olympics.
Qualifying tournament for sailors , - This is the World Cup, which took place in 2014. It was on it that the selection was made and more places were distributed. Athletes must earn a place at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in the additional competitions that take place two years before the main world games.
Sailing calendar
Sailing competitions at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will take place from 8 to 18 August. Schedule:
- Windsurfing (RS:X): Preliminaries 8-9, 11-12 August. Final: 14 August.
- Laser class: preliminary races 8–10, 12–13 August. Final: 15 August.
- Finn class: Preliminaries 9–11, 13–14 August. Completion of the competition: 16 August.
- Class 470 Preliminaries: 10–12, 14–15 August Competition final: 17 August.
- Class 49: Preliminaries: 12-13, 15-16 August. Completion: 18 August.
- Windsurfing (RS:X): Qualifiers 8-9, 11-12 August. Final: 14 August.
- Laser Radial class: preliminary competition 8–10, 12–13 August. Final: 15 August.
- Class 470: Preliminaries 10–12, 14–15 August. Competition final: 17 August.
- Class 49th FX: Preliminaries: 12-13, 15-16 August. Completion of the races: 18 August.
- Mixed class Nakra 17 (men and women): preliminary races: 10–11, 13–14 August. Competition finals: 16 August.
Competitions will be held in Marina da Gloria, located in Guanabara Bay.
