BMX at the Olympics

[joeluke]

Why?

An Olympic sport on bikes usually ridden by children?

What next? Tricycle racing? Mobility scooter racing at the Paralympics?


High time officials stopped just making sports up

[Answerprancer]

...and furthermore, I think it's fantastic to see this included as an Olympic sport.

[Hopkirk]

It's better than horses dancing to music.

That should be in a circus.

[Prudie]

How about Olympic spacehopper racing or rhythmic clackers, lets move onto the 80s.

[bibblebub]

Olympic hide and seek (a la Monty Python)

[dotty.]

well if we're going to move with the time they shoulod get rid of archery and fencing, who needs that skill these days? unless of course we do actually have a zombie apocolypse, they'd come in handy then so that you keep the noise down when you blast the zombie

[DaisyNonna]

Whatever you call it fishing is not a sport.

[Prudie]

I agree about the fencing. can't believe those belittling dressage, obviously you have no idea how much skill and practice is needed.

[ChuckFickens]

But you were belittling BMX earlier... if you think that doesn't take skill and practise then I assume you could go and do it just as well?

[DTCwordfan]

Dressage is about the control and relationship between rider and horse and that was brilliantly demonstrated today - a skill at the heart of the old Olympics - I really wish some folk around here would better understand the connection between various disciplines and the Olympic roots to the event.

It wouldn't surprise me to hear someone say that the origin of the Marathon lies with the chocolate bar.

[DTCwordfan]

And poetry was an important part of the Ancient Greek Olympics......

[Prudie]

Chuck I could do neither well but would do better at dressage as I know a bit about it. The only BMX I have seen in Olympic coverage was riding over humps against the clock, I'm sure it was skilful but nothing on a par with say the heptathlon.

[ChuckFickens]

That kinda demonstrates the issue here, you appreciate dressage because you understand it whereas you think BMX is just "riding over humps against the clock" because you don't understand it. We all find it easy to look at something we don't understand not not recognise the level of skill involved in it and then put it down because of that..

[ChuckFickens]

BTW, I understand the BMX because I used to ride motorcross, which is, obviously, very similar but without the leg muscles :)

[Hopkirk]

Lets get rid of that short run that the guys do down one straight bit of the track.

Where is the skill in that?

[rojash]

"Im my youth teenagers rode Chopper bikes but they didn't make up an Olympic sport for it "

In my youth we sometimes ran to catch a bus, therefore running should be excluded from the Olympics.

[ichkeria]

BMX biking is surely more of a sport than twirling around a bar like Epke Zonderland. They are after all actually racing. I should add that I'm happy enough for gymnastics to be in the Olympics but it had to be said that there's something a bit unsatisfactory about sports which rely entirely on judges' marking. BMX biking though why on earth not? It's a competitive exciting and well-established sport enjoyed by nut cases the world over :-)

[joeluke]

'whereas you think BMX is just "riding over humps against the clock"'

Yep, that sums it up perfectly


Love the suggestion of Space Hopper racing, just going out to the garage to dust mine off to practice for Rio 2016

[Answerprancer]

*practise*