So now we all look forward to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the inclusion of golf and rugby which were previous Olympic sports. There seems to be quite a revolving door that exists for events and the International Olympic Committee is constantly examining current sports and evaluating potential new ones.
Bringing back golf for 2016 is fitting since the Olympic ideal of a lean, hard, Adonis-like individual with 6 pack abs at the height of his athletic condition will be represented by...Phil Mickelson?
It would seem easier for the IOC to bypass any evaluation procedure and just have some former sports and events return. This way, records would already exist that new competitors could challenge.
The IOC could start by reinstating the rope climbing event which was a part of the gymnastics program through 1932. Competitors started in a seated position and climbed to the top of a 46 foot rope (later shortened to 25 feet) using only their hands and arms while keeping their legs outstretched in an "L" position. In 1896, the first Olympiad, only two participants reached the top with Nikolaus Andriakopoulos taking the gold!
Croquet could also return from it's 116 year hiatus. NBC and local Rio ticket sellers could hype and promote it to the point where interest will reach a frenzy and generate more than one fan. Although France won all the croquet events in 1900, an Englishman had traveled from Nice especially for the competition and was the only spectator. In addition, this sport would provide all of the back yard, family gathering croquet champs a chance at displaying the old skills and realizing the dream of standing on the podium and receiving a medal.
At this point, I would have to say that the movement to have live pigeon shooting return to the Games should be rejected. The birds were released in front of the competitor and the winner was the one who shot down the most pigeons from the sky. Upon missing two birds, a participant was eliminated. Between the blood and feathers all over the place, the dead and injured birds on the ground, and over 300 pigeons being killed, this event was short lived. Leon De Lunden of Belgium and his 21 birds killed will probably remain as the Olympic record holder.
Which brings us around to the biggest addition to the track and field program, Tug-of-War. This was contested through 1920, was highly competitive, and even contained controversy that would fit perfectly in today's track and field landscape.
Countries sent several teams back then for the Tug-of-War events. Three different USA teams (Milwaukee Athletic Club, and two teams from St. Louis) captured the gold, silver, and bronze in 1904.
In 1908, Great Britain sent three teams comprised of bobbies - City of London Police, Liverpool Police, and Metropolitan Police. The London teams both had byes into the semi-finals, but the Liverpool team drew the USA team in order to qualify for the fourth semi-final spot. The United States team were behemoths, consisting of several hammer throwers and weightlifters. Incredibly though, the British squad used one quick mighty tug and pulled the Americans over the line. The Americans were so shocked, they immediately withdrew from the contest and any future matches.
The team from the USA then lodged a protest and claimed the Liverpool team had been unfairly prepared by wearing weighted, spiked shoes. The police group responded by saying they were only wearing standard issue police work boots. Although heavy and with a metal rim, they were deemed not to be unfairly weighted or containing any spikes. The Liverpool team was put through only to be stopped in the final, for the gold medal, by the London contingent. Afterwards, both London and Liverpool offered the Americans a tug in bare feet, but the offer was declined.
The Americans never recovered from the loss and that left Great Britain and Sweden as the tug-of-war powers up through the 1920 Olympics.
So let's save the IOC some time and push these sports back through for 2016. Welcoming back golf and rugby is fine, recalling these classics mentioned above would be even better. All the while giving the IOC more time to decide on corporate sponsorship and who should hand out medals.
All this because I know more about nothing...
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