The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.IOC gives itself more power to remove sports from future Olympics
By Graham Dunbar TOKYO©2023 GPlusMedia Inc.
76 Comments
Login to comment
GW
I have a better suggestion, the IOC should REMOVE itself from SPORT!!!
There fixed it!
dan
IOC is soooo corrupt
Some dude
On a purely semantic level, how can an organization which considers itself omnipotent give itself more power?
ShortMemories
A group of people voting themselves more power
What an surprising outcome
ulysses
I hope the decision of the IOC to hold the games at the peak of the Japanese summer is questioned.
It was irresponsible, dangerous and luckily no one died, otherwise it would have been criminal.
That doesn’t take away the corruption in Boxing, there are plenty of questionable decisions driven by mostly incompetence but sometimes partisanship!!!
mstaana64
The Philippines just got our first Olympic gold medal in weightlifting and 2 silvers and 1 bronze in boxing, now they want to remove these sports in 2024?? Better remove IOC management of the Olympics.
HBJ
Yeah you know, the totally upstanding, immaculately run, scandal free Olympic movement.
snowymountainhell
More reasons to boycott these carpetbagging profiteers. No longer “an Olympics for the people”, of the people, by the people.
tooheysnew
@smith
Russian athletes doped to the gills - yes, agree
Antiquesaving
Please the IOC can't have poor countries winning medals, they just don't bring in the big TV bucks.
I mean the 30 top countries could only get 75% of the medals so I guess they can't politically remove poor countries but they can eliminate the sports those countries have a chance at winning a medal.
snowymountainhell
Ah! That was one of the reasons to insist on going forward with Tokyo. Seizing more powers for to garner future revenue from those who will pay. -
Kag
Are the artistically judged sports really sports?
Is training horses to do your bidding sports?
smithinjapan
Phew! Woke up this morning and thought to myself, "Now, what's one thing the IOC truly needs... MORE POWER!" Glad my dreams are coming true.
Seriously, though, while judging in boxing in particular is heinous at times, the last thing the IOC needs is more power and permission to do anything.
Some dude
Please the IOC can't have poor countries winning medals, they just don't bring in the big TV bucks.
I mean the 30 top countries could only get 75% of the medals so I guess they can't politically remove poor countries but they can eliminate the sports those countries have a chance at winning a medal.
It would make future medal tables much simpler, though:
USA
China
Host country (token gesture)
Other
drlucifer
What a joke, it is just like a dictator running an election, winning with a landslide and claiming it was fair and clear.
Fighto!
Like it or not, Karate, Softball and Baseball have already been axed.
Which ones are next?
Some dude
Understood yet, perhaps you meant “altruistic” *@Some dude 2:49pm:*
They ARE making themselves “omnipotent” with such actions. (ALL powerful)
No, I did mean “omnipotent”. They already act that way (look at their attitude towards Tokyo), so it just seems odd that they would feel the need to give themselves any more power.
“Altruistic” is jus about the last word I would use in relation to the IOC!
snowymountainhell
Modern day Piracy - “Cap’n, yer crew’s plundered all da booty we can muster and ARRRe scuttling this derelict. The watchman’s spotted another banner on the horizon.” -
GdTokyo
Great, because what an unelected quasi state needs is MORE power....
lostrune2
That'll hurt China and Cuba
Jim
Ofcourse they did this - because they can and no one can challenge them for this
SarcasmOnly
Ok
snowymountainhell
Understood yet, perhaps you meant “*altruistic” *@Some dude 2:49pm:
They ARE making themselves “omnipotent” with such actions. (ALL powerful)
Some dude
The next summer games are in Paris. Maybe they should replace whichever events they discard with something French, or French-ish. Pétanque, savate, jai alai. No stranger than some of the events we’ve seen in these ones.
I mean… the Inordinately Oligarchic Committee seem determined to turn the event into their own private sports club, so at least have a little local flavor.
Jessie Lee
Please add Dodgeball in honor of Patches O'Houlihan. Remember the 5 D's of dodgeball, dodge, duck, dip, dive, and ...... dodge
Tokyoite
They always seem to discuss removing sports that are closer to the original Olympic events.
They even dropped wrestling once.
If you really have to reduce it, take a look at golf for starters.
Dr.Cajetan Coelho
The game of Kabaddi is spreading quickly across several continents. Kabaddi appears to have a bright future at Olympics. In Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Australia, and in New Zealand - Kabaddi has been deepening its roots. It's time the popular sport makes its entry at the Olympics.
snowymountainhell
EVERYONE here needs to make a screenshot of this 3pm JT homepage & photo as a future reminder next time profiteers seek to control a country.
A 98% empty stadium, broken Olympic Rings, an overinflated, looming tax bill and a headline that reads:
IOC gives itself more power to removes sports from future Olympics -Kobe White Bar Owner
@KentarogaijinToday 04:33 pm JST
I accept skate, climbing etc...
But the clownish break dance ???...
That's not a sport !!..
It's the most PATHETIC thing IOC can do..
Why not GTA in real life of my beloved hotdog eating contest????..
The Paris games will be the most pathetic of all olympics..
more pathetic than this 2020/1 shame has been… that pretty darn pathetic I can’t imagine.
gogogo
Breakdancing... What's next who can down a beer the fastest?
Moskollo
Breakdancing? Skateboarding, bmx riding these are not sports. The olympics is becoming a bloated waste of time, what’s next sitting on the couch? Running for a bus? Finding things on google with your smart phone? I will definitely not be watching in the future..
Paul
Breakdancing an Olympic event!!! Hahahahahahahah what next? Fishing? Mushroom picking? Cherry picking, they can jump from tree to tree? How about chess, while they kick each other under the table?
virusrex
When a bully gets away with something it is common that it tries to do more, getting away with pushing the olympics even with the strong opposition of the host country people and health care experts can make the big shots think they can get away with a lot more.
ShinkansenCaboose
The IOC is a dictatorship run by Bacha, so why ask for our opinions? He can and does anything he wants, just as he told Suga he will have the olympics no matter what.
wanderlust
We need a Frodo, Sam and Gollum to bring the Lords of the Rings down to reality.
This corrupt NGO comprising event producers and marketing managers now thinks it is a sovereign country with a 'president' and diplomatic status, and can ride override any country for its goals, vacuuming the profits from global broadcasting and claiming all the conceivable expenses from the host country with some of the most one-sided contracts ever seen.
In return they get 7 years to construct, plan, and manage the circus, 2 weeks of dubious glory, 10-30 years of paying off the cost; with a little profit going to a few of the country's elites, and a legacy of concrete and steel.
It's a great business model for the IOC, a costly nightmare for nearly everyone else.
Brian Wheway
The IOC gave itself more power Sunday to remove sports from the Olympic program.
this comity has become a bunch of egotistical self rulling thugs, they have or are become a bunch of dictators.
what ever happened to sport? to many politics are involved now for my liking
sf2k
what does that even mean anymore
ShinkansenCaboose
One: With all the other sports events that occur around the world yearly, why do we need this debacle with professionals and kids playing sports?
Two: Don't you think the money games have to end?
Three: What good do these massively expensive events do to help the general population of said winner countries that get to host these debacle events?
Jessie Lee
So they have more power to remove sports but not to add them? Won't there eventually be zero sports left?
shogun36
Add dodgeball and go karting.
Eliminate equestrian and shooting.
Wolfpack
My view of the “Olympic movement” has slowly evolved over the years since professional basketball players (the Dream Team) were allowed to participate. The power of the corporate sponsors to force these games to take place to the detriment of Japan and now the concentration of power into the hands of the IOC as a quasi central governing authority over all other athletic governing bodies just makes this an open and shut case. The idea of the Olympics is no longer represented by the Olympic Games of today. Also adding sports that require no significant physical effort, based on subjective judgment or for the purpose of increasing viewership is just wrong.
as_the_crow_flies
"the Olympic movement"? "the Olympic family"? What lovely soft, fuzzy words. How about changing those to "the Olympic mafia" or simply "the Olympic Cosa Nostra"? So they are awarding themselves some more power? My, what a surprise! I guess while they were at it, they gave themselves a pay rise, and nominated Herr Barfch for his Nobel.
snowymountainhell
Perhaps they will @JessieLee, if someone doesn’t ‘throw a wrench’ into the IOC’s machinations.
vanityofvanities
As they say, Olympics is not all sports. It is an occasion athletes of the world get together. For example, baseball and basketball, they are not top players of the sports representing the country. Japan won the gold medal in baseball, but they won against the American team which did not include Major Leaguers.
Mr Kipling
The problem with boxing is the judges. The organizers are forced to include judges that are incompetent from countries that are corrupt. You also have national federations pressuring the judges before the bouts.
The problem with weight lifting is the aiding by federations for their athletes to consume industrial levels of performance enhancing drugs. Of course its not just weight lifting, but if medals were awarded for steroid use Weight lifting would sweep the podium.
Mr Kipling
ReasonandwisdomJapan.....
No it isn't. Table tennis is from Great Britain.
mz16
Skateboarding I can understand, but breakdancing? Really??? Breakdancing?
TrevorPeace
Now break-dancing is an Olympic sport? What's next? Basket weaving? How about nude sunbathing? Wine making?
Politik Kills
Start with soccer, tennis, baseball, basketball, golf …
ebisen
People complaining about removing weightlifting, I wonder which part of this phrase is difficult to understand:
Yeah - out with the whole bunch for a decade or so, until they piss out the drugs and a clean generation is formed...
bass4funk
And the IOC are looking beyond people like you or those that hate these sports. if they continue to cater to people over 30 and up viewership will continue to fall and they don't want that and like in every other business, you go where the money is at and the 12-30 demographics are what they are aiming for. Makes sense to me.
ReasonandWisdomNippon
Karate famous worldwide.
Dear IOC,
Time to make it a permanent place for the Olympics. It deserves a permanent spot.
If certain sports come from Caucasian countries, permanent spot in the Olympics. If it's Karate from Japan, it remains to be seen. Ping Pong from China should be removed apparently.
White countries determine what's a sport and what's not a sport. But they see no Racism going on in their point of view.
Kumagaijin
Maybe its because Japan didn't medal, but I never saw a single surfing highlight on Japanese tv. Sure, maybe I wasn't clued to my tv enough, but I never say even 5 seconds of anything related to surfing...or even rowing.
Ricky Kaminski13
Why would you be planning to remove any sports? Thought it’s all about inclusion? Boxing is one of the few sports that anyone, in particularly those that have had it real rough, can climb themselves out of poverty to stardom. Loved watching the boxing. When the Irish lass won that final gold it was just grand. Leave it alone please.
Add as many sports as you like, why does everything gained have to be at the expense of some other group to be excluded? Just don’t get it. Celebrate all peak human physical and mental endeavors. How bout that for a strategy?
masterblaster
Weightlifting is most at risk of being cut from the Paris Olympics because of long-term doping cases and governance issues, including financial corruption.
How about
The IOC is most at risk of being cut from the Paris Olympics because of long-term doping cases and governance issues, including financial corruption.
Just a dream.
bass4funk
Yup and if you think Golf or bowling is going to bring in young kids, you are sadly mistaken.
ReasonandWisdomNippon
Small minded as always.
Olympics should evolve the more countries join and participate.
More cultures join, more forms of competition should be added.
Old saying goes: You can't teach an Old Dog New Tricks.
Meaning
Your too old, Irrelevant, don't understand a new world with more then just 20 ways to compete.... You have thousands of ways to challenge one another.
snowymountainhell
Get back in the Tardis @smithinjapan 3:42p This IOC universe needs “a great reset”.
snowymountainhell
But some Japanese are ‘so good at it’ !! @Kentarogaijin 4:33pm:
Would you deny your ‘adoptive country’ more chances at Olympic Gold ??
Seems somewhat frumpy of an attitude ..
sf2k
Ridiculous that karate isn't kept considering its worldwide reach and especially in France, who won't be able to keep it for next time. France won a gold medal!
when a sport rises above the nations of its origins and becomes respected worldwide isn't that what an "Olympic movement" is supposed to be?
NOMINATION
Race walking was also cancelled because of those triggered by there only being a mens' team.
Susukino
Cancel some swimming events. There's 25 gold medals to win there. No wonder USA always does well with 1/3rd of their medals coming in the pool from usually just5a few athletes.
Syb
The Wall Climbing Sport was FANTASTIC, Brilliant young Athletes, male AND Female . The 17 year old Girl from Korea will be 4 years older for Paris Olympics, she will do well. (hope the Climbing will be included in Paris!!)
Wolfpack
Instead of adding “sports” like surfing and skateboarding the IOC should be getting rid of about half of them. Stick to the basics, running, jumping, throwing, fighting and some other traditional sporting activities. All of these added sports lessens the value of an Olympic medal.
There are a large number of human endeavors that are very difficult but are more of a curiosity than sport. BMX? There are already plenty of biking events in the Olympics- so now they add an event for bikes with tiny tires! It’s just weird. It’s no wonder viewership for the Olympics is so low at a time when a global pandemic is forcing people to stay closer to their living room television.
bass4funk
That's what it's really all about. Attracting a younger audience, the viewer ratings have significantly dropped over the years and the politics and social justice worries perverting the games is turning a lot of people off and if they want to regain some of that lost audience, they need to reach out and include the sports and discipline that THEY like. Rowing and Equestrian is not for everyone especially younger kids, so break-dancing, BMX, skateboarding do make a lot of sense to add to these games. In the end it's always about the money, always and you do what you can to make that money.
snowymountainhell
Coincidentally(?), the equestrian horses were also flown in from Belgium on a 777 by way of Dubai. Do we think honestly riders with :20 to bond with unfamiliar & spooked horses running around Takeshi’s Castle would do well ??
bob
tip; If a 12 year-old is winning Olympic medals in your sport, its not a sport.
Its a parlour game.
The IOC has lost its way.