Boxing, Weightlifting & Modern Pentathlon Under Threat For LA 2028

[allezfred]

Link

Weightlifting and boxing are the “two problem childs of the Olympic movement” and remain at risk of being removed from the 2028 LA Games programme, the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, has warned.

Bach expressed his deepest concerns about weightlifting, which has faced significant doping and governance issues, while it was made clear to boxing that it needed to continue making significant reforms following financial problems and the judging scandal at the 2016 Rio Games.

A third sport, modern pentathlon, was also told to replace horse riding with a more inclusive sport if it wanted to be in the LA Games – a decision that followed the shocking scenes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where the German coach Kim Raisner was sent home for punching a horse.

 

[overedge]

The problem with the horses in modern pentathlon at the last Olympics was the rider and coach who thought it was OK to abuse an animal. It wasn't a problem with the equestrian event not being inclusive. Riding is probably even more expensive for the competitors in all the other Olympic equestrian events, who train in those events full-time.

 

[MacMadame]

It wasn't a problem with the equestrian event not being inclusive.

Equestrian events are not inclusive. You have to have buckets of money to be competitive in them. Even more so than other sports including figure skating.

 

[barbk]

Equestrian events are not inclusive. You have to have buckets of money to be competitive in them. Even more so than other sports including figure skating.

Right. Some of the notable equestrian competitors in the US include the daughter of Bill & Melinda Gates (who purchased at least three horse stables/training areas for her), the daughter of Bruce Springsteen & Patty Scialfa, and the daughter of Michael Bloomberg & Susan Brown. Springsteen is the poor guy in the group, with a net worth of only half a billion.

It costs a huge amount to own/lease a string of horses, have a groom/grooms, own/rent training spaces, and transport horses to events. I had an interesting conversation at the airport in Lexington, Kentucky after the Rolex back in 2008. The woman was having her Dutch warmblood shipped via 747 with a groom.

It makes competitive figure skating look downright affordable.

 

[Orm Irian]

Right. Some of the notable equestrian competitors in the US include the daughter of Bill & Melinda Gates (who purchased at least three horse stables/training areas for her), the daughter of Bruce Springsteen & Patty Scialfa, and the daughter of Michael Bloomberg & Susan Brown. Springsteen is the poor guy in the group, with a net worth of only half a billion.

And they all look like parvenus compared to the competitors from other nations who are literal royalty...

 

[allezfred]

The problem with the horses in modern pentathlon at the last Olympics was the rider and coach who thought it was OK to abuse an animal.

I think the problem with the equestrian event in Modern Pentathlon is that inexperienced riders are given horses they can't handle with only a very limited time to get used to them (maybe 30 minutes before the showjumping begins). The inexperienced riders then spook the horses and even the more experienced riders later on will have trouble handling the horses they get assigned.

 

[caseyedwards]

Equestrian events are not inclusive. You have to have buckets of money to be competitive in them. Even more so than other sports including figure skating.

So? You need money for equestrian like height for basketball or speed for sprinting

 

[aliceanne]

After the brouhaha over the pentathlon equestrian event in Tokyo, I looked up that rider on youtube (she has been to several Olympics). Someone posted a video of the entire event (in either Rio or London - can’t remember which). I’m surprised it isn’t more popular with viewers for the sheer train wreck factor.

The commentator said that the athletes train their other segments 5 days/ week, but typically only train the equestrian portion 2 days per month as most of them don’t own horses. In a field of about 30, only about 4 were accomplished equestrians who could move aerodynamically in tandem with the horse. The rest were bouncing all over the place or squeezing, rocking, and flailing. A few riders reared back when the horse went over the jump. The horses were balking because the rider wasn’t secure or the approach wasn’t right. One horse went over anyway and the rider fell off, clung to the horse’s neck and got tangled in its legs.

Another rider lost it when the horse balked and sat there kicking and flogging it with the crop instead of turning around for another approach. The horse walked over to the side of the ring and refused to move. That ended her event.

I think the course is way to difficult for amateurs. I guess you can argue it’s their choice to participate, but why subject your expensive thoroughbred to this?

 

[Orm Irian]

I think the problem with the equestrian event in Modern Pentathlon is that inexperienced riders are given horses they can't handle with only a very limited time to get used to them (maybe 30 minutes before the showjumping begins). The inexperienced riders then spook the horses and even the more experienced riders later on will have trouble handling the horses they get assigned.

Also, the poor horses have to go around the course twice with very little rest in between, which is frankly cruel.

 

[Rob]

And it was very hot in Tokyo last summer.

Women's weightlifting has only been in place a couple of Olympics, right?

 

[Seerek]

And it was very hot in Tokyo last summer.

Women's weightlifting has only been in place a couple of Olympics, right?

2024 will be the 7th Olympics for women's weightlifting (since 2000)

 

[Vagabond]

Is figure skating more inclusive than horse riding?

 

[MacMadame]

Is figure skating more inclusive than horse riding?

You can pay as much as many families pay for a year of figure skating just on the horse. (This is in the sports where riders use their own horses like the Three Day Event or Show Jumping.) An Olympic-level dressage horse costs $100,000+. A dressage uniform cost over 10k.

So, potentially, yes. But inclusivity is about more than that. It's also an attitude -- is the sport trying to be diverse, do they treat everyone well or do minorities get treated to a lot of microaggressions, etc. From what I've read, figure skating is slightly ahead of equestrian sports. Slightly.

 

[PatChan4O]

wrong thread