Rumours of Olympics event changes

I wouldn't worry too much about the racing confusing the public - the cycling at the velodrome must take the biscuit for that. Races where they cycle as slow as possible for half the race, one where they follow a motor bike for a bit and one, the omnium(?) where nobody has a clue what's going on. Makes sailing look obvious really 

I reckon a knockout series is the way to go. Bottom 4 boats in each race are excluded from the competition. Start with 22, and the final two go at it in a winner takes all match race!

Its a similar concept to other sports and would make it both easy to understand and entertaining to the last.

As for location, we can all moan about the venue but some of the best racing this year has been on the city courses in extreme 40s, or M32 series where its hardly described as a sailors paradise. So Im happy for the city courses to stay, just got to get the events to be of interest. Actually sod it, lets just do it in M32s with a Mens quad and a womens quad?????

Originally posted by iiiiticki Now then....if we are rearranging the Olympic classes round a bit. Put the ladies in a boat that suits the average size athletic lady rather than exceptionally tall or beefy (however lovely) ones.

Originally posted by Chris 249 Originally posted by iiiiticki Now then....if we are rearranging the Olympic classes round a bit. Put the ladies in a boat that suits the average size athletic lady rather than exceptionally tall or beefy (however lovely) ones.  What is "the average size athletic" woman, or man for that matter? How do you define "athletic"?  The only Radial Olympian I know, btw, is neither exceptionally tall or beefy.

Originally posted by Bootscooter It's funny you should say that Mr Tick.... .... I heard a while ago that one of the serious suggestions (as opposed to the wholesale slaughter in the linked opinion/article/agenda) is to scrap the male and female 470s and replace with a Mixed 470 and a lightweight female single-hander - likely to be the Byte CII. This would sort out the gender/medal issue completely.  As for foils, short races etc, it doesn't matter one jot as to which classes are used and how long the races are if we (or WS) continue to put up with god-awful TV coverage.  Nothing looks good on a flat, shifty roll-the-dice course, and that's all we were served up from RIO.  Had coverage come from the outside courses we'd have seen Finns, 470s and Nacras getting airborne in huge wages, we'd have seen sailors battling not just each other but the elements too with a visual spectacle worthy of a medal in itself. Personally, and I don't expect everyone to agree with me, I think that warp-factor-snot skiffs and foiling machines don't make for a good (visual) race as there's so much focus boatspeed, necessitating separation and the loss of close racing.  I reckon they'd look awful in light winds, and even worse when it's blowing old boots with big waves and they're sat on the shore, un-sailable. There's absolutely nothing wrong with what we've got (aside from the change I suggest up there), but if the powers that be want good visuals for the TV audience then they've got to provide it.  The sailors (and classes) are keeping their side of the bargain....

I can remember being slaughtered on here for calling you a moron (brotherly love) when you were saying how great foiling races were, and I insisted the close racing of more speed-matched boats was far more exciting.

You've changed. Must be cos you sail a slow boat now ;-)