Olympic 'finals' proposal

Originally posted by Doug.H .......If I tell someone I sail the first thing that pops into their head is some tubby cruising yacht with a motor attached at the back.  The likes of boats such as a 49er, international moth of 18ft skiff would be the things most furthest from their mind.  Granted only the 49er out of the three ive mentioned is actualy an olympic boat, but what better chance for us to point to the tv and and say to your non-sailing friends, THATS WHAT I DO!!  Ok no we dont all sail 49ers (wish i did), but its closer than most preconceptions

The theory sounds fine but, after 80years of televised Olympics, I have never met a non sailor who said anything along the lines of 'Oh, dinghy sailing. Is that like the stuff I saw in the Olympics?'. At best they say 'saw it on Euro sport' or 'Transworld sport' as a filler. It would be great to 'showcase' it, but it just doesn't work. The televisors know this - thats why they only show a little bit at a time.

Originally posted by Doug.H And as for team racing to replace fleet racing........i just dont know what to say to that!  Please dont misunderstand me, im not against team racing!  But why would you exchange what the majority of what most of us do for a less practiced area of the sport??  Surely that would be much alike to taking premiership football matches off the TV and replacing them for a ball skills skills competition (you know, the one where they kinda flick ball around their body and balance it in odd places......maybe not the best explaination).

As mentioned at length earlier - a replacement is needed. All the skills are transferable to team racing, dispite what you say most of us have done it. It would be like changing football to keepit uppy, or whatever, if football was played on a mile plus square pitch with more than 50 teams playing at once, in near identical kit, to rules nobody gets, with flags nobody understands without a copy of the sailing instructions and the winner gets a set of points that may not make him the winner.

If the British team racing team 'got to the finals' against the Aussies or better still the Germans, I recon most of England would watch the medal come home (or not), and for 20 mins watch the 'showcase' (i.e. work out the rules, enjoy the race, indentify with the competitors.... remember what dinghy racing is) - total cost for the producers ...... 2 cameras and a commentator (preferably Bob Fisher).

Edited by Bumble

Originally posted by Bumble I am a sailor, and if it was up to me... Id have it axed from the games..... doesn't that say anything to you????

Im sorry but no that says nothing to me, because i too am a sailor and im extremely greatful that sailing (of the fleet racing variety) is on the olympics.  The coverage isnt much and no we dont have the most visualy exciting boats competing but it is at least something.  Its the main chance us to showcase to the world what it is we do. 

If I tell someone I sail the first thing that pops into their head is some tubby cruising yacht with a motor attached at the back.  The likes of boats such as a 49er, international moth of 18ft skiff would be the things most furthest from their mind.  Granted only the 49er out of the three ive mentioned is actualy an olympic boat, but what better chance for us to point to the tv and and say to your non-sailing friends, THATS WHAT I DO!!  Ok no we dont all sail 49ers (wish i did), but its closer than most preconceptions.

And as for team racing to replace fleet racing........i just dont know what to say to that!  Please dont misunderstand me, im not against team racing!  But why would you exchange what the majority of what most of us do for a less practiced area of the sport??  Surely that would be much alike to taking premiership football matches off the TV and replacing them for a ball skills skills competition (you know, the one where they kinda flick ball around their body and balance it in odd places......maybe not the best explaination). 

Anyways, thats my thoughts.  I do hope i haven't offended anyone.

Doug

Originally posted by Cheeky Ahh... but I like watching Greco-Roman wrestling in the Olympics... now that really is interfering with the other guy! Why can't us sailors do it tooooo, ducky...

Cos the IYRU would demand (after 40 big lunches and 39 big debates) that there must be 10 different classes of wrestling, and these must be chosen to make ancient wrestling appear as modern, technologically advanced, and exciting as possible, while appealing to a broader none wrestling audience.... also these classes will be redecided upon within every Olympics to garentee they have something to discuss at meetings and garentee that the IOC keep asking them to make the choices and not some other body, which could be created just to cream off a load of Olympic funding.

I disagree, you the rules are so simple, team with last boat losers. Its nothing compared to trying to define consistancy over a big fleet, nothing compared to trying to explain how the points effect a 40 boat fleet with 5 races to go, nothing compared to trying to explain tactics of a 1 mile beat....... face reality Jim.... sailing on TV is rubbish, Im a sailor and I think its rubbish, all my friends who sail think its rubbish, everyone I ever talk to who doesn't sail thinks its rubbish - ITS RUBBISH.

Short course team events offer a real alternative, and include reduced production costs, reduced campaigning costs, reduced Olympic bid orientated organisations, reduced dependency on money and increased watchability (the best show case for our great sport), mixed racing (the OC's number one wish on their wish list), exciting and truely competitive racing (when was the last time did  some team racing?) and most of all a consitent established format which could potentially secure sailing as an Olympic sport (rather than this endless debate by self preserving parties as to how and why).

I am a sailor, and if it was up to me... Id have it axed from the games..... doesn't that say anything to you????

I'd second that. But then I'm not on the IOC.