Subject: Bodybuilding not in the Olympics From: Michael Sullivan Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 23:56:06 -0700 Not that it ever had a hope of it but bodybuilding is out of the Olympics for a while. Remember the Weiders making a big noise a few years ago? It was just for the IOC recognizing the IFBB as the official bodybuilding federation--basically, recognizing bodybuilding as an organized sport. This past Wednesday that recognition was taken away. How far away is bodybuilding from becoming an olympic sport. Well, considering the snowboarding is an olympic sport and both ballroom dancing and tug-of-war now have recognized status (I am not making those two up), it doesn't look like it's going to happen in Joe or Ben's lifetime. Michael Sullivan Subject: Re: Bodybuilding not in the Olympics From: "Eric Burkhardt" Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 22:58:20 -0700 Snowboarding and ballroom dancing both demonstrate a high skill component. Tug of war demonstrates strength. In fact, for every sport I can think of, success depends on high movement skill (i.e. golf), quality of movement (i.e. strength, speed or power), endurance (marathon running) or a combination of these. Bodybuilding competition demonstrates none of these. It demonstrates what happens to the body as a result of a specific type of weight training program, but unfortunately, IMO, that does not qualify it to be a sport. I'm not saying that bodybuilders don't train hard or do not have tremendous discipline and drive. I'm simply saying that is should not be called a sport and that's why it'll never get into the Olympics. I know this may irritate a lot of bodybuilders. Please consider the above statements before loading your flame throwers. Eric Burkhardt Subject: Re: Bodybuilding Not In the Olympics From: "Rosemary Wedderburn-Vernon" Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 22:56:53 -0700 This must be the most intelligent decision the IOC has made in many moons. I never did agree with Ben Weider (who was simply stroking his own ego) that bodybuiliding had any place in this venue. The criteria for picking the winner is simply too subjective. The iron sport that needs to be included is powerlifting. The rules can be set down in black and white and knowledgeable judges can go by them. After that, the winner is the one who lifts or presses the most weight. That's pretty straightforward. I also feel that the public would enjoy watching it. Elite level powerlifters are quite impressive and many put on a great show. Rosemary Subject: Re: Bodybuilding Not In the Olympics From: "Kerr, William" Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 22:56:41 -0700 I have to admit that I'm happy bodybuilding isn't in the olympics. Just because things like snowboarding, ballroom dancing, sychronized breath-holding (oh, yeah -- "swiming" I meant!) and team handball (?) are in there doesn't mean bodybuilding should be. The olympics need fewer sports, not more. They need to get rid of almost anything with a team, almost anything with a professional league or circuit and almost anything with subjective scoring by judges. Anything played with a ball should be viewed with a jaundiced eye (except shot-put, if you consider a 16-pound iron weight a "ball"). Bodybuilding is way too subjective and we would basically see the same people that we see at other events. It has nothing to do with whether or not bodybuilding is a sport or is hard or any of that, it has to do with what the Olympics mean, and to me the Olympic Ideal doesn't include a whole LOT of the stuff we are currently subjected to every two years. Bill Kerr Systems Support Group Fleet Numerical Meteorology & Oceanography Center