DMR. Hands down. Relays are incredibly exciting.. track is already stacked toward sprints.. Add a distance relay. They should have it at NCAA Championships (outdoors) as well.
The problem with the DMR is that it is terrible.
I'm obligated to "like" the DMR, but realistically there shouldn't be a 400m leg. It's wildly out of place and makes the associated handoffs a *poopshow (which is fun, but not great for pure competition). I'm sure there's an infraction in the 400m handoffs in every version of the race, but it's just accepted that you don't take action unless it's egregious. Opens the doors to a lot of lame DQs if people don't play nice. Would rather see another 800m or maybe even something weird like a 2000m leg
Ideally I'd love to see the 10K track get converted to a 10K road race or 10K XC race highlighting a local trail around the Olympic site.
I think you could also just add one of them in addition to the track event since they are different enough to still get a decent field without ruining the 10K track field
I agree. Make it team and individual medals, athletes only allowed to compete if they are not competing in any other events
The issue is that the IOC seems to be moving in the opposite direction, they've been trimming the field.
No kidding. This entire thread is remarkably oblivious to what the IOC is prioritizing. Anyone who suggests getting rid of the mixed relay might as well be saying get rid of Opening Ceremony. Same likelihood.
This OP focused on addition of the swimming stroke 50s. But the articles covering the IOC changes led off with all the new mixed events. That was the headline and opening paragraph in one paper and website after another today. There were 6 or 7 mixed additions, with race walking the only mixed removal.
The stroke 50s work because the hefty majority of those swimmers would either already be on the roster or can contribute to other events like sprint and medley relays. Contrast to all the longer running events being proposed here. No chance whatsoever, other than cross country. The IOC isn't looking to double the amount of distance runners.
And the cross country push may die without Coe to back it as IOC president. Coe should have merged the cross country world championships with the athletics world championships a long time ago. Time of year doesn't matter. World Aquatics holds the open water world championships back to back at the same site as the pool events. Cross country is markedly more interesting than open water swimming. But swimming understood to get open water in the world championships way back in 1992. That led to an Olympic spot beginning in 2008.
Good luck to whoever is going to fight for the silver medal in the women's 50 fly. The GOAT Sarah Sjöström holds 34 of the 36 fastest 50 fly times of all time.
team cross country would be a lot of fun. i know the main argument is its too hot, but if they're gonna have baseball in Oklahoma couldn't they find a cooler climate to run cross.
the course they run Nuttycombe at in Wisconsin would be perfect.
or if they want to stay in California - Redwood National Park - Malibu at sunrise, picturesque and it's no more than 60 degrees - Lake Tahoe - Napa Valley
Distance medleys are only interesting to Americans, and medleys overall are only interesting to the absolute top tier track and field countries. The rest of us who can barely scrape together one decent athlete in each event can't be bothered.
I want to see the open 3000, but I realize it's not going to happen because it cuts into a lot of the matchups in the 1500 and 5000, and cross country, which feels like the most likely event to be added.
I want to see ultras or mountain running as well. Yes, a lot of people are talking about how it wouldn't be interesting and how nobody watches it, but think of it more as a way for the host country to showcase the country at an even larger scale than the marathon does. It's not like the broadcast would keep up with every minute of the race, but it would check in periodically.
The issue is that the IOC seems to be moving in the opposite direction, they've been trimming the field.
No kidding. This entire thread is remarkably oblivious to what the IOC is prioritizing. Anyone who suggests getting rid of the mixed relay might as well be saying get rid of Opening Ceremony. Same likelihood.
This OP focused on addition of the swimming stroke 50s. But the articles covering the IOC changes led off with all the new mixed events. That was the headline and opening paragraph in one paper and website after another today. There were 6 or 7 mixed additions, with race walking the only mixed removal.
The stroke 50s work because the hefty majority of those swimmers would either already be on the roster or can contribute to other events like sprint and medley relays. Contrast to all the longer running events being proposed here. No chance whatsoever, other than cross country. The IOC isn't looking to double the amount of distance runners.
And the cross country push may die without Coe to back it as IOC president. Coe should have merged the cross country world championships with the athletics world championships a long time ago. Time of year doesn't matter. World Aquatics holds the open water world championships back to back at the same site as the pool events. Cross country is markedly more interesting than open water swimming. But swimming understood to get open water in the world championships way back in 1992. That led to an Olympic spot beginning in 2008.
Yeah, that's why my position on XC scoring to the marathon is such. I would love it if the field were bigger. But even if not, I think adding XC scoring/team race is a great touch.
The first 2 would be comprised of B level guys, and the last one is insane. There would be a high chance of collisions and no top runner would want any part of it.
The first 2 would be comprised of B level guys, and the last one is insane. There would be a high chance of collisions and no top runner would want any part of it.
Distance medleys are only interesting to Americans, and medleys overall are only interesting to the absolute top tier track and field countries. The rest of us who can barely scrape together one decent athlete in each event can't be bothered.
I want to see the open 3000, but I realize it's not going to happen because it cuts into a lot of the matchups in the 1500 and 5000, and cross country, which feels like the most likely event to be added.
I want to see ultras or mountain running as well. Yes, a lot of people are talking about how it wouldn't be interesting and how nobody watches it, but think of it more as a way for the host country to showcase the country at an even larger scale than the marathon does. It's not like the broadcast would keep up with every minute of the race, but it would check in periodically.
The DMR isn’t even interesting to Americans. Three of the legs don’t matter at all.
An ultra would be cool, and would probably get some public recognition (though not a ton of viewers).
Cross country is the way to go. A compelling team event and probably the most exciting long distance race.
Distance medleys are only interesting to Americans, and medleys overall are only interesting to the absolute top tier track and field countries. The rest of us who can barely scrape together one decent athlete in each event can't be bothered.
I want to see the open 3000, but I realize it's not going to happen because it cuts into a lot of the matchups in the 1500 and 5000, and cross country, which feels like the most likely event to be added.
I want to see ultras or mountain running as well. Yes, a lot of people are talking about how it wouldn't be interesting and how nobody watches it, but think of it more as a way for the host country to showcase the country at an even larger scale than the marathon does. It's not like the broadcast would keep up with every minute of the race, but it would check in periodically.
The DMR isn’t even interesting to Americans. Three of the legs don’t matter at all.
An ultra would be cool, and would probably get some public recognition (though not a ton of viewers).
Cross country is the way to go. A compelling team event and probably the most exciting long distance race.
Expert here. This is what the track o-show (olympics) should do. Add 3k and cut 5k/10k track. Add a 10k road or xc race to replace. Maybe even make it 8k for more excitement. They could also think of adding some other running related hybrid event, such as obstacle racing, duathlon, multi-event cumulative points race or similar. This would enable more intrugue and cater to the TV audience that puts a premium on avoiding boredom.
Cut the 10000m. Replace it with 10k XC. Then it will mean something. If you add an XC race while still having the 10000m on the track, all the talent will stay on the track and XC will be watered down.
1500m steeplechase. This would attract a ton of viewers because of how dangerous and violent it would be. Clips of people falling, tripping, hitting their head, etc. would go viral on social media. Good for the sport.
That's about it really. Maybe add a 3k to replace the 10k but I don't think it's really necessary. It would just be another race for Jakob to win.
The LA28 schedule includes the Olympic debuts of the 50m backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly for both men and women, and a mixed 4x100m relay on the track.
I'll say it again. I think the standing long jump deserves consideration.
From Wikipedia:
The standing long jump, also known as the standing broad jump, is an athletics event. It was an Olympic event until 1912. Ray Ewry set the first world record for the standing long jump at 3.47 m (11 ft 4+1⁄2 in) on September 3, 1904. The current unofficial record is held by Byron Jones, who recorded a jump of 3.73 m (12 ft 2+3⁄4 in) at the NFL Combine on February 23, 2015.
Today, Norway is the only country where the standing long jump is a national championship event. The Norwegian Championships in Standing Jumps (long jump and high jump) has been held at the Norwegian Indoor Athletics Championships every winter since 1995. The standing long jump is also one of the events at the NFL combine, it was one of the standardized test events as part of the President's Award on Physical Fitness as well as the physical fitness test that officer cadets must complete at the Royal Military College of Canada and the United States Air Force Academy. In the Brazilian police forces, a minimum performance in a standing long jump test is required to join the Federal Police (2.14 m for men 1.66 m for women and the Federal Highway Police (2.00 m for men 1.60 m for women).
It's simple and it's relatable. Kids can do it in their driveways. Imagine your favorite NFL player competing (wouldn't require a lot of extra training for them.) And the NBA players . . .whoa! I suspect it'd be a crowd pleaser.
The 4x 800 would be great to watch. Might also be fun to borrow ideas from other sports. I always like watching the team pursuit races for indoor cycling. Maybe there's a way to do something similar on the track. Or perhaps mimic the winter Olympics and combine cross country running with shooting.