IOC in Talks, Pondering to Remove 10k/200m from Olympics

The best thing that could happen to track is if the IOC cancelled all track events. Athletics was throttled by the olympics just like most sports it dominates. Nobody pays any attention to it in off years so it is dead, dead, dead. Have a WC every year and no olympics and it will recover.

I can't believe this. I can only hope that the IOC can realize their potential mistake before they make it. Come on. One of my biggest goals in my life has been to run in the Olympic 10k and now...I think it is a huge equalizer especially now between the 5k speed types and the marathoners. And the 200...a popular sprint event that has seen a recent world record, being replaced by surfing. Lame.

Given how big of a deal the 200m and 10,000m were at the last Olympics, I'm doubtful they'll be removed. The 200m is ALWAYS an exciting event. Most people do not care about the 10,000m, but I still feel it's an important event worth keeping, even if it's often just a longer version of the 5000m (same people often medal in both). Adding surfing seems kind of silly to me...

It's crazy to think that events which have had historic performances in the past (10k, 200, shot) are on the chopping block. And I am not sure what the reasoning is behind eliminating them.

That being said ... I'd axe the 200, 10k, TJ, and race walk before touching the shot put. The others are variations of other events. (Sprint, middle distance, long jump, and walking.) The previous poster was spot on when he said that these events require hardly any additional training.for a sprinter or a runner. (Or jumper/walker to a similar extent.) Seriously, if you've ever sat through heats of the 200 at Penn Relays or waited until midnight to watch or run a 10k, you might see what I'm getting at. "Awesome. People who couldn't run the 100 or the 5k." There's plenty of options for long races on the roads ... they're called marathons, and to the elite, they're more important than the Olympics.

On the other hand, the shot put is an event in itself. If there's any equipment-based competition more basic than throwing a rock as far as you can, I don't know what it is. It is ALSO and most importantly the only Olympic throwing event that can be done inside somewhat safely. If anything, I'd cut the hammer (shot put on a string? With a movement that necessarily mimics the turns of discus.) (I wouldn't miss the weight throw, either, but it's not Olympic.)

But I digress. The real point is that the decision should not be based on which events are the most popular. Shoot, if you added a 150m people would watch Usain Bolt or "the next Usain Bolt" run it. The decision should be based on giving young athletes around the world a variety of athletic events.to aspire to be great at. GIVEN THAT such a decision has to be made, which of course sucks.

The 10k is ONLY exciting the final mile or so. The first 5.25 miles are pointless and boring.

no events removed! wrote:

If Coe has a problem removing the triple jump, what does he say about the 10k? The 10k is legendary and shouldn't be removed. Even my wife, a non-runner thought the 10k at 2012 London was THE #1 most exciting event for the WHOLE olympics!! What is wrong with the IOC? Just merge with the X games already if that's what you want.

Dear IOC,

Keep both events. They are classic, wonderful contests, riveting to this fan.

The 200 is sacred - not to worry.

Making the 10k a road race would put it in the most common competitive format They should do that and also add cross country and half-marathon to the mix. Both the 10K and cross country should be competed as individual and as team sports. These changes would be enormously popular with spectators, especially if the courses were heavily instrumented so that the ebb and flow of the races could be made immediately available.

Rund al'Thor wrote:

Seriously, if you've ever sat through heats of the 200 at Penn Relays or waited until midnight to watch or run a 10k, you might see what I'm getting at.

The Penn Relays doesn't contest the open 200 meter dash. What meet at Franklin Field have you been attending bro?

alanson wrote:

The 200 is sacred - not to worry.

Making the 10k a road race would put it in the most common competitive format They should do that and also add cross country and half-marathon to the mix. Both the 10K and cross country should be competed as individual and as team sports. These changes would be enormously popular with spectators, especially if the courses were heavily instrumented so that the ebb and flow of the races could be made immediately available.

but the whole reason for the cuts is to shrink the olympic village and keep under the 10,500 athlete cap. No way in heck are they adding new events to athletics without making cuts elsewhere.

Regardless of what they remove, they should not add events that require judgement as the sole means of determining a winnner.

At least worh T&F, the winner is who crossest the finish first, who throws the furthest, jumps the highest.

Oh please wrote:

Regardless of what they remove, they should not add events that require judgement as the sole means of determining a winnner.

At least worh T&F, the winner is who crossest the finish first, who throws the furthest, jumps the highest.

freaking citius altius fortius man!

pewow wrote:

The issue isn't too many events, the issue for the IOC is that they won't put up more than 10,000 athletes or whatever the number is in the olympic village.

Don't cut events, just raise the qualifying standards so there are less athletes competing. We get to watch all the events and with better competitors, the IOC stays under their quota. Win for everyone except the athletes who don't qualify.

I can't believe you are the only one that says this so far.

I would leave the B standard alone so the same number of nations could run it, but lower the A standard. And a country can only send 1 B qualifier per gender in the whole thing, but you can send up to 3 A athletes per event. The other win you don't mention is reducing the number of heats.

Positive Contribution - You're right. I was thinking of the hour-plus of high school 4x100 relays that we sat through at Penn Relays. I'll substitute "Anyone who's ever watched the seemingly interminable College Women's 200 meter races, run from fast to slow, at any BU indoor meet" to make the same point: The 200 is not terribly interesting.

Technically right: The best kind of right.

literally my favorite 2 track events

If anything at least remove racewalking.

Maybe they should do something along the lines of what fencing does with Olympics where they rotate events.

One rotation group would be the 200/400/400IH where 2 of 3 would be ran at each Olympics

Another one could be the Shot/Discus/Hammer where 2 of the 3 would be at each Olympics

The 10k should move to a road race (or a cross country race) and maybe alternate it the Half Marathon which would be new.

Possibly also alternate the LJ and TJ

Cutting these races from the games would be a travesty. The 10,000-meters is competed in major track meets around the world. How could it not be in the Games? As for the 200-Meters: I was always under the impression that this was the distance of the original running event. One Furlong. Call me a purist if you want to, but when I hear talk about omitting the old Olympic events like wrestling (although I'm not a particular fan of wrestling), it sticks in my craw.

Axing the 200 and 10k is a bad idea.

They've had some of the most iconic performances in my lifetime and even before my lifetime.

Scrap all the walks before you scrap the 10k. Don't try and be "fair" and take out a few field events, a few sprints and a few distance events. Take out stuff no one cares about. Now one could try and argue no one cares about the 10k, but since it is really only run at the Worlds/Olympics on the track I think it has more iconic performances.

10k:

1) Billy Millys 1964. Think how many people have seen that tape.

2) Tergat and Gebrselassie -2000. One of the greatest races ever in the sport.

3) Mo Farah and Haile Gebrselassie as legends. Without the 10k I don't think either guy is considered a true legend. Geb would have 0 Olympic golds. Farah wouldn't have pulled the double.

200

1) Michael Johnson 19.32. I was there and thought the clock malfunctioned.

2) Usain Bolt 2008 and 2012. He broke both WR in 2008. If he only broke 1 it wouldn't be as impressive.

wejo wrote:

3) Mo Farah and Haile Gebrselassie as legends. Without the 10k I don't think either guy is considered a true legend. Geb would have 0 Olympic golds. Farah wouldn't have pulled the double.

Farah is not a legend nor is he anywhere close to Geb.