<p>yeah, believe it or not, ping pong is indeed an Olympic sport; I can understand the skepticism.</p>
<p>Call me hard core, but I firmly believe that breaking a sweat should be a requirement for an Olympic sport. lol</p>
<p>Sorry, I can't find it. Which list it is on?</p>
<p>Diving -- unless you count the climb up the ladder -- doesn't involve much sweating. Table tennis, however, is a pretty wild game when played at that level (or with shot glasses in the corners, for that matter).</p>
<p>The problem I had with table tennis in the Olympics had to do with the fact that tennis (as in "the original tennis...not the table-sized knockoff") wasn't an Olympic event. It was like holding the biathlon with water pistols and not having the real deal. Or having a tobaggon, but not a bobsled. Or awarding medals for playing that game where you flick the triangular paper object through your opponents' index-finger goal...but not having real American football as a medal event.</p>
<p>Diving does not involve sweating, but the amount of physical strength, agility, speed, coordination, and bravery it requires does require divers to work out strenuously.</p>
<p>Same could be said of the guy who follows the circus elephants with the big shovel...</p>
<p>um, true...but I think sanity should be allowed to play a role here, D'yer. ;)
Btw, would anyone like to explain how the award system works for softball? I don't really get it...</p>
<p>GO SABRE</p>
<p>D'yer you have been away for too long.</p>
<p>I love watching fencing (foil more than sabre, oddly), but I disagree about ping-pong. Ping-pong is actually a very serious sport that requires lots of energy, innate skill, plenty of practice and quick eyes. It may just seem like the players are simply jumping around a table, but the serving of the ball requires lots of skill--skilled players usually "twist" the ball so that it does not follow the path it is supposed to. Doing this requires not only technique but tons of practice. The ball is also notoriously hard to follow when watching/playing because of its size. I truly believe that it deserves to be an Olympic sport.</p>
<p>I do agree that tennis should have been an Olympic sport before table tennis though. But there is tennis in the Olympics now (and I'm going to the stadium to watch!). </p>
<p>I can't wait for the Olympics to start! (Even though my parents will be watching the opening ceremony in the stadium (!) and leaving me at home to stare at our TV. )</p>
<p>D'yer, you may have a point about bravery and the elephant poo scooper.</p>
<p>Regarding Tennis and Table Tennis, both sports started official Olympic play at the same time in 1988 Olympics. Tennis was an Olympic sport in the 1920s but fell out because of pro/am issues.</p>
<p>To my way of looking at things, beyond the outer edge of real Olympic sports, the former olympic sport of Tug-of-War is more a sport than Ping Pong (aka Flim-Flam). Gets worse, can you believe Bridge is a "recognized sport" by the IOC? Discuss.</p>
<p>I think you guys are displaying some pretty serious cultural bias here. Table tennis and badminton are played at extremely competitive levels in Asia (home to 60% of the world's population). They also help to level the playing field, so to speak, for participation at the beginning levels. Not everyone has access to the kind of resources of space and equipment needed, for say, American football, baseball or luge. I'd love to see lacrosse go more international...</p>
<p>If you've every watched the olympics, you've had to have seen the fluff pieces they do on the rigorous training for ping pong. Kiddies moved away from home in kindergarten for a lifetime of training. (Other sports, as well, but they usually include ping pong).</p>
<p>
[quote]
Gets worse, can you believe Bridge is a "recognized sport" by the IOC? Discuss.
[/quote]
Well, Poker is a sport if you watch ESPN (Every Sunday is Poker Night) regularly.</p>
<p>Actually, I enjoy playing bridge (I took it up in college), but yes it is not a sport. It is a game, just like Poker.</p>
<p>If you can drink beer and smoke cigarettes at the same time, it's not a sport.</p>
<p>Then Tiger Woods is not an athlete!?!</p>
<p>At the risk of being flamed....no. He's a very skilled player, but I wouldn't consider excellent golfers to be athletes. What's athletic about it? Strength? Endurance? Speed? Agility? </p>
<p>It's a great game, one that requires a great deal of concentration and skill to be very good at, but one needs hardly be a great athlete to be a champion.</p>
<p>I don't necessarily disagree with you. In the case of golf, Woods may be the exception however.</p>
<p>Race car drivers?</p>
<p>Jockeys?</p>
<p>Sport:
1. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
2. A particular form of this activity.
An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
Just felt like putting a little more amo in the discussion. Continue, please.</p>
<p>So, like, ballet?</p>
<p>baton twirling? singing?</p>