The Modern Olympic Games began under the auspices of the IOC and were hosted in the Panathenaic stadium in Athens in 1896. The Games brought together 14 nations and 241 athletes who competed in 43 events. From that time forward the events have become increasingly more and more judged than measured it seems. Why this has happened may be to make them more entertaining and appealing to all who watch, especially with the advent of television in the 30s (although worldwide broadcasting didn't happen until the 1950s, at the 1956 Australian summer games).
Many of the most popular events are judged. Ice skating, boxing, gymnastics, are all judged events. Some say that it is inappropriate to regard these as actual sports since the winner is determined by judges instead of by some sort of measure (time, distance, weight, etc.). Because of this some wish that these arbitrary events be excluded from the Olympics and only the 'true' sports should be included. One cause of this is that there have always been disputes over the judges decisions, esp. when controversial.
And since it is impossible to prove or disprove a judged result we have no way to reverse it. (as opposed to a measured result that is filmed and recorded).
I don't think it would be wise to remove the judged events from the Olympics for this one reason, and also because many of these events are very popular for spectators. However, I would recommend a system of judging that is clear and logical for the contestants (whatever that may be). Having vague and arbitrary criteria as judging elements only adds to the frustration of all concerned with the events being run in a fair and proper way. And, If there is no way to tell how one competitor performed better or worse verses another then it may be time to toss out the event.
On the other hand, Would it be unimaginable to separate the judged and unjudged events from one another and have them not all encompassing included under the Olympic umbrella? I see no reason why we couldn't have separate Olympics for the two types & maybe showcase them a week or two apart from one another. It is I would suspect apparent to all who watch that they are of different worlds. Why pretend that they aren't? Either the event is judged subjectively or it is not. There is no in-between. I suspect (maybe because I'm a guy) that the guys are more into the measurable type sports whereas the girls are more into the judged sports. I may be wrong there & if so don't kill the messenger. Personally that's how I roll. I'd much rather watch a baseball game or a 100 meter dash than a gymnastics competition or a boxing match (I'm not knocking the later sports-they're great in their own right-but, they are just not my cup of tea, so to speak).. I want a clear winner, not one that is picked by some anonymous judge(s) by arbitrary criteria that they neither have to explain or prove to me as to why the winner was chosen.
Here is one of the latest and loudest protests against subjective judging at the Olympic games:
Many of the most popular events are judged. Ice skating, boxing, gymnastics, are all judged events. Some say that it is inappropriate to regard these as actual sports since the winner is determined by judges instead of by some sort of measure (time, distance, weight, etc.). Because of this some wish that these arbitrary events be excluded from the Olympics and only the 'true' sports should be included. One cause of this is that there have always been disputes over the judges decisions, esp. when controversial.
And since it is impossible to prove or disprove a judged result we have no way to reverse it. (as opposed to a measured result that is filmed and recorded).
I don't think it would be wise to remove the judged events from the Olympics for this one reason, and also because many of these events are very popular for spectators. However, I would recommend a system of judging that is clear and logical for the contestants (whatever that may be). Having vague and arbitrary criteria as judging elements only adds to the frustration of all concerned with the events being run in a fair and proper way. And, If there is no way to tell how one competitor performed better or worse verses another then it may be time to toss out the event.
On the other hand, Would it be unimaginable to separate the judged and unjudged events from one another and have them not all encompassing included under the Olympic umbrella? I see no reason why we couldn't have separate Olympics for the two types & maybe showcase them a week or two apart from one another. It is I would suspect apparent to all who watch that they are of different worlds. Why pretend that they aren't? Either the event is judged subjectively or it is not. There is no in-between. I suspect (maybe because I'm a guy) that the guys are more into the measurable type sports whereas the girls are more into the judged sports. I may be wrong there & if so don't kill the messenger. Personally that's how I roll. I'd much rather watch a baseball game or a 100 meter dash than a gymnastics competition or a boxing match (I'm not knocking the later sports-they're great in their own right-but, they are just not my cup of tea, so to speak).. I want a clear winner, not one that is picked by some anonymous judge(s) by arbitrary criteria that they neither have to explain or prove to me as to why the winner was chosen.
Here is one of the latest and loudest protests against subjective judging at the Olympic games:
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