Maria Pearson’s Post

In Janelle Wells, Ph.D. class, we discussed the Olympic landscape and also some of the new sports we have seen in it. There has been a lot of discussion whether or not the sport of pickleball should be included in this global competition. Currently, it is not planned to join the games, but we may see this change in the near future. By looking at the top ten list of growing sports in the world, you can clearly see why surfing and skateboarding were recently added to the games.    1. Pickleball: 171.1%    2. Alpine touring: 115%    3. Winter fat biking: 69.4%    4. Off-course golf: 67.5%    5. Snowboard touring: 59.1%    6. Skateboarding: 38.8%    7. Trail running: 32.4%    8. Tennis: 32.3%    9. Surfing: 28.5%    10. Recreational kayaking: 23.1% However, the top growing sport is not an Olympic sport. I believe that in the next few years, we will see this be announced as a sport in the games. It would help provide increased viewership to the games while also continue to grow the sport of pickleball worldwide. #GlobalWells

The Olympic program has come a long way since its inception in 1896. Croquet and tug-of-war were once Olympic sports, with croquet making its only appearance in 1900 and tug-of-war returning five more times until 1920. As the world changes, so does the Olympic program. This year, two sports make their Olympic debuts, while several others are making a comeback. Host countries can now nominate one-off events that "enhance the popularity of the Games," ensuring that the program remains fresh and exciting. Celebrate the diversity and evolution of the Olympic program, and keep cheering on your favorite athletes as they strive to be faster, higher, stronger, and yes, even floatier.🏅🌊 #olympics #newsport #oldsport #staypositive #happylaw

What sports should be in the Olympics?

The Olympic medal count system can be seen as #insane and #unfair due to several reasons. Firstly, it doesn't account for the varying levels of difficulty and competitiveness across different sports. For instance, #swimming and #gymnastics have numerous events, offering more medal opportunities, while sports like #rugby and #baseball have very few. This disparity can unfairly skew the medal tally in favor of countries excelling in sports with multiple events. Additionally, sports like #athletics and #football, with higher global participation, often see stiffer competition, making medals harder to come by compared to niche sports like #equestrian. The system also fails to recognize the individual brilliance required in sports with fewer events, like marathon running. Furthermore, team sports like basketball contribute only a single medal despite the collective effort involved. The medal count also overlooks the different investment levels and resources available to athletes from various countries. This system can therefore misrepresent a country's overall athletic capability and investment in sports development. #Olympics #MedalCount #FairPlay #AthleteDiversity #SportsEquality #CompetitionLevels #GlobalParticipation #TeamSports #AthleticInvestment #OlympicChallenges

## Zola Budd vs. Mary Decker: The 1984 Olympic Clash That Shook LA! 🏃♀️💥 Yo, listen up! The 1984 Summer Olympics in LA had everyone buzzing about the 3000-metre showdown between South Africa’s Zola Budd, running for Great Britain, and the American champ Mary Decker. Expectations were sky-high, but man, did it crash and burn. Here’s the lowdown: ### 💥 Collision Course The hype was off the charts, but the race turned into a train wreck. Budd and Decker kept bumping into each other, and it all went south when they collided, sending Decker crashing to the ground. Talk about a total disaster. Decker had to be carried off, and Budd, running barefoot like a boss, limped home to a lackluster 7th place. ### 🗣️ Media Frenzy The media went bananas, and the blame game kicked off. Budd got hit hard with criticism, but an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) probe later cleared her name, saying the collision wasn’t on her. Still, Decker’s got her own take, blaming her own rookie mistakes in pack running. ### 🤔 Legacy of the Clash This epic face-off didn’t live up to the hype, leaving a bitter taste. Budd’s barefoot gamble didn’t pay off, and Decker’s Olympic dreams took a nosedive. Both runners got slammed, but the real story is how a single race can become a legend for all the wrong reasons. So, there it is—the 1984 Olympics had a major plot twist no one saw coming. #ZolaBudd #MaryDecker #OlympicClash #LA1984 #RaceDrama #BarefootBudd #DeckerDown #CollisionCourse #MediaMadness #IAAFInvestigation #RunningRivalry

🏅 🏆 With the Paris 2024 #Olympics drawing closer, YouGov has analyzed data from Global Fan Profiles to see which sports viewers are most likely to follow once the games begin. In the US, swimming is most popular, with 23% of Americans saying that they watch or follow the sport. 👉 Discover which other #Summer Olympics #sports #Americans are likely to watch: https://lnkd.in/e2fgH3hA 

When it comes to commitments in sports, should offers once made and accepted be rescinded? The recent development in the International Olympic Committee – IOC #Singapore Swimming Team raises some thought-provoking questions. Should the original team members who qualified for the Olympics be kept, or should one be replaced by a non-original member with an Olympic invitation? How do factors like past Olympic participation or career stage impact such decisions? Encouraging youth to dedicate themselves to sports and excel on a global stage is tough. The case of Quah Ting Wen highlights the challenges athletes face. What are your thoughts on this dilemma? How can we best support and uphold commitments to athletes striving for excellence? Whatever your response, it’s heartbreaking for Ting Wen Quah. The following quote from her probably says it best: “I will say the same thing that I said three years ago: I do not want this to ever have to affect anyone again,” CNA SPH Media The Straits Times #swimming #singapore #olympics #paris Link to the full article: [Read more](https://lnkd.in/gHNPnSbj)

Sometimes a simple solution, make all the difference

I became sad after winning my first state championship... It was the year 1999. After a few years in competitive table tennis and a few more training casually, I had finally cracked the top 2 in the state rankings. In one of the most important tournaments on the calendar (double points), I breezed through all the initial rounds with relative ease. I was now up against a formidable adversary in the final. I had had close matches with him in the past and had never won against him. He had been a better player than me. However, I was closing the gap on him by training hard all year round, improving my technique and physical fitness with the help of a professional coach. I had nothing to lose, so I was going to play without fear. And that's what I did. When you are the underdog and you play without fear, amazing things happen. What I thought was going to be a potential tough loss, ended up being a straight sets win for me. My first win in a state championship in the Cadet's under-12 category. I was elated after winning the championship point after years of rigorous toil on the competitive circuit. But just as I shook the hand of my opponent, I got a rude shock. The dad of my rival told me that he was unwell and had ran up a fever, hence he lost. I was shook. What was meant to be a happy and joyous moment for me turned out to be quite sad. I immediately questioned if I was good enough to deserve the win since I've always been unsure of myself. I didn't celebrate the win and just thought of it as a rite of passage. Years later as I followed the career of my rival-turned-friend, I realised he was quite ordinary as he barely ever improved on any of his previous performances. In essence, I'd have won regardless of whether my rival/friend had a fever on the day of the final. What I learned through this experience quite early on in my life is: 1. People will take credit away from you, but don't let it take away your joy. 2. Let time take its course - it was what would happen anyway. 3. Control the controllables: put in the work! P.S: Photo from another championship with another rival-turned-friend. #stories #sport #growth #tabletennis

So, very memorable Olympics 2024 are over. A lot has been said re Germanys result in the medal table. But little about the dominance of the US or China. Or in which disciplines other countries that are ahead of Germany in the medal table have won their medals. A look at data helps: ·       A total of 329 gold medals was awarded. Of these, 212 / 65% are awarded in the top 11 competitions, whereby each of these competitions had 10 medals or more. Athletics led the way with 48 medals, followed by swimming with 35. So any nation that is particularly good in these disciplines has a good chance of being at the top of the medal table. ·       The 𝐔𝐒won 25 of its 40 gold medals in its top 3 disciplines: 14 in athletics, 8 in swimming and 3 in gymnastics. Plus, of course, the obligatory 2 golds in basketball. ·       For 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚, on the other hand, the picture is different: China dominates in some of the "smaller" sports: China has won all (!) gold medals in diving (8), table tennis (5) and artistic swimming (2) as well as 50% of the medals in weightlifting (5) and 33% (5) in shooting. ·       𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 also have their showpiece disciplines: South Korea has won all 5 medals in archery, the Netherlands both medals in field hockey, Germany 4 gold medals (67%) in equestrian, Uzbekistan 5 medals (38%) in boxing and Japan has won 8 times in wrestling (44%). 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐭? 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟: ·       Focus on a smaller number of tentpole disciplines rather than supporting a broad range of different sports? ·       The current allocation of medals is asymmetric: public sports like football or tennis only give very little medals vs sports perceived as "niche" have 15 medals or more (18 in wrestling and 15 in shooting) ·       Competitions where individuals provide many more medals vs. team sport events like soccer, basketball, volleyball, hockey etc. Are team events underrepresented in the medal table? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞? #beautyofdata #data #visualization #olympics #goldmedals #goldmedaille