Swimming treated unfairly compared to Track & Field
Former Member
We have had this discussion before, but I've been watching US Trials in Track and getting indignant all over again over 3 competitors qualifying for Olys in Track compared to Swimming. Yes, I know the history of the limitation to 2 in Swimming, but the world has changed and there are certainly other countries that could send 3 world class competitors...anyway, compared to Track, we as a sport, are getting jobbed!
But the political side. Yuck. When it comes to the actual competition, I think it is pretty apolitical. And I really like it the way it is.
I think the point was that in the Olympics we artificially layer national (political) boundaries onto the competitive aspects of sport. If the eight best 100m sprinters in the world are Jamaican, why shouldn't they all get to compete? I realize that is not going to change, but I can certainly see the logic in eliminating the artificial national boundaries from the qualification process.
But the political side. Yuck. When it comes to the actual competition, I think it is pretty apolitical. And I really like it the way it is.
I think the point was that in the Olympics we artificially layer national (political) boundaries onto the competitive aspects of sport. If the eight best 100m sprinters in the world are Jamaican, why shouldn't they all get to compete? I realize that is not going to change, but I can certainly see the logic in eliminating the artificial national boundaries from the qualification process.
