Olympic petition

[kern97871]

Came across this at my local course. DG at the olympics would be awesome. Check it out, sign it, pass the word...
http://www.petitiononline.com/discgolf/petition.html

 

[T-Bone1]

Bump! lets keep this post at the top so every one here can sign it.

 

[LaForce]

signed. #1434

 

[Jesse B 707]

i'll sign but there needs to be way more Countries into DG before it could be in the olympics

 

[brennan]

I love disc golf, but I honestly don't think it'd fit well nor is it popular enough for the Olympics. Ultimate would fit much better (and I don't even play Ultimate).

 

[rwmurrow]

Is ball golf in the olympics? if it is then DG should be.

 

[LaForce]

Looks like ball golf is pushing AGAIN at a bid for the olympics.

 

[mzuleger]

I signed this a couple weeks ago.

I agree that this won't happen anytime soon... probably never.

 

[Working Stiff]

This is posted on the Disc Golf World News site that hasn't been updated in four months. At any rate, it's the opinion of a guy on the PDGA BoD:

I love the passion of disc golfers, even when desire butts head with reality. There's a very well intentioned petition out there to get disc golf in the Olympics in 2016 at discgolfbuzz.com.

An article by International Surfing Association president Fernando Aguerre provides all kinds of useful, and apparently, well-researched information. For instance, "The biggest obstacles facing new sports hoping to be included in the Olympic Games Program are the strict requirements for inclusion and the length of time the process requires. A new sport should start its campaign at least nine years before a particular Olympic Games, because the final line-up of sports is decided by the IOC seven years before any given Olympic Games." (Emphases are mine.) What this means is that it's too late for disc golf in 2016, where, "the five sports on the 'short list' for inclusion in the 2016 Games are rugby, karate, roller sports, racquetball, and golf. Currently there is only room for two additional sports for those Games. The IOC could also decide not to include any new sport at all for 2016."

Assuming that Mr Aguerre has his facts correct, the earliest disc golf could be included would be in 2020. Mr. Aguerre points out that getting any brand-new sport into the games is quite difficult: "At the end of the day, the process comes down to a vote by all IOC members, some of which are presidents of federations of sports currently in the Games. Hence the vote for inclusion could end up resulting in the exclusion of the sports of the person casting the 'inclusion' vote for a new sport. In other words there is a full potential for a big conflict of interest: What might be great for the health of the IOC and the Games (bringing new, contemporary youth or extreme sports that will result in better ratings and sponsors interest), might be the worst for some currently included sports (such as aging, obsolete, or no longer relevant sports) that will be 'kicked out' of the Games as a consequence."

Like many disc golfers, Mr Aguerre has had his hopes buoyed for surfing's inclusion due to success of X-Games driven sports the last several Olympics. However, he notes, "The inclusion of Snowboard and BMX in the Games was not as complicated as the inclusion of surfing would be, since both sports were considered 'disciplines' of existing sports (snow skiing and cycling respectively), and not 'new sports'. The inclusion of a totally new sport (like surfing), as opposed to a 'new discipline' of a currently included sport, is a much more complicated and involved process. Even if golf were chosen for 2016, it would be hard for disc golf to piggyback on that because there are no organizational nor financial connections to our much wealthier cousin.

Disc golf (and ultimate) were in the World Games in Japan in 2001, which was the result of a decade-old organizational scramble under the aegis of the World Flying Disc Federation that brought WFDF into the General Association of International Sports Federations and other international sporting groups. Unfortunately, disc golf did not make the 2005 games, and only ultimate will represent flying disc sports in 2009. Because disc golf no longer is represented within WFDF, it's unlikely that disc golf will make it back to the World Games, which at one time, was thought of as a way into the Olympics.

I believe there is no precedent for a sport getting into the Olympics via a petition. While i wouldn't rule out the possibility that someday disc golf will make the cut, it's still many years out. However, the good news in keeping the Olympics dream alive is that PDGA Europe is likely to have these new members countries in 2009: Austria, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic. They will be joining existing members: Belgium, Germany, Russia, Denmark, Great Britain, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, and Norway. Countries that are just getting into the game and hopefully will affiliate before too long include Hungary, Israel, Slovakia, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, and Ireland.

I'm fairly certain that a sport has a much greater chance for entry into the big-ticket cavalcade of international sports competition if it's played in many countries. Even if the Olympic thing never works out, being able to play disc golf while traveling the world would be its own reward.

Here is a link to the article he references: http://business.transworld.net/2008/08/21/fernando-aguerre-weighs-in-on-olympic-surfing/

 

[rodman20]

It almost seems like there would be a better pitch to the Xgames. It will gain exposure and give them a different type of "extreme" sport to have on thier lineup (Golf with frisbees RAR). Just seems like DG'rs are closer to the xgames crowd then the olympian crowd. (unless you count micheal phelps haha)

 

[Jesse B 707]

It almost seems like there would be a better pitch to the Xgames. It will gain exposure and give them a different type of "extreme" sport to have on thier lineup (Golf with frisbees RAR). Just seems like DG'rs are closer to the xgames crowd then the olympian crowd. (unless you count micheal phelps haha)

:lol:
thats probly the only way the x games could ever really get bad ratings, could you imagine? you go strait from watching a guy do a double backflip on a motorcycle to watching Climo square up for a drive? im sure all of us on this board would be stoked but we would then hear one big collective CLICK as the rest of the world changed the channel

 

[rodman20]

It almost seems like there would be a better pitch to the Xgames. It will gain exposure and give them a different type of "extreme" sport to have on thier lineup (Golf with frisbees RAR). Just seems like DG'rs are closer to the xgames crowd then the olympian crowd. (unless you count micheal phelps haha)

:lol:
thats probly the only way the x games could ever really get bad ratings, could you imagine? you go strait from watching a guy do a double backflip on a motorcycle to watching Climo square up for a drive? im sure all of us on this board would be stoked but we would then hear one big collective CLICK as the rest of the world changed the channel

yea but if you can get them to watch his drive and they see this guy crush a firsbee that far it would grab them. (hopefully)

 

[stoneman]

thats probly the only way the x games could ever really get bad ratings, could you imagine? you go strait from watching a guy do a double backflip on a motorcycle to watching Climo square up for a drive? im sure all of us on this board would be stoked but we would then hear one big collective CLICK as the rest of the world changed the channel

:lol: Too true. The problem with seeing a great DG shot, is that you don't KNOW it's a thing of beauty, unless you've played the game. A guy huckin' a bike or dirtbike looks cool to almost everyone.

 

[zj10021]

i played casually from high school until about a year ago(4 years). like every couple months or so with a few buddies just to do something 8)

when i saw a group of people that knew how to throw a disc properly i was awe struck. it was fucking majestic. i had to learn how to throw like that and having been pushing myself for the last year. i played every sport growing up. won state titles in basketball in high school, so it was not like i sucked at athletics. Disc Golf is the hardest sport i have ever had to learn. I wish I had started playing when i was younger so that I could develop the skills like i did in basketball, playing all my life. im just rambling now...my point is disc golf takes more mental focus than i have ever spent on any other sport, it deserves to be a sport respected on a worldly level.

 

[Jesse B 707]

i played casually from high school until about a year ago(4 years). like every couple months or so with a few buddies just to do something 8)

when i saw a group of people that knew how to throw a disc properly i was awe struck. it was fucking majestic. i had to learn how to throw like that and having been pushing myself for the last year. i played every sport growing up. won state titles in basketball in high school, so it was not like i sucked at athletics. Disc Golf is the hardest sport i have ever had to learn. I wish I had started playing when i was younger so that I could develop the skills like i did in basketball, playing all my life. im just rambling now...my point is disc golf takes more mental focus than i have ever spent on any other sport, it deserves to be a sport respected on a worldly level.

i wholeheartedly ( is that really one word?) agree. but think about how f-ing boring BG is to your average person, I just dont think golf (as a whole) is exciting as a spectator sport unless you play yourself, i dont think it matters what you are throwing or hitting........ unless we somehow make sexy girls an integral part of the game and maybe ride dirtbikes off jumps in between holes

 

[JohnnyB]

I'd be willing to accept sexy wimens and midget caddy's...
All for the good of the sport of course.

 

[JR]

Disc golf may not be an Olympic sport and there have been many threads in many places discussing that possibility. Waiting for that here is one confirmed Olympic athlete that plays disc golf.

Carrying the Finnish flag at 2014 winter Olympic games at Sochi is Ms Enni Rukajärvi. She opened Ruka disc golf courses first competition by throwing a disc and hole number four is dedicated for her with a name plague. She plays disc golf otherwise as well.

 

[inthedrift]

Wow JR, super necrobump.

What event is she participating in at the games?

 

[JR]

Slopestyle final today. She has suffered from injuries and judges were odd/off with men so who knows how the chips fall. Hope the ladies don't because the Finnish team is busted. Broken bones etc. The jumps are biiiiig down there.

I did not want to start a new thread and i knew this discussion existed. I have haunted this site for a while.

 

[JR]

Enni took silver despite having hurt hurt knee again in morning practice. She had hurt her knee in X Games earlier and was not 100 % to begin with. Mad props!