No More Olympic Dressage?

Question

Is it true they will no longer have Dressage as an Olympic sport?Someone told me it was on the news the other day.

I heard there were other sports taken out too.

What were they?

Answer 1

You know, I tried to watch the Equestrian Events on TV and never managed to run across any of them.  I ended up watching highlights online later.  I can't imagine they would get rid of just Dressage though... that definitely wouldn't make sense if they're going to continue eventing.  And I agree with you, if ping pong and badminton are sports, pretty much anything is a sport.

Answer 2

I didn't hear that, and I hope it isn't true.

I was only able to watch it on Oxygen, and even then they would cut parts of it off.  They'd return from a commercial and the next rider would already be halfway done, argh.

You're absolutely right though, it's kind of nuts that table tennis and race walking are on the major channels and dressage is only on one weird little offshoot channel.

Race walking, by the way, are nothing more than a bunch of people, walking really fast.  I nearly died laughing when I saw it, because I just couldn't believe that was all it was.

Answer 3

i didnt hear that. but i assure you there will be alot less viewers. sorry not everyone is a swimmer like "michael phelps" (nothing against him) it bothers me how they focus more on one sport then another. i think all sports deserve the same air time on TV.

if its true, thats a shame.

but if they have eventing, they have to have dressage.

xc+stadium jumping+dressage= eventing

Answer 4

I didn't here that, but if they take it out, someone might be ax murdered...I think it's a bit (a bit?) silly to take dressage out.  I love dressage, and I love watching it.  They would ruin a lot of dreams and horse careers if they took it out.  Not to mention how many people would say it's not a sport anymore.  If they take dressage out, they are going to take eventing out too.  They better watch themselves, because the horse world is going to get extremely upset if they do.  They need to explain themselves, what is the reason they might take dressage off.  If it's because no one watched it, it's because it WAS BARELY ON TV!!!  I had to watch it on the Internet two days after it happened, and they didn't show the whole thing, they showed all the show jumping though.  If they made it possible to watch it, maybe we wouldn't have this problem...

Answer 5

I don't have TV so I haven't actually seen any of it - I do usually get to watch some as I have a friend who happily records horsey stuff and hands it on to me.

I think there is way too much emphasis on certain sports and that there always has been. Dressage, of course, is considered a "boring" spectator sport for people who can't actually understand what it is that they are watching ( my husband thought it was boring till we forcibly showed him Andreas Helgstraand )

But come on - how boring is most of it ?

dropping dressage would be a crime in my opinion, especially when they keep bringing stupid stuff into it, like, as you say, ping pong and badminton - what will they put in place of it - Olympic Tiddlywinks ?

Answer 6

I haven't heard that either..and I hope not...but as others have said, Oxygen had the previous days highlights every night as well as being able to watch the entire events online..at 7 am in the morning but then later "re-wound" and in its entirety.  It was great to watch..the only time I've been able to catch the whole thing.

Now, one part of the Equestrian venue that needs to be looked at in my opinion is the Modern Pentathlon..where there is shooting, swimming, and other sports in addition to these non-horse people picking random horses and show jumping a course of 15 fences..and I'm not talking cross rails...it was disgusting..these people were pulling horses mouths, left behind at the jumps, refusals, riders falling and getting stepped on...unreal.  Being that these participants had 4 years to train, I would have expected better horsemanship.  It was borderline cruelty...

One horse after refusing a wall then stepping over it..put his hoof through the wall managed to get it out and was then limping..and they allowed the rider to get back up and complete the course with the horse lame.. There were others similar to this scenario....I'll stop here as it gets me upset just thinking of it....

I'll see if I can find the link and re-post for all to see!!

*****EDIT*****

Here is the link...you can also watch the videos to get the true exhilariting feeling of this competition!!

http://www.nbcolympics.com/modernpentath...

Answer 7

I actually watched a lot of it on Oxygen. It wasn't live, but they had full coverage of most of the events later on in the same day. I watched most of Stadium Jumping, as well as the Dressage finals. Unfortunately I didn't realize it was on Oxygen until eventing was already over :(

No I didn't hear anything about Dressage being canceled, but I will definitely be writing a few letters if that's true!!

Answer 8

I really hope they don't! I love the whole equestrian thing. It's the only thing I do watch. I'm not big into swimming or gymnastics like everybody else.  

Answer 9

No that isn't true. The olympic Committee is going to be discussing the matter as therre are too many sports in the Olympics and all will be reviewed. If any equestrain sport is going to be removed it's going to be showjumping because of the controversy about doping in recent years.

Personally though I think they'll be removing soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis etc which all have major proffesional outlets and mutil-millions invested. Sports lik ping pong and Badminton have every right to be there because the only major outlet for them is the Olympics.