US medal count is bloated by swimming. Too many swimming events?

Question

Let's face it... there are too many swimming medals given out. You race from start to finish. Why have five different methods from the same distance? Give Phelps a chance to win $200,000.

If swimming is out of the Olympics, Zimbabwe is ahead of the US. LOL

Answer 1

If the swimming events were eliminated, the Australians would not have ANY medals this year.  And they are my favorite nation team outside the US.  Their athletes are very humble.  

Answer 2

envy and jealousy are here again. does Zimbabwe have a swimming pool?

Answer 3

Ah, playing the 'if' game.  

Please add a link to your rant about too many swimming medals that you posted BEFORE the Olympics started.

Answer 4

Congrats to Phelps for such an achievement but greatest olympian of all time??? I beg to differ. Phelps may be the greatest swimmer of all time but i think its grossly unfair that one sport can offer so many medals while performing each distance of a race in four different styles. Even more so, its a wealthy sport because most poor nations cannot afford those kind of pools to train in. Track and field has a lot of events too but at least there is no country on the planet where you cannot train to run.  A race should be a race. get there as fast as you can. Swim whatever way you want or can. The way it is now, I just don't have the same respect for the swimming medals that i have for other sporting events. It has taken the gold medalist in tennis the same amount of time to win one medal that it has taken phelps to win eight. Again, he is a great swimmer but show me an athlete who wins gold in several different disciplines and we can maybe call him the greatest olympian.

Answer 5

Could the same not be said for the running events?

Answer 6

Each swimming event is different just as each track & field event is different.  Just because there are a lot of them doesn't mean that they should be eliminated.

This argument could be used for a lot of events.  Gymnastics competitors could win three golds with the same routine.  Team, individual, and all around.  Fencing, archery, shooting and rowing all basically are the same at each event.

What about boxing, judo, weight lifting and wrestling?  If they are the best in the world, why should there be weight classes?  Maybe there should just be one gold.  

Where does it end?  The swimming medals are deserved.  Too bad if you don't like the swimming events.

Answer 7

I personally like the swimming events  -  

What surprised me was that .....TRAMPOLINE is an Olympic event?