Darts in the Olympics

MrCreosote

They're talking about 2020 as a demonstration sport

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jan/02/sir-clive-woodward-darts-olympics

Exciting news. It'd be great to see it there!

finbarrk

Yeah, it would be great. Although there would be plenty of knockers. 2020 is down to Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul now.

Pherekydes

Yeah, let's get rid of proper sports and have darts, snooker and golf.

Maybe this guy could carry the flag (for a while):

juan.kerr

What's next in line, Subbuteo?

MrCreosote

Yawn. Haters gonna hate.

Darts is skilful, tactical and exciting. It's on sky sports too, i.e. a real sport.

Shooting and archery are in the Olympics, and you don't hear anyone complaining about them. The best thing is an Olympic competition might go some way to uniting the different dart organisations.

juan.kerr

MrCreosote wrote: »

Yawn. Haters gonna hate.

Darts is skilful, tactical and exciting.

Who's the hater? Subbuteo is all of the above...and so much more.

Silvio.Dante

I'd love to see Darts myself. It takes a huge amount of dedication and skill to perform at the highest level, not to mention bottle...:)

messinkiapina

I love darts so I'd love to see it at the olympics, but if I'm honest it probably doesn't really belong there.

Pilsbury Doughboy

I entered the Olympics for sun bathing but all I got was a Bronze.

Bertser

Hate how people complain about Darts not being a sport when in 2016 there will be Golf, Archery, Shooting and that bloody Dressage. I'm all for it.

repsol

It would be an opportunity for the World Darts Champion to play against Scott Waites.

RICHIE26188

Although is a global sport the majority of players are British, cant see it being made an Olympic sport due to the bias

RandolphEsq

The Olympics is about track and field, gymnastics and swimming too at a push. Everything else is irrelevant and not worth watching.

Neil3030

I've nothing against Darts as a sport, I just can't see how it could work as an Olympic event.

In the current PDC order of Merit top 16, 12 are British, with 2 Dutch and 2 Aussies.

Expanding the search out to the top 32, you only take in a further 2 nationalities, a Belgian and a Canadian, probably 3, assuming Brendan Dolan declares for Ireland.

The top 48 only has one more nationality, a Swede.

Outside the top 50, you're talking about the minnows, lads who might make 20k per year in prize money.

6 or 7 countries is hardly enough.

paddymayoman

They should push for chessto be an Olympic sport, some might see it as skillful tactical and exciting as mentioned previously in this thread.

MrCreosote

Neil3030 wrote: »

6 or 7 countries is hardly enough.

Didn't stop them bringing in Rugby 7s for Rio

paddymayoman wrote: »

They should push for chessto be an Olympic sport, some might see it as skillful tactical and exciting as mentioned previously in this thread.

I don't think it would meet the strict classification of sport though- like motorsports it's a game rather than a sport. You need some element of human power to make it a sport (Shooting and equestrian are dubious as well)

RICHIE26188

The alcahiol factor I think has a lot to do with it as well, sterotypes like that will not endear the sport to the IOC

KevIRL

Neil3030 wrote: »

I've nothing against Darts as a sport, I just can't see how it could work as an Olympic event.

In the current PDC order of Merit top 16, 12 are British, with 2 Dutch and 2 Aussies.

Expanding the search out to the top 32, you only take in a further 2 nationalities, a Belgian and a Canadian, probably 3, assuming Brendan Dolan declares for Ireland.

The top 48 only has one more nationality, a Swede.

Outside the top 50, you're talking about the minnows, lads who might make 20k per year in prize money.

6 or 7 countries is hardly enough.

Not overly pushed about darts as an Olympic sport myself, even though I'm a fan of it. However its unfair to say that as a result of it not being a worldwide game it shouldnt get in. How many top distance runners are outside of Africa? Fact is only a certain number of competitors from any given country would be able to compete

Also at the recent darts World Cup (last weekend), which contained all the top PDA players a lot of the minnow nations caused upsets. While England did eventually win (only after some very close shaves) the QF line up was England, Wales, Croatia, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Germany and Japan - The likes of Holland, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland all getting knocked out before the last 8.

Morgans

One of the best sports articles I've read anywhere this year.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/larry-ryan/the-game-of-choice-in-hell-218676.html

enfant terrible

Morgans wrote: »

One of the best sports articles I've read anywhere this year.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/larry-ryan/the-game-of-choice-in-hell-218676.html

I know he was talking in jest, but I agree with a lot of what he said about the incredible concentration displayed by darts players.

Morgans

enfant terrible wrote: »

I know he was talking in jest, but I agree with a lot of what he said about the incredible concentration displayed by darts players.

Yeah, it was said lightly but I think the respect for Darts players was clear. He is being tongue in cheek in saying Darts is too good for the olympics but there is a lovely nugget of truth in the joke.

salmocab

Sure the olympics is a joke these days I reckon only sports that winning an olympic gold is the pinnacle of that sport should be allowed in. The football is pathetic and the introduction of rugby 7s and golf is laughable. Maybe there is a place for darts but not too sure it would be much of a tournament it would be either stacked for England to walk a gold if the top players are seeded in or of a poor sub pdo standard if they allow countries 1 or 2 competitors