No darts in the Olympics? Class bias?

E

equaliser

Well-known member
i've always wondered why, when you've got things like shooting that are hardly any more 'athletic', mass participation sports such as darts and snooker, which produce incredible levels of skill at the top level, aren't included in the Olympics. In the old days people used to reply that having the likes of Jocky Wilson and Leighton Rees on an Olympic podium would 'send out the wrong message', but with today's slimmed-down darts pros, even that (highly dubious) justification no longer holds water.

What it seems to boil down to ultimately is good old-fashioned snobbery:

Working-class sports, that traditionally take place in pubs and clubs: NO.
Sports such as fencing and clay pigeon shooting and modern pentathlon that only a handful of upper class people participate in: YES.
 
equaliser said:
i've always wondered why, when you've got things like shooting that are hardly any more 'athletic', mass participation sports such as darts and snooker, which produce incredible levels of skill at the top level, aren't included in the Olympics. In the old days people used to reply that having the likes of Jocky Wilson and Leighton Rees on an Olympic podium would 'send out the wrong message', but with today's slimmed-down darts pros, even that (highly dubious) justification no longer holds water.

What it seems to boil down to ultimately is good old-fashioned snobbery:

Working-class sports, that traditionally take place in pubs and clubs: NO.
Sports such as fencing and clay pigeon shooting and modern pentathlon that only a handful of upper class people participate in: YES.
Click to expand...
I think its more that darts isn't all that global, its a British pub game that has got fairly big in one or two other countries.
 
equaliser said:
i've always wondered why, when you've got things like shooting that are hardly any more 'athletic', mass participation sports such as darts and snooker, which produce incredible levels of skill at the top level, aren't included in the Olympics. In the old days people used to reply that having the likes of Jocky Wilson and Leighton Rees on an Olympic podium would 'send out the wrong message', but with today's slimmed-down darts pros, even that (highly dubious) justification no longer holds water.

What it seems to boil down to ultimately is good old-fashioned snobbery:

Working-class sports, that traditionally take place in pubs and clubs: NO.
Sports such as fencing and clay pigeon shooting and modern pentathlon that only a handful of upper class people participate in: YES.
Click to expand...
There's no shove ha'penny or ferret racing either, which shows an obvious class bias for me.
 
I think it deserves a place above "sports" that are decided by judges - gymnastics, diving, ice dancing etc. At least you know who's won in darts. It is pretty niche, but that's never stopped other stuff being introduced at the behest of a TV company or a country as I believe synchronised swimming was.
 
atomicloonybin aka ALB said:
I think it deserves a place above "sports" that are decided by judges - gymnastics, diving, ice dancing etc. At least you know who's won in darts. It is pretty niche, but that's never stopped other stuff being introduced at the behest of a TV company or a country as I believe synchronised swimming was.
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Its not a great look though is it?

"Kids, don't bother eating well and learning how to stay in shape like those daft gymnasts do, learn how to throw a sharp object at a board while a group of p1ssed up British lads sing along to Chase the Sun as loud as they can!"

Ok, apart from the drugs argument....

Can't see many other countries being up for it, on the Olympic Committee, though.
 
The Olympics should be the pinnacle of a sport. Any sport where it isn't shouldn't be there. Get rid of football, golf, tennis etc, they don't need to be there. Darts doesn't need to be there. It's doing well without the olympics and the whole crowd thing would be really toned down compared to how we see it in England.

Think it's much easier to add sports than take them away though which is why the super posh sports like horse dancing and sailing are still there. Doubt they would be added if they weren't already included.

Whatever the criteria for a sport being in the Olympics though should be fairly transparent and there is no reason why Darts shouldn't be there if some of those others are.
 
equaliser said:
i've always wondered why, when you've got things like shooting that are hardly any more 'athletic', mass participation sports such as darts and snooker, which produce incredible levels of skill at the top level, aren't included in the Olympics. In the old days people used to reply that having the likes of Jocky Wilson and Leighton Rees on an Olympic podium would 'send out the wrong message', but with today's slimmed-down darts pros, even that (highly dubious) justification no longer holds water.

What it seems to boil down to ultimately is good old-fashioned snobbery:

Working-class sports, that traditionally take place in pubs and clubs: NO.
Sports such as fencing and clay pigeon shooting and modern pentathlon that only a handful of upper class people participate in: YES.
Click to expand...
Not sure darts players are slim. Some are still clearly overweight.
 
In the Ancient Olympics there were two javelin disciplines, one for how far you could chuck it but also one for accuracy using a target so I'd say there was a precedent for such a competition. Just have to make the darts a bit bigger...
 
Muttley said:
In the Ancient Olympics there were two javelin disciplines, one for how far you could chuck it but also one for accuracy using a target so I'd say there was a precedent for such a competition. Just have to make the darts a bit bigger...
Click to expand...
Or the javelins smaller
 
Darts is only really plated competitively in 4-5 countries.

In the early 20th century art and poetry were competitive at the Olympics. Ireland won a silver in Painting at the Paris Olympics (Yeat's The Liffey Swim - lovely painting in the national gallery in Dublin nowadays).

I think the Olympics should be looking to add competitive events that are truly international and preferably growing. Generally one's that would struggle to run an individual world championships.
 
Muttley said:
In the Ancient Olympics there were two javelin disciplines, one for how far you could chuck it but also one for accuracy using a target so I'd say there was a precedent for such a competition. Just have to make the darts a bit bigger...
Click to expand...
I would like to see that Javerline sport actually think they is more purpose to it than who can throw the furthest
 
Darts is only really plated competitively in 4-5 countries.

In the early 20th century art and poetry were competitive at the Olympics. Ireland won a silver in Painting at the Paris Olympics (Yeat's The Liffey Swim - lovely painting in the national gallery in Dublin nowadays).

I think the Olympics should be looking to add competitive events that are truly international and preferably growing. Generally one's that would struggle to run an individual world championships.
 
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