it seems a little arbitrary having medals for both freestyle and also backstroke, butterfly, etc. Like, in track and field there’s not a 100m “running backwards” event. Why are there so many medals for swimming? Who decided it was that important relative to other forms of physical endeavor?
It also seems awkward in comparison to olympic weightlifting, which has TWO different lifts as part of a single event. I understand that they already bracket it by weight classes, but why not break it into a medal for the clean-and-jerk and another for the snatch? Or alternatively, add other events that test strength and precision?
I’m okay if the answer is just “that’s how it’s always been” and general path-dependence, but it seems a bit odd.
In: Other
Different sports have different levels of popularity, and that often determines how much exposure they get in the Olympics. Swimming is a very popular sport. Maybe swimming is more popular than weightlifting.
Another thing to consider is that although there are only two types of lifts in the Olympics, there are various weight classes. So, if you have multiple types of lifts with multiple weight classes, that equals dozens if not hundreds of separate events. Than can be a bit too much.
Latest Answers