Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I'm sure (hope) there's a straightforward answer to this..

I've always believed that the Olympics was for amateurs only ie. not those who are paid pros.

But if Andy Murray is playing tennis shouldn't pro boxers be allowed to don headgear and box to amateur point-scoring rules (or would that be considered unfair for the, by comparison, lesser experienced amateurs) ?

I think I've heard that a couple of pro footballers are in the games, but not all.

What ARE the rules regarding participation and are they consistent across the sports ?

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/24914-olympics-amateurs-only/
Share on other sites

I've always been confused about the boxers too. If we can have Ryan Giggs and Andy Murray representing us, why not Amir Khan and Carl Froch? Track-and-field athletes are also professional sportspeople (appearance fees plus prize money at competitions).


I realise that the regulations and scoring are very different for amateur vs pro boxing, but any boxer with a decent workrate would easily re-adapt.

I understand that the only two sports where amateurism is a requirement are boxing and wrestling.


Apparently these two were kept seperate because it was thought that the kind of hopeless mismatches that sometimes occur in the Olympics could result in death or serious injury.


This wasn't applied to other martial arts because the belt system was though to provide an adequate steer on capability.

The injury thing makes a certain amount of sense. Although obviously among judo/taekwondo black belts there can be a huge disparity in power and skill.


How about ice skating in the winter olympics? Didn't Torvill and Dean have to stop competing because they wanted to tour and earn money?

Didn't it used to the case, but they changed the rule sometime... ooh.. 20 or so years ago. I remember because up until then the US basketball team was pretty weak as all the NBL players were ineligible. I think the 'Dream Team' moniker was thought up for the first time they could select a full strength squad.

That makes sense Huge, for boxing. Floyd Mayweather/Pacquiao against even a decorated amateur would be dangerous for the amateur.

for the martial arts guys, they'd be competing nationally to whittle down the participants to the squad who'll represent their country at the Olympics, so there should be a natural progression through the tiers of quality, though that won't be associated with belts/grades - I'd expect all international quality martial artists to have their black/'dan' grades - selection and match-making by belt/grade would usually be at club/inter-club level competition.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Over the past few months, Jan from Silver Fern Landscapes has completed several projects for us.  (He was recommended by a neighbour.)  We have been very pleased with his work.  Some details are below: Built and replaced several trellis fence panels.  In one part it was very complicated due to a large vine that had grown into/around the trellis.  He was able to save the vine, having unpicked it from the old trellis and then securing it to the new.  The vine went into a bit of shock, but is now thriving. Repaired the top frame to our garden side-return door, replacing rotten wood, and repainting the new to match. Repaired the loose tiles in our front walkway Along the way, during his visits, Jan also gave advice on various topics, such as how to best care for: our recently re-planted lawn, a tree that lost a large branch, and the vine mentioned above.  His working style is straight forward...he shows up when he says he will, discusses what needs to be done, provides timely quotes, completes the work as agreed, and sends an invoice. No drama, no hassle.  We will definitely be calling on Jan again when future garden-related projects arise! silverfernlondon.co.uk/silver_fern_landscapes.html
    • I'm very sorry for your loss. May you find comfort in knowing that Carl has never been forgotten in our community.
    • Thank you, it seems to be a few mins from Albrighton Community Fridge so I'll split the load. 
    • To be candid I know that the matter is still very upsetting and traumatic for my family so I haven't really looked into this at all. However, thank you for sharing the information regarding the coroner's inquest its a route I will definitely explore. 
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...