Shooting in the Olympics...

[ShawHale]

It sucks. Who wants to watch people fire skeletonized air rifles at 50 meters? I for one would love to see some high powered rifles doing some 300, 600 and 1000+ meter shooting. Even some USPSA/IDPA styled pistol events would be interesting. Anyone else agree? Feel free to share ideas as well.

[brent375hh]

I would like to watch 50 meter air rifle. Where can I?

Maybe some IDPA/Monster Truck Biathlon would be your choice?

[eugene]

Also replace heavy lifting and sprint with wife-carrying while we are at it.

[JamesHH]

If the general public ever discover what USPSA shooters get up to shooting will be banned pretty promptly.

[B Lafferty]

Also replace heavy lifting and sprint with wife-carrying while we are at it.

But.....but.....what if you don't have a wife? And if you do, will there be an ideal weight officially determined with a handicap system akin to horse racing? I do very much enjoy watching female Olympic curling, especially the Swedish and Russian teams, so maybe there could be a bit of Summer cross-over?

[Tim S]

It sucks. Who wants to watch people fire skeletonized air rifles at 50 meters? I for one would love to see some high powered rifles doing some 300, 600 and 1000+ meter shooting. Even some USPSA/IDPA styled pistol events would be interesting. Anyone else agree? Feel free to share ideas as well.

Long range rifle events were included in the programme once upon a time. Won't happen again though. No would-be host will want to allocate the space for a 1000m range (remember it needs a danger area behind the targets), the costs are just too high. Provision of a range was why the 300m rifle match was dropped after 1972. I can't see long range rifle events being any more telegenic than the current 10m/50m matches.

BTW skeletonised air rifles are shot at 10. 50m is for skeletonised 0.22LR.

[brent375hh]

I wish they kept qualifying points for overall score. Shooting 60 shots better than anyone in the world should count for something more than a guaranteed 8th place.

[Tim S]

I wish they kept qualifying points for overall score. Shooting 60 shots better than anyone in the world should count for something more than a guaranteed 8th place.

Sadly, it doesn't make for a good final, one seen as an event in itself (which TV audiences do). Someone who isn't a competitive issf-style shooter already may struggle to understand why a finalist wins with 100.1, when another finalist shoots 105, just because they shot 600 and 595 in the main match. I really enjoyed watching Rajmond Debevec almost catch Lionel Cox at the London games, but I don't think everyone there got it.

[B Lafferty]

I wish they kept qualifying points for overall score. Shooting 60 shots better than anyone in the world should count for something more than a guaranteed 8th place.

Agreed. But, I do understand the "made for TV" aspect of the new finals system. I do prefer the old way.....

[JamesHH]

I wish they kept qualifying points for overall score. Shooting 60 shots better than anyone in the world should count for something more than a guaranteed 8th place.

To be brutal and more TV friendly shooting matches should be cut from 60 shots to 20 or 30, then a final.

[brent375hh]

They will be replaced with something else soon enough, just like 50 meter pistol.
And still not be on network TV.

[spektr]

People need to remember that the Olympics is less about sport and more about revenue generaton. TV and Media revenue generation in particular. Whats the difference between between Biathlon and Position Rifle? Besides Lisa Vitozzi, Biathlon is Fabuluous on TV. It moves, it has a story and its fun to watch. Prone rifle, Air pistol and Air rifle , as much as I love them, are like watching paint dry. Skeet and Trap get tv time because it moves, has a story and the targets blow up.

We need to either evolve to be tv friendly, of accept the fact that our sport is like watching paint dry and live with it....

I suggest we look at Heads up shooting, just like archery, short man on man eliminations on the clock. It made Archery good on TV. Use an untelevised 60 shot precision event to set the firld and then go man on man...... Its worth a look.

[B Lafferty]

Air pistol targets that blow up.....an idea worth pondering.

As for the Tokyo Olympics, it's looking increasingly as though they will be cancelled.

[Green_Canoe]

If we want something that shows well on TV, I propose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZpup4Q6dzo

[Mike M.]

Air pistol targets that blow up.....an idea worth pondering.

Do that for Rapid Fire. Hell, just use ordinary clay pigeons.

[JamesHH]

Falling plates works fine for biathlon, for rapid it would be good TV.

No need for a 38 super race gun, it can stay as .22, and the sort of land-whales who shoot IPSC/falling plates wouldn't really be a great image for an athletic sport.

[atomicgale]

. . . the sort of land-whales who shoot . . . .

. . . got to wedge Olympic Break Dancers into this thread somehow . . . .

[northpaw]

I would like to watch 50 meter air rifle. Where can I?

Even 100 yds, (90 meters): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2TXwaJ3y0

From 9 minutes into the video.

[Mike M.]

The real problem with shooting, as with many other Olympic sports, is that they need expert commentary. Which is not going to come out of NBC Sports. Hell, the fencers can't get the time of day from them, either - so it's not just shooting.

[6string]

Why should any of the shooting events, or Olympics themselves, be framed within the context of TV?
That's more a rhetorical question, really.
But, the ancient Greeks likely had other ideas.

Forget USPSA, etc type events. The games already reek of being a glorified game show. Too bad Bob Barker or Soupy Sales aren't around to run the IOC.
With everything going on in society, education, and elsewhere, we're dummying down our entire culture to the point of oblivion.
I don't consider that to be a political statement, either.

Shooting Sports USA got it right:

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2020/9/1 ... pic-games/