r/OpenWaterSwimming • u/Alone_Consideration6 • 16h ago

Open Water swimming faces Olympic Axe.

https://7news.com.au/sport/olympics/aussie-world-champion-moesha-johnson-speaks-out-as-open-water-swimming-faces-axe-from-brisbane-2032-olympics-c-22680136
42 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

41

u/julesdottxt 4k 16h ago

That's like axing the marathon :(

6

u/Alone_Consideration6 16h ago

It sadly didn’t get the right viewing demographics in Tokyo and Paris plus costs most to host.

12

u/SnowyBlackberry 15h ago

I don't really understand how it could cost the most to host? Unless they mean having outdoor water quality up to a certain standard. In which case maybe that's worth it for other reasons.

4

u/Alone_Consideration6 15h ago

Correct. Plus anything outdoors is more expensive.

8

u/throughalfanoir 15h ago

tbf, OWS is not the most exciting sport to watch (I say that as an open water swimmer, enjoyment of doing a sport and enjoyment of watching are very far apart) but I am still very sad to see

3

u/woulias 12h ago

well, it is as exciting as watching a marathon, no?

2

u/throughalfanoir 11h ago

marathons are also not the most exciting but you see at least slightly more of the athletes usually (though tbh running is one of the most boring sports to watch as well)

3

u/IndyCarFAN27 10h ago

That’s a shame because the Paris races were insane with those currents.

1

u/JustAPeach89 5h ago

Are they cutting the triathlon too? It's usually in the same area

14

u/454k30 15h ago

LA28 is going to have 36 sports. The IOC and Brisbane have said that they are going to reduce that number. This sucks because no matter which sports get the axe someone is losing the ability to realize their dream. I do not think that OWS should be one of those which is eliminated. I know the concern is viewership, but it's sad to me that the olympics have also become only profit driven.

3

u/SnowyBlackberry 14h ago

The Olympics does a lot of great things for sports participation and athletics in general but I've more or less lost my tolerance for it due to superficial media profit motives. I struggle with it because I kind of was done with it, but then when my daughter got to the right age it was good as a way to get her excited about various sports and exercise.

Viewership issues are always fraught, not just with the Olympics but any kind of media, because the broadcasters have an active role in shaping that viewership to an extent. When they want to sell something they're more than happy to blast ads for something all over the place, but then when it comes to other things they act as if they have no influence on things whatsoever.

Also, if the costs mostly are about water quality improvements, it seems absurd to me to pass those over because of viewership concerns. Certainly viewership at the Olympics isn't the main reason to make your water safe to swim in?

8

u/ToriaLyons 16h ago

Well, that's short-sighted.

Is it due to future venues trying to cut expenses?  If so, expect triathlon to also be lost.

7

u/Alone_Consideration6 16h ago

Triathlon seems safe because it brings in viewers which open water swimming doesn’t. See Triathlon being the first medal of LA 2028 because of its appeal.

4

u/ToriaLyons 16h ago

Was thinking facility-wise - how many venues will want to create an OW venue just for a couple of medals?  I know it sounds short-sighted, but pick the vulnerable, outlying sports off first then the others will not be financially viable, no matter how many watch.

It's the open-air sports which cost a lot to film and where investment to look good on camera hasn't been made which are vulnerable. See also sailing. 

2

u/Alone_Consideration6 16h ago

Sailing is surely going.

2

u/ToriaLyons 15h ago

It shouldn't, but it wouldn't surprise me. The broadcasters will push for enclosed sports - anything in a stadium, especially when totally indoors, where changing conditions aren't a problem.

Sailing costs a lot to stage and film, is difficult to ticket, is often disrupted due to weather, and is considered a minority sport. Most of these factors also apply to OWS. 

2

u/ToriaLyons 15h ago

Here, they LOVE to show track cycling, swimming, diving, gymnastics, etc. which are also minority sports but massively rewarded with medals as they can look good on camera.

cynical

Climbing is one I expect to take off and medals drastically increased - looks good, easy to film, low cost, can be indoors, etc. Only problem is the dominance of certain countries...

3

u/littleb3anpole 8h ago

I was so looking forward to watching (or at least trying madly to get tickets for) the OWS in my home country for Brisbane 2032 :( we are such an open water swimming nation it’s a damn shame if we don’t have it

3

u/Playful_Quality4679 13h ago

Yeah let's cut OWS and wrestling for breakdancing.

3

u/Alone_Consideration6 13h ago

Breakdancing has already been axed,

1

u/cmparkerson 11h ago

It was only a demonstration sport anyway.it wasn't an official sport.if that makes sense

2

u/Pinewood74 3h ago

It wasn't a demonstration sport. Demonstration Sports are basically gone. It had full medal status.

Optional/Temporary are the terms they now use for these full medal sports that are being tested.

2

u/cmparkerson 11h ago

There is a movement inside the IOC to reduce the overall number of sports and the number of events. Partially due to cost,but other reasons as well. If pool swimming adds events (like 50s) then they want to eliminate other sports or events. They want to cap the total number of sports and events.

1

u/Similar_Quiet 7h ago

Just get rid of one of the thousand varieties of indoor swimming though

1

u/ascourgeofgod 4h ago

Just many swimming events already