The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius" - Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger".
Note that it does not say "Faster, Higher, Stronger, X"
where X is "scored higher by judges for those they think looked most elegant while prancing around the arena"
Also, it's not "who has the most money". The UK has invested heavily in cycling, bikes that cost thousands and velodromes that cost millions. And it has reaped many rewards. But in addition to Pursuit and Sprint and Madison and Keirin, if there was an olympic cycling competition to determine who could carry the most family members on a single iron bike while navigating heavy traffic on potholed roads, I think the developing world would stand more of a chance.
Showing posts with label competition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label competition. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sex Tests
With the Olympics fast approaching, the pinnacle of worldwide athletic achievement, there has been a bit in the news about the "embarrassing" and expensive tests that suspects will be forced to undertake to prove that they are female.
The solution is blindingly obvious. A cost save and an efficiency win. And a better purer competition.
Simply scrap the tests. Have one competition, open to anyone; male, female or transgender.
The point is similar to that I mentioned regarding fit women in short skirts.
But oh no say the dissenters, the vast majority; the women need a separate competition, something not provided to other genetic groups. Some women would certainly beat some men, but the top female would not expect to win against the top male. So we should restrict each contest only to those with particular characteristics? Well, arguably yes. We should restrict the competition to those who are genetically human. But within that rather broad category, the competition is to decide who can run the fastest, jump the highest, throw the highest, etc. Surely that is an olympic ideal.
As should be evident in my views on medieval religions, I'm not misogynist, I genuinely love diversity. It would be great to see a woman break through the hegemony of male domination and beat the men at their own game. All under-represented groups should be encouraged to compete. And as the number of olympic sports increases, I'd hope there will be new ones where women tend to hold the top positions, and it is only a few brave men who try to match them. But for that to be possible we need to scrap the sex discrimination.
The solution is blindingly obvious. A cost save and an efficiency win. And a better purer competition.
Simply scrap the tests. Have one competition, open to anyone; male, female or transgender.
The point is similar to that I mentioned regarding fit women in short skirts.
But oh no say the dissenters, the vast majority; the women need a separate competition, something not provided to other genetic groups. Some women would certainly beat some men, but the top female would not expect to win against the top male. So we should restrict each contest only to those with particular characteristics? Well, arguably yes. We should restrict the competition to those who are genetically human. But within that rather broad category, the competition is to decide who can run the fastest, jump the highest, throw the highest, etc. Surely that is an olympic ideal.
As should be evident in my views on medieval religions, I'm not misogynist, I genuinely love diversity. It would be great to see a woman break through the hegemony of male domination and beat the men at their own game. All under-represented groups should be encouraged to compete. And as the number of olympic sports increases, I'd hope there will be new ones where women tend to hold the top positions, and it is only a few brave men who try to match them. But for that to be possible we need to scrap the sex discrimination.
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