The two Olympic sports that should be excluded from the Olympics are golf and beach volleyball because they are both difficult to organize. The golf court needs a lot of space and a special golf course. Beach volleyball requires a lot of sand and appropriate temperature, which sometimes is hard to achieve because the Olympics take place in different venues each year. Moreover, golf is one of the most expensive sports worldwide, so it is costly to equip the players, and there are generally fewer participants who can take part in the Olympic competition. In some countries, the culture of golf is not developed at all, so they lack not only players but also interest in following the game. Thus, the process of organization of golf competition does not recoup itself.
In my opinion, other similar events will not suffer because of this change in the Olympics procedure since most people who play golf or beach volleyball do it as a leisure activity, not as a professional sport. Hence, there are many smaller tournaments in which people can take part. Moreover, those who do volleyball professionally can participate in regular volleyball at the Olympic games.
As for the choice between Bowling and Billiard, I would add Billiard to the Olympics because this sport appears on TV, which means that it is popular and many people enjoy watching it. Bowling, on the contrary, is not broadcast on TV, and it is perceived as a mere game for the company of friends. Moreover, anyone can play Bowling, while Billiard requires developing and training appropriate skills. Billiard is a more difficult sport because players need to focus on their tactics and be attentive. I think it would be more beneficial to add Billiard since players can switch after every round; this way every player has a chance to play with everyone. Furthermore, billiard is a calming and friendly game; thus, it is aimed at uniting the players, unlike many other Olympic sports which can awake rage because of the adrenaline rush from striving to win.
Billiard is one of the leisure activities which has been recently accepted as a type of sport. Along with chess, bowling, and bridge, it can be included in the Olympic program shortly. International Olympic Committee is supportive of the decision to declare it as an Olympic sport (“International Olympic Committee,” 2020). There are many advantages this game can bring to the participants of the Olympics. First of all, billiard allows people to use their physical abilities fully because players of the game are in constant movement. For an average game, a player walks around 2-3 kilometers, so some doctors recommend that patients with apathy syndrome play several games a day.
Despite the common opinion that billiard is the game of minds, it is believed that this game can help people keep fit. Billiard is “placing enormous amounts of pressure on the chest, back, legs, and arms” (Elmagd, 2017, p. 250). Billiard helps train the optic nerves and coordination without harming one’s health. The game helps develop an excellent reaction as well as trains mental activity. Since the location of the balls on the table changes every time, players have to come up with a new plan of action on the go. The billiard player is distinguished by composure, patience, and a keen sense of physical laws. To calculate the trajectory of the ball, it is necessary to take into account its properties, the influence of various frontal impacts, and geometry.
Not only is this sport good for health, but it also serves as a popular type of entertainment since it is interesting for both players and spectators. This means that being a part of the Olympics can attract many viewers. Observing the game allows watchers to distract and surrender to the power of balls and their collisions. Billiard helps both players and spectators approach a state of emotional balance. The players of billiard are neither ruthless nor too competitive. This means that the game can help different participants from all over the world unite in the partner match and build better relationships with other countries. This is especially important because many countries come into conflicts based on the Olympic games results.
Moreover, billiard allows people to hone some qualities that can come in handy outside the playground. Victory comes only after concentration of willpower, but it will never be emotionally exhaustive. Likewise, being defeated in the game does not bring frustration because billiard focuses on the process more than on the act of defining a winner, so both players’ participation matters equally. This can mean that players will not attempt to use doping the way players of other sports do because billiard does not look for the fastest or the strongest player; hence, this can be a very honest game. Lastly, including billiards in the Olympics is beneficial because it does not require a special setting or a lot of equipment. Moreover, it can be played both indoors and outdoors regardless of the state of the weather in the host country.
References
Elmagd, M. A. (2017). Is Billiard considered a sport? International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health, 4(3).
International Olympic Committee (2020). Web.