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swimming technique and bicycle technically have improved a lot and all of the grading sports (gymnastics, diving) are constantly being changed since they were i

swimming technique and bicycle technically have improved a lot and all of the grading sports (gymnastics, diving) are constantly being changed since they were introduced into the Olympics. That is why so many of those records could be beaten. However it looks like Olympic archery does not allow a compound bow. I guess every sport decides if they want innovation or not.

inasio 5y ago
There are also (lower) weight limits on bikes, bikes could be significantly lighter (also recumbent)
sandworm101 5y ago
Swimming rules have also been progressively eased to help keep the records falling. Flip turns in backstroke. Relay dives. More aggressive dive blocks. The new breaststroke kick. Lots of little thing mean constant trend, constant records dropping.
- nl 5y ago
  But restrictions on swimsuit material have gone the other way. There were a bunch of records set using non-permeable suits in 2008-2009 that will take year to break again after FINA introduced the "textile material" rule. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZR_Racer#Marketing_and_results https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZR_Racer#Marketing_and_result... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_X-Glide#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_X-Glide#Controversy
  - sandworm101 5y ago
    One of perhaps a dozen rules. The one rule that was tightened in a sea of rules being loosened.
    - nl 5y ago
      Restricting underwater distance in butterfly was one that slowed swimmers a lot.
2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
So what? Are people really not participating in a sport because there is no hope of breaking a WR? Sports are about fun and competition and sometimes exercise. I’d also argue there is a difference between rules about equipment and rules about technique. Technique rules may have to be adjusted more often because if an athletes does something unusual that is within the current rule set but may be seen as advantageous, you have to make a decision. With equipment you can just say no. Those Nike running shoes are banned, full body swim suits are banned. The javelin is just another ban. With equipment, it also effects athletes uniformly, everyone must change to the new equipment. So no one is unfairly penalised. Why do the records need to fall?
- bryanrasmussen 5y ago
  >Sports are about fun and competition and sometimes exercise. part of the competition part would be breaking records.
  - happymellon 5y ago
    Competition is about beating other people, not necessarily records.
    - eecc 5y ago
      A record is a person that did very well in the past.
    - bryanrasmussen 5y ago
      that's why I said part of - part of it is beating the people you are competing with right now but another part is beating the people who were there before you.
- amanaplanacanal 5y ago
  Sports in the Olympics are about Viewership and money. Falling records would probably contribute to that.
prof-dr-ir 5y ago
Cycling is actually another notorious example of a sport where the rules are holding back significant innovation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle
- SilverRed 5y ago
  The rules are in place not to hold back speed, but to protect the image of cycling. A recumbent may be faster but it does not look like a bicycle to the average person and changes the image of the sport. Things like better shifters, lighter frames (within reason) more aero parts (within reason) are still allowed.
  - brainwad 5y ago
    > lighter frames (within reason) The UCI's 6.8kg weight limit is much higher than what is achievable with modern materials. So much so that there are frame builders who can build you an "illegal" bike made out of _steel_: https://www.rodbikes.com/catalog/outlaw/outlaw-main.html https://www.rodbikes.com/catalog/outlaw/outlaw-main.html
    - SilverRed 5y ago
      They do drop the limits over time. The reasoning is they want everyone to have very structurally sound bikes for safety. You _could_ build an ultra light steel bike but it might fail and cause serious injury. With a minimum limit, no one feels the need to make their bikes less than perfectly strong. And when every OEM is making frames at perfect strength under the limit, they drop it.
      - brainwad 5y ago
        They haven't ever dropped the limit - a weight limit was introduced in 2000 and hasn't changed since: https://cyclingtips.com/2013/08/the-6-8kg-limit/ https://cyclingtips.com/2013/08/the-6-8kg-limit/
- 5y ago

inasio 5y ago

There are also (lower) weight limits on bikes, bikes could be significantly lighter (also recumbent)

sandworm101 5y ago

Swimming rules have also been progressively eased to help keep the records falling. Flip turns in backstroke. Relay dives. More aggressive dive blocks. The new breaststroke kick. Lots of little thing mean constant trend, constant records dropping.

nl 5y ago
But restrictions on swimsuit material have gone the other way. There were a bunch of records set using non-permeable suits in 2008-2009 that will take year to break again after FINA introduced the "textile material" rule. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZR_Racer#Marketing_and_results https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZR_Racer#Marketing_and_result... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_X-Glide#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_X-Glide#Controversy
- sandworm101 5y ago
  One of perhaps a dozen rules. The one rule that was tightened in a sea of rules being loosened.
  - nl 5y ago
    Restricting underwater distance in butterfly was one that slowed swimmers a lot.

2muchcoffeeman 5y ago

So what? Are people really not participating in a sport because there is no hope of breaking a WR? Sports are about fun and competition and sometimes exercise. I’d also argue there is a difference between rules about equipment and rules about technique. Technique rules may have to be adjusted more often because if an athletes does something unusual that is within the current rule set but may be seen as advantageous, you have to make a decision. With equipment you can just say no. Those Nike running shoes are banned, full body swim suits are banned. The javelin is just another ban. With equipment, it also effects athletes uniformly, everyone must change to the new equipment. So no one is unfairly penalised. Why do the records need to fall?

bryanrasmussen 5y ago
>Sports are about fun and competition and sometimes exercise. part of the competition part would be breaking records.
- happymellon 5y ago
  Competition is about beating other people, not necessarily records.
  - eecc 5y ago
    A record is a person that did very well in the past.
  - bryanrasmussen 5y ago
    that's why I said part of - part of it is beating the people you are competing with right now but another part is beating the people who were there before you.
amanaplanacanal 5y ago
Sports in the Olympics are about Viewership and money. Falling records would probably contribute to that.

prof-dr-ir 5y ago

Cycling is actually another notorious example of a sport where the rules are holding back significant innovation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle

SilverRed 5y ago
The rules are in place not to hold back speed, but to protect the image of cycling. A recumbent may be faster but it does not look like a bicycle to the average person and changes the image of the sport. Things like better shifters, lighter frames (within reason) more aero parts (within reason) are still allowed.
- brainwad 5y ago
  > lighter frames (within reason) The UCI's 6.8kg weight limit is much higher than what is achievable with modern materials. So much so that there are frame builders who can build you an "illegal" bike made out of _steel_: https://www.rodbikes.com/catalog/outlaw/outlaw-main.html https://www.rodbikes.com/catalog/outlaw/outlaw-main.html
  - SilverRed 5y ago
    They do drop the limits over time. The reasoning is they want everyone to have very structurally sound bikes for safety. You _could_ build an ultra light steel bike but it might fail and cause serious injury. With a minimum limit, no one feels the need to make their bikes less than perfectly strong. And when every OEM is making frames at perfect strength under the limit, they drop it.
    - brainwad 5y ago
      They haven't ever dropped the limit - a weight limit was introduced in 2000 and hasn't changed since: https://cyclingtips.com/2013/08/the-6-8kg-limit/ https://cyclingtips.com/2013/08/the-6-8kg-limit/
5y ago