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It was an event at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, but attempts to have it made a permanent event failed, apparently partly because it requires expensive facilities

It was an event at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, but attempts to have it made a permanent event failed, apparently partly because it requires expensive facilities that aren't always available in poorer countries. Doesn't seem to have been a blocker for sailing or ski jumping...

Macha 2y ago
I suspect if Sailing and Skiing were proposed as events in 1998 and not 1896 and 1936 respectively, they would face similar issues.
- wongarsu 2y ago
  They held an event in 1936 and tried to make it an official part of the 1940 Olympics. If the Olympic games of 1940 hadn't been cancelled it might have made it in. https://www.topendsports.com/events/demonstration/bowling.htm https://www.topendsports.com/events/demonstration/bowling.ht...
wongarsu 2y ago
Bowling lanes are a bit more involved than a race track, but it doesn't seem that involved. It's basically waxed wood flooring with some dividers. You can just put that down in a regular stadium for a couple days. Normally bowling alleys are expensive because of the machinery, but the Olympics aren't lacking in manpower. Just dedicate one person per lane to manually setting the pins. If you dress them up a bit that can even add some visual flourish.
- boomboomsubban 2y ago
  The concern isn't that the country hosting the Olympics won't be able to afford a bowling alley, it's that competing in the sport would be economically out of reach for much of the world.
  - dagw 2y ago
    it's that competing in the sport would be economically out of reach for much of the world. I don't know anything about 'high end' bowling, but I cannot see how it could be any more expensive than many other sports at the Olympics.
    - boomboomsubban 2y ago
      My local bowling alley charges $25 an hour to rent a lane. Practicing 20 hours a week makes it $2000 a month. Admittedly, they probably have strong discounts for someone bowling that much, but that's only the price for a beginners practice spot. Winter sports and some older competitions probably match that, but I think they try to be more aware of that for summer sports. Compare it to another recent addition, skateboarding. One of the competitor's (medalist I think?) family went without electricity for a month to afford her first board, but after that it with some luck it was affordable enough to get her to the Olympics.
  - wongarsu 2y ago
    But doesn't the same line of though still apply? Making a bowling lane in your back yard or in a community center is pretty cheap if you set the pins manually. In terms of costs for a training spot with Olympic-like conditions it would be pretty middle of the pack and probably in the cheaper half. It's more expensive than say table tennis or marathon, but a lot cheaper than swimming, pole vault or golf, never mind the heavy hitters like ski jumping.
    - boomboomsubban 2y ago
      Making a 60ft flat level surface is harder than you'd think, and even with your human pin setters a lane would effectively allow 1 or 2 people to practice at a time. Plus, as another poster pointed out, I think several other sports would be rejected for the same concerns if they weren't effectively grandfathered in.
  - IncreasePosts 2y ago
    You're basically describing the Winter Olympics. And all of the equestrian events in the Olympics. Tim Duncan famously took up basketball after his swimming career was derailed when a hurricane destroyed the only pool on st Croix, and they couldn't rebuild it.
Kon-Peki 2y ago
> Doesn't seem to have been a blocker for sailing or ski jumping... The boats they use in the Olympics are generally standardized designs that have been around for a very long time. The most common Olympic boat is the Laser, which has been around since the 1960s. You can make one yourself if you feel like it. They'll take out a measuring tape and if all the dimensions are correct you are good to go. You could buy an Olympic-quality one from a manufacturer for $6k or less, including all the sails. You can watch out for a Craigslist post offering one up for free if you just come get it. There are stacks and stacks of them all over sailing clubs everywhere in the world - because they've been building them exactly the same for 70 years. There are so many Lasers out there people don't know what to do with them. The exact kiteboarding thingy they use can be bought off the shelf at plenty of sailing stores for $3k or less. Yes, the bigger boats they are using for the two-person races can get pricy, but that's just a fraction of Olympic sailing.

Macha 2y ago

I suspect if Sailing and Skiing were proposed as events in 1998 and not 1896 and 1936 respectively, they would face similar issues.

wongarsu 2y ago
They held an event in 1936 and tried to make it an official part of the 1940 Olympics. If the Olympic games of 1940 hadn't been cancelled it might have made it in. https://www.topendsports.com/events/demonstration/bowling.htm https://www.topendsports.com/events/demonstration/bowling.ht...

wongarsu 2y ago

Bowling lanes are a bit more involved than a race track, but it doesn't seem that involved. It's basically waxed wood flooring with some dividers. You can just put that down in a regular stadium for a couple days. Normally bowling alleys are expensive because of the machinery, but the Olympics aren't lacking in manpower. Just dedicate one person per lane to manually setting the pins. If you dress them up a bit that can even add some visual flourish.

boomboomsubban 2y ago
The concern isn't that the country hosting the Olympics won't be able to afford a bowling alley, it's that competing in the sport would be economically out of reach for much of the world.
- dagw 2y ago
  it's that competing in the sport would be economically out of reach for much of the world. I don't know anything about 'high end' bowling, but I cannot see how it could be any more expensive than many other sports at the Olympics.
  - boomboomsubban 2y ago
    My local bowling alley charges $25 an hour to rent a lane. Practicing 20 hours a week makes it $2000 a month. Admittedly, they probably have strong discounts for someone bowling that much, but that's only the price for a beginners practice spot. Winter sports and some older competitions probably match that, but I think they try to be more aware of that for summer sports. Compare it to another recent addition, skateboarding. One of the competitor's (medalist I think?) family went without electricity for a month to afford her first board, but after that it with some luck it was affordable enough to get her to the Olympics.
- wongarsu 2y ago
  But doesn't the same line of though still apply? Making a bowling lane in your back yard or in a community center is pretty cheap if you set the pins manually. In terms of costs for a training spot with Olympic-like conditions it would be pretty middle of the pack and probably in the cheaper half. It's more expensive than say table tennis or marathon, but a lot cheaper than swimming, pole vault or golf, never mind the heavy hitters like ski jumping.
  - boomboomsubban 2y ago
    Making a 60ft flat level surface is harder than you'd think, and even with your human pin setters a lane would effectively allow 1 or 2 people to practice at a time. Plus, as another poster pointed out, I think several other sports would be rejected for the same concerns if they weren't effectively grandfathered in.
- IncreasePosts 2y ago
  You're basically describing the Winter Olympics. And all of the equestrian events in the Olympics. Tim Duncan famously took up basketball after his swimming career was derailed when a hurricane destroyed the only pool on st Croix, and they couldn't rebuild it.

Kon-Peki 2y ago

> Doesn't seem to have been a blocker for sailing or ski jumping... The boats they use in the Olympics are generally standardized designs that have been around for a very long time. The most common Olympic boat is the Laser, which has been around since the 1960s. You can make one yourself if you feel like it. They'll take out a measuring tape and if all the dimensions are correct you are good to go. You could buy an Olympic-quality one from a manufacturer for $6k or less, including all the sails. You can watch out for a Craigslist post offering one up for free if you just come get it. There are stacks and stacks of them all over sailing clubs everywhere in the world - because they've been building them exactly the same for 70 years. There are so many Lasers out there people don't know what to do with them. The exact kiteboarding thingy they use can be bought off the shelf at plenty of sailing stores for $3k or less. Yes, the bigger boats they are using for the two-person races can get pricy, but that's just a fraction of Olympic sailing.