Some people argue on a rather objective note that bodybuilding would help uplift the image of the Olympics if they were made a part of this popular sporting event. There are 35 sports in the current Olympics format. With 53 disciplines and an excess of 400 events, the Olympics remains the most all-inclusive sporting event of all time. This makes the event attract many fans. These fans would all want to see the sport recognized like any other in the world.
The International Olympics Committee is the main stumbling block in efforts to bring bodybuilding on board into the arena of the Olympics. They argue that it is not a sport. It is surprising that the same committee often stumbles on the question: What features constitute a sport? Often the definition that the committee gives seems to encompass bodybuilding. According to Australian Sports Foundation, a sport is ‘an activity which human beings engage in which is capable of achieving a certain result when there is an exertion of some physical skill, which is competitive by virtue of its organization and is generally accepted as a sporting activity.
It is true to say that this definition can be used as a basis of affirming the notion of bodybuilding as a sport. The main concern that is raised by the IOC for not accepting bodybuilding as a sport has to do with drugs. They claim that there are so many enhancing drugs that are being used by athletes that they are not sure that there is going to be a true spirit of competitiveness. If all the rules that govern the Olympics were used on all bodybuilders, many of the so-called professional bodybuilders would be left out.
Furthermore, the tradition in the Olympics is to encourage competition between amateurs and not professionals. Again another question raised by the IOC is about objectiveness in making judgments. The sport can easily be embroiled in subjectivity due to the fact that there are no yardsticks that tell the judge where to make the distinction between winners, the runners-up.
Maybe the judges are trying to avoid the controversies that surround other sports such as ice-skating and gymnastics. If such games have been introduced into the Olympics and people engage competitively in them throughout the Olympics, then bodybuilding ought to fit perfectly into the same sporting event! The problem is that there is no one time when bodybuilding has ever been in the mainstream sporting realm. A good starting point would be the Olympics. Such recognition would lead to a reawakening of interest in the sport. As a result, stricter rules would be introduced and the world would see the rebirth of a thrilling sport that lay hidden from their faces for many decades.
Dane Fletcher is the world’s most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.
