Should IPSC/IDPA be an Olympic sport?

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dukeofurl

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This dawned on me while I was at the range.

What are your thoughts?

I think it would be neat.

Many countries have the chance to compete, there are already recognized governing bodies for the sport, and it allows another venue for competiton!

Besides, shooting is one thing Americans can do better than all the other countries.....we might have a better chance of taking home more gold medals!

Its my understanding the IOC dosent like IPSC too much so IDPA would be a viable alternate.
 
I'm not one fond of making the Olympics something that they were not. I see no purpose for figure skating or synchronised swimming, etc in the Olympics.

The original games were about who could run faster, jump higher (evade), throw a javalin (spear) further, the shot put (big rock. crush enemies), wrestle (duh!), etc.

So, yeah, shooting IDPA seems a very natural extension to the games. Hey they already got the biathlon -- should fit right in.
 
It should be, but it won't.

If you look at the history of the Olympic games, they were sports activities that are pertinent to a warrior society. Shotput, javelin throw, running, etc. What would be more similar to warrior skills? Synchornized swimming, or basketball or IDPA style shooting?
 
Great idea!!!!

If they can have ballroom dancing and that ribbon on a stick stuff, I can't see why they'd say no to IPSC....unless of course it's too un-PC.....:scrutiny:
 
If not Olympic, at least it could make X-Games status (since it would look good on TV and you could compete while listening to loud rock music ... and frankly thats all the X-Games is about).
 
Those bastards. It IS practical shooting. It's a great sport and I think it's cool. It DEFINITELY would be better than figure skating.
 
Those bastards. It IS practical shooting. It's a great sport and I think it's cool. It DEFINITELY would be better than figure skating.
 
I believe that IPSC has been done as a non-medal demonstration sport during past Olympics, and possibly before Athens, though I'm not sure about that.

IPSC would be far more likely than IDPA since IPSC really is international, and IDPA is pretty much an American thing.
 
Hey!!! My kid's a figure skater!!! Dont knock it until...uh...you've had to pay for it. Ice time, coaches, dresses, skate tuning, travel, makeup, hairstylist, music mixing...... it makes shooting look cheap. At least wait til she goes to the Olympics, gets a medal and Wheaties deal that'll pay off some of the bills.

They've added a lot of sports in the last couple of decades, at least at the demo level, so it'd be worth a shot (snerk), but I think that if they go to far it dilutes the spirit of the Olympics. First, synchro swimming, now synchro diving, as if ping pong was'nt bad enough. The problem is that everybody loves "their" sport and rightfully so, but you cannot please everyone.

Though personally I am looking forward to the women's wrestling matches, but I doubt its the kind I saw working vice. It won't be the same without the mud and Jell-o.
 
It would certainly appeal to me since I have absolutely no interest at all in the Olympics and this would be one event that I would watch.
The athletes participating in the Olympics are some of the best in the world at what they do. They have all my respect. But, to me, this is one of the most hyped events out there. Would you really watch this stuff if it wasn't called "THE OLYMPICS" and advertised endlessly on TV ? I don't see a whole lot of people watching swimming, or track and field events on television unless it is THE OLYMPICS.
Action pistol shooting would be another story for me, but I doubt that most people would be interested.
 
I wonder how the IOC is reviewing the IPSC application.....

The germans abhor the concept of "combat shooting"

Snide remark behind their back: Apparently they realized it's something else that Americans can beat them at...:p

A whole litany of other countries dont let the populace arm themselves, so they wont be participating

The best in the world would be fun to watch and a great learning experience! Plus we'd have all the kiddies going "DADDY! DADDY! I WANT ONE OF THOSE GUNS!"

Plus it would give the USA another chance to win more medals. Its been proven that Sevigny, Leatham, Jarrett, and Miculec can beat the best in the world but putting it on national tv would be awesome.

And we get to say to the antis abroad: Hey! Its an olympic sport!
 
Snide remark behind their back: Apparently they realized it's something else that Americans can beat them at...:p
Click to expand...

Cute.

Personally we of IPSC ilk don't need the olympics. I'm sure IPSC is able to be packaged for TV, hell, people put sheep dog trails and lawnmower racing on TV. The problem would be watchability. If you see Rob, Eric or Jerry shoot a stage you don't need to see the rest unless you revel in watching mistakes made by others. You don't know who won and by how much until everything is scored. You could solve that with running scores and all the meaningless stats that make baseball so fun I suppose. :rolleyes:

Beyond that though, I see IPSc getting dumbed down for the IOC. No matter how un-practical you think it is, at some point you have to explain to our viewers at home that the targets are humanoid derived. Even the aomeba, blob of death international target. How can you explain the differential scoring of the targets without it? I'm down with it, but apparently Sally-soccermom the world over has a problem with killing people with pistols. Go figure. I just don't want to see IPSC get even more PC'd to death in a quest for Olympic stardom. There's an event already, it's called the World Shoot, get good and go, I hope to once in my life.

Maybe a better combat derived sport considering some of the thugs common to the IOC and UN would IPWC. (International Practical Whacking Confederation) You set up a standard IPSC course but the object is to run around and chop off all of the no-shoot's heads with your trusty machete...
 
Apparently they realized it's something else that Americans can beat them at ... Plus it would give the USA another chance to win more medals.
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Thats probably a second real big reason why we'll never see practical shooting at the olympics ... the rest of the world hates us ... and they have long before GWB. They aren't going to add a sport that we'll clearly be superior in. Plus our teams would be made up of civilians and non law enforcement folk ... 95%+ of our competition around the world would probably be military and police.

Socialist police states don't like to see their JBTs outshot by car mechanics, office managers and housewives. :p
 
Dobbs23 got it for me. That ribbon-on-a-stick event is downright silly. Olympic hula hoop would be more interesting, and ugggg, synchronized swimming?! These aren't Olympic events, they're pitiful excuses for talent on Miss America.

IPSC could be made watchable with a camera on every target as it's being shot. You'd see Rob or Jerry on the big part of the screen and the current target in the top right. Computer imaging could even highlight the hits on target, just like they highlight the 1st down line in football. If done carefully, instant scoring would be possible. Instant replay would be a lot of fun. They could run replays of the draw and show the time to first shot. Average split times could be calculated. Certain concessions might have to be made to make it easier to be shown on screen (eg. target order would be mandated).

I do think that IDPA would make a better sport because of the procedural errors that would be possible: drop a loaded magazine, fail to use cover, etc. All of these things could be shown and pointed out in commentary.

A combination of the two would be ideal, because IDPA has the pesky 18-round rule which makes for a very short stage when the masters are running. On a really complex stage, it might take 15 seconds. To keep people interested, a stage should take approximately 30 seconds to shoot. That gives time to build a little suspense and for the viewer to get in to it.
 
The problem is the Olympics have so many events that, IMHO, do NOT repeat NOT qualify as competitive sports, in that the winner is PICKED BY A PANEL OF JUDGES USING ARBITRARY CRITERIA! :barf:

Running is a sport. Speed skating is a sport. Ski jumping could be a sport, if they got rid of the "style" points.

Ribbon on a stick - not a sport. Gymnastics - not a sport. Girls waving their legs in a pool, figure skating, dancing . . . not sports. Olympic boxing - not a sport.

All competitive shooting I'm aware of qualifies as a sport . . . in fact, you'd have to work hard to take "sport" out of shooting.
 
This came up the last time the International Children's Games came around...the IOC said (then) that they were not interested in ANY firearms related sports, period...and were doing their best to get rid of ALL sports involving firearms. It was too much trouble to force the nanny states like Japan to "allow" visitors to have (gasp) guns. FYI, the biathlon folks (an impressive bunch, to be sure) had account for not only their weapons and loaded rounds...but every spent case as well. Nice.

But not just the bullseye events are slated for destruction...so to, biathlon, modern pentathlon (my own favorite, even I can't spell it), skeet, trap...

As others have said...if ballroom dancing and throwing a ball around can be considered "sports," then a international sport with comprehensive rules and logical scoring (not to mention worldwide participation) should be a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, much of the third world fits in the no-brain category when it comes to firearms.



Alex

PS I LOVE the machete game idea...

A
 
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