Canoeing is becoming a circus

A circle and a colorful show. In the past, even with wild animals. Elephants, rhinos and even crocodiles. Lions were a must and horses of course. Many horses. In addition, artists swung lots of clubs through the air, whirled through the air on the trapeze and clowns entertained the audience. The circus is here. The large tent was set up on the meadow in front of the village; the group with the posters was there beforehand to draw attention to the event. Come in. Sensations await. The children's faces were flushed. The anticipation was written on everyone's faces and the troubled parents had no chance. They had to go to the circus and then enjoyed the joy of their pupils. Yes, it was an experience to be able to be so close. A single amazement with huge eyes and also with the small, tickling feeling of fear when the tiger, just a few meters away, started to jump. A small press on the TV remote control has long since sufficed and the circus is in the living room. Any circus, because the program makers have long been outdoing each other with artificially inflated promotions, in which many celebrities are not afraid to make a fool of themselves. As well-trained as before, they do everything that the interested audience might like. The number of tickets sold is no longer the determining factor for the success or failure of a show, but rather the audience ratings set the pace. It's definitely sporty and admittedly there are certainly attractive services offered by committed recreational athletes. The IOC's watchful eye This is probably why people in Lausanne, the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), keep a close eye on the formats on offer on television. After all, you have to and want to keep up with the times and, above all, you want to get the world's young people more and more excited about the Olympic Games, which is why more and more new sports are being added to the Olympic program that have one thing in common: you are strange and sometimes even riotous. Just as if you could attract young people especially when things are uncouth and wild. An example for me is extreme slalom in a canoe, also known as boater cross. In at least the same boats, four canoeists, or of course female canoeists, first plunge over a ramp into the whitewater canal. That looks a bit spectacular. Then the hunt begins for the first gate, which is marked by a plastic sausage. All four want to get through at once, which of course isn't possible and automatically leads to chaos when going around the upward gates. To an intentional chaos, mind you. Now the law of the strongest finally applies. Anyone who is able to ram the opponent with their own boat and push them out of the ideal line in order to create an advantage for themselves can feel like a clever canoeist. Only hitting with the paddle is not allowed, but otherwise: open fire in the ice channel. Intentional aggression? Yes, because you can't win a gold medal in this competition with caresses, because that's what it's all about. Medals in extreme canoeing will be awarded at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. A fatal sign at this time It is not a good sign in these times of military conflict in Europe that you can be crowned Olympic champion if you successfully drive in your competitor's parade. Injuries cannot be ruled out. The Czech world-class canoeist Tereza Fizerova, for example, was hit so hard by the tip of an opposing boat just next to the right eye during the race in Prague that she bled. The cut had to be sewn. A week later the wound was still heavily bandaged. And it's not even nice to look at, this complete mess at the directional gates. It's a hullabaloo that unfortunately reflects the spirit of the times. Consideration or respect seem to be values that are also neglected by the IOC when it comes to quotas. In order to stay in the water, tradition is going down the drain. The Nordic combined is threatened with elimination from the Olympics, also fueled by the fact that women are not allowed to take part in this discipline. The modern pentathlon is on the brink if it doesn't change completely to where the IOC wants it: into a circus-like show that is supposed to throw old traditions into the trash. Everything should be spectacular, unique, even dramatic. More and more. The clear, clean, sporting conflicts in the past often provided unforgettable Olympic moments. The “hundredth drama” in Lake Placid in 1980 between the Swede Thomas Wassberg and the Finnish giant Juha Mieto has long been history. Or, most recently, the awarding of two gold medals in the high jump in Tokyo for Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) and the Italian Gianmarco Tamberi. A gesture that moved us to tears. There are thousands of stories like this. Olympic moments with goosebumps guaranteed. This does not require artificially generated pseudo-stress moments with a canoe. Just returning to the existing program would have enough adventure potential with circus moments that you will never forget.

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Canoeing is becoming a circus

The IOC continues to try to win over young people with new formats that throw traditions overboard. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich sees the example of extreme canoeing as a clear aberration towards a circus that is getting out of control.

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