Blame Martin Short

Why is there no men's synchronized swimming competition at the Olympics?

An alarming number of people, including Toronto's handful of male synchronized swimmers, would blame a Saturday Night Live sketch by Martin Short and Harry Shearer for forever preventing men in nose plugs to be taken seriously.

Boxing has broken the last gender barrier for women at the Olympics this year, though, and now men are demanding equality.

Stephen Adshead, manager of the U.K.'s only male synchronized swimming team, the Out to Swim Angels  set up three years ago, has written to the IOC asking for equal time. Limiting synchronized swimming to just women is "blatant inequality and unfair," he wrote.

(The two-man Breathless Synchro Toronto team, founded by Andrew Delaware, competed at the World OutGames in 2009. At the time, Delaware joked: "Martin Short should be shot." His parner, Nathan Doidge, called it "fast-paced, demanding exercise.)

There's also a push on to include men's rhythmic gymnastics, which is different from the women's version. Based on martial arts, men's rhythmic gymnastics has the support of the Japanese Gymnastics Association to get it included.

 

 

Comments

[robi]

That Short / Shearer skit was hilarious. Next time I hear about women's ski jumping not being in the Winter Olympics I'll have something to come back with. Fair is fair afterall.

[Paul]

You gotta admit....it's a hilarious skit!!

[Whitney]

I don't think the IOC should include any sports that don't have components for both genders. How much of a sport can it be if you can't find ANY willing competitors to represent both genders. Besides, by having the sports available at the highest level, you will eventually breed more talented athletes. Maybe the answer to these sports is to mix them, like equestrian.

[talkic]

The skit is hilarious!