What Olympic sports do you enjoy watching the most?
As an avid sportsperson who earns a living in sport, my answer might surprise you.
First, though, a caveat: I find all sport fascinating. Humans seem to relish that instinctive “I’m better than you” drive.
As a youngster, I was obsessed with swimming. Competition consumed my thoughts. I remember watching the Montreal Olympics on TV and knowing, with absolute certainty, that I had to be there one day. And I was—by 1988. It was incredible.
Imagine so many different types of human beings gathered in one place. Around ten thousand athletes lived in the Olympic Village, so it wasn’t unusual to see a seven-foot-tall basketball player followed by a tiny four-and-a-half-foot gymnast. Cyclists with thighs bigger than their waists, and national flags on tracksuits everywhere you looked.
Now, to my favourite part. In the Olympic Village, the TV feed isn’t controlled by networks like NBC, BBC, or CBC. Instead, it’s the live feed—the raw broadcast that gets sold to those networks. It covers all sports across multiple channels, almost like a precursor to what we now have with YouTube. In the Village, you can watch any sport that’s happening live.
What many people don’t realise is just how many events are taking place at once. Coverage today is far better, but back then—when you actually had to get up off the couch to change channels—you were limited to whatever a network decided to show.
I watched a wide variety of sports, and one that really captivated me was archery. I had assumed it was similar to shooting: straight lines, straight at the target. But the clue is in the name—the arch of the arrow’s flight is everything. An arrow travels in a long curve, so it must be aimed upward, adjusted side-to-side, and weighted correctly. It’s incredibly precise and surprisingly difficult.
I’m also fascinated by the ancient Olympics—the question didn’t specify which era, after all.
One event in particular stands out: pankration.
Pankration was the premier event of the ancient Games. It was brutal—essentially a fight to the death. Almost anything was allowed, except eye gouging. Boxing, wrestling and toughness. Victory came if your opponent died or submitted. Breaking fingers was a well-known tactic. This was a sport for warriors—the fighting men of ancient armies.
Different eras, different rules—but the same timeless truth: sport is, and always has been, about proving who we are.
swimcoachingblog 