Paintball and Olympics?

[Chamba]

How do you feel about paintball becoming an Olympic sport?

[Potatoboy]

Paintball will never be an Olympic sport. The Olympics will never accept a sport that is combat based. Before I get flamed for this, understand that marksmanship and martial arts (and anyone involved with them at a national or world level) are much more that just shooting or kicking. At that high of level "combat" doesn't play much of a role, it is just a battle of knowledge and skill. In my opinion, as much as I hate to say it, paintball currently at this point even at the "Pro" level is deeply rooted in combat type strategy.

Also the equipment involved poses a problem. The Olympic Committee has very specific rules as to what equipment can and can't be used. This would prove to be difficult because there would be some resistance from players who were told they must use a specific marker, mask, or paint.

These are just my feelings. Feel free to respond with your own. But due to these problems I personally *never* see paintball becoming an Olympic event.

[Cliffio]

not gonna happen

besides i mean it isnt a mainstream sport yet
i know some of the olympics arent but they have been around a long time

[diehard]

Paintball is just as much a sport as any other played in the olympics. I would love to see it there. The paintball community has to be able to seperate competion from fun. If you want to play for fun... play scenario and rec games. For the Rec or occasional player, paintball can be all about fantasy and fun (wargame). But for people who are serious about tournament play, it's a fierce competition. For instance... some people like to ski or swim because it is relaxing and fun. But, in the olympics it is about competition. It's the same with paintball. There are people who do it for fun and people who do it for competition, and I think that if the people who do it for comopetition want to play other countries for the right to say who's best, then the olympics should let them. After all that is what the Olympics is all about!

-Jake

Diehard Paintball (http://www.diehardpaint.com)

[mrhooie]

I didn't vote - but there wasn't an option for 'someday'

There's a few more sports in line in front of it and I think there'd have to be a few changes before it does go mainstream

[Potatoboy]

I agree with you in your spirit of the post diehard, but even on the tournament level the sport is still rooted in direct confrontational combat and war type themes. Whereas Judo for example is more based on the Technique rather than the combat itself. I don't think that currently, or anywhere in the foreseeable future that this has a place in the Olympics.

[cledford]

I used to be into IPSC and IDPA shooting - which is very combat oriented.

Although there are already several discipline of shooting sports in the both the Summer and Winter Olympics - the IOC sent a RESOUNDING NO back to the international group of practical shooters that were trying to get practical shooting added as just an exhibition sport.

The IOC point blank said that practical shooting is to "combat like" and not in the spirit of the games since it glorified killing.

I of course don't share these views - but I assume they'd port over to PB as well. What we need to do is get PB back into the X-Games, develop consistent reffing, and develop a media/TV/spectator friendly game format that people can easily follow.


-Calvin

[deded]

I don't want paintball to become an olympic sport. As I don't want it to be in the X-games or gravity games or whatever.

I have been skateboarding for a long long time, and believe me. The whole feeling of skateboarding was sooo much better before it became more of a mainstream thing. Sure there is more money in the sport, sure there are more people shopping at the skate shop I work at... but it totally ruins the sport IMHO.

If paintball is accepted as more mainstream, many things will happen. Stores like Copelands Sports will get Angel's and Cockers and Mags. Since these stores can aford advertising, lower markup and more things in stock, they will put smaller stores (like the ones you shop at now) out of business.

There will be an influx of kids with lots of money (even more then now) They will buy the best stuff and think only about who has the nicest marker at the field.

This is where it differs a little bit from skateboarding. The popularity of skateboarding has made some new skateparks pop up, but they are overcrowded due to its popularity. And a lot of the kids just get in the way, making a trip to the park a lot less fun. In paintball, there may be longer waits to play, Corporate Fields will open with high prices, and waiting time for play will be much longer. Sure you will get a chance to eliminate 1 million rich kids a second, but that gets old. And the rich kids will be on your team, too.


Anyway, this is just my over-the-top-woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed-conspiracy-theory-based-on-an-entirely-different-sport-rant.

So feel free not to read this post. :D

(but beware the corporate sponsorship)

[toymyster]

If it is played in enough countries they could accept it!!! And shooting sports, fencing, wrestling are all "combat oriented"!! However, I think paintball will make it to the X games long before the Olympics!!!

[MagMan5446]

Originally posted by toymyster
If it is played in enough countries they could accept it!!! And shooting sports, fencing, wrestling are all "combat oriented"!! However, I think paintball will make it to the X games long before the Olympics!!!


Uhhhhh, shooting sports are not combat based.

[Wc Keep]

i honestly feel that paintball will be in the x games and deserves to be in the x games. and when you look at speedball it really isnt "warlike" because you dont have people jumping out of trees and hiding in bushes waiting to kill you. and if copeland sports does get in angels that rich kid is gonna be forced to go to the small store for an angel tech keeping the little store in business and bring it new business cause i hate to admit it but i used to shop at the sports authority for paint. and then i started going to the little shop that i go to now and havent been to the sports authority since. as for the olympics it would be nice but its not gonna happen for a while.

[FooTemps]

I like paintball at the level of popularity it is right now. I like how it isn't very crowded at fields and the breaks between games are only 5-10 minutes. If there were more kids going to the fields then people might have to sit out and alternate playing...

[FeelTheRT]

Originally posted by FooTemps
I like paintball at the level of popularity it is right now. I like how it isn't very crowded at fields and the breaks between games are only 5-10 minutes. If there were more kids going to the fields then people might have to sit out and alternate playing...

if there were more people playing, there would be more people paying. With more people paying, theres more money to spend. With more money to spend, field operators are able to build more fields or build a whole new set of fields in a different location. With more fields and stores, more people will start playing and the cycle starts over again.

Also, if there are more people playing, more paint will be demanded, with more people buying paint, the paint industries will be richer and able to reduce price of paint even more.