Ah, the Olympic Games; the biennial international showcase that raises world class athletes onto a literal pedestal above mere mortals, that catapults them to immortality. Oh, and takes over our TV output so that half of the time, were practically forced to watch. We have respect in abundance for the feats these athletes go on to achieve at the Olympics; we just wish that some of the games could be made that little bit more white-knuckle. Is it such a huge ask? Nothingtoo major. Here are ten little changes to some of these sacred competitions that we feel would make for an infinitely more exciting highlight reel.
10. Diving
Why it Sucks: The athlete steps out onto the board, readies their jump, launches into it their chosen dive before hitting the water preferably with a minimal splash and well thats it. Its hardly edge of your seat stuff but with a few minor tweaks theres a way to transform Olympic Diving into something far more breath-taking. And dangerous; dont forget dangerous. How to Make it More Exciting: The diving competition is hosted on (and off of, of course) Londons iconic Tower Bridge, which has a height of 42m and a clearance of 8.6m making it at least technically feasible and nothing could make a sporting event more exciting than adding an element of death defiance. And with the average competitive diving board height standing at 10m, the extra time in the air could make for extra aerial acrobatics! Potential Issues: Well of course I cant imagine every athlete would be able to defy death so brazenly; youre not only contending with the impact of the water, youve also got the undercurrent to worry about. But hey, if anyone could deal with it, itd be the divers.
