2964: Olympic Sports - Revision history

81.179.199.253: /* Explanation */

2026-05-16T18:22:21Z

‎Explanation

211.30.61.129: /* Explanation */

2026-05-16T06:33:29Z

‎Explanation

211.30.61.129: /* Explanation */

2026-05-16T06:32:19Z

‎Explanation

211.30.61.129: /* Explanation */

2026-05-16T06:27:10Z

‎Explanation

Xurkitree10: /* Transcript */

2024-10-07T13:55:26Z

‎Transcript

172.70.86.132: /* Explanation */ Depends how badly the first crash went...

2024-09-24T14:19:50Z

‎Explanation: Depends how badly the first crash went...

Tromag at 14:14, 24 September 2024

2024-09-24T14:14:40Z

108.162.220.101 at 12:20, 7 August 2024

2024-08-07T12:20:40Z

162.158.91.2: oops

2024-08-07T03:48:38Z

oops

162.158.90.254: /* Explanation */ Do NOT delete the incomplete tag too soon

2024-08-07T03:47:40Z

‎Explanation: Do NOT delete the incomplete tag too soon

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 |rowspan=5| Not that funny || {{w|Rowing}} - One or more people row a boat to a destination.|| The person would struggle to row effectively, falling out of cadence and fouling the oars of the other rowers in their boat. However, if Randall competed in the single sculls, such coordination would not be an issue, and he would likely just be much slower than the other competitors. Or fall in the water.
 |-
-| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layperson watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil & sabre) use a codified system of {{w|Priority (fencing)#ranking moves}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
+| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layperson watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil and sabre) use a codified system of {{w|Priority (fencing)#ranking moves}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
 |-
 | {{w|Weightlifting}} - Contestants lift weights, which, in the Olympics, get heavier with each round, until all but one fail to lift.|| They might just fail to lift the weights or injure their back.
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 ''The comic illustrates this by having Randall putt and miss the hole at very close range.''
 |-
-| {{w|Archery}} - Using a bow and arrow, contestants attempt to hit a target with as much accuracy as possible.|| Arrows might miss the target, but this wouldn't be particularly amusing (unless Randall forgoes armbraces & discovers the bowstring's propensity for smacking the inside of his wrist after releasing it).
+| {{w|Archery}} - Using a bow and arrow, contestants attempt to hit a target with as much accuracy as possible.|| Arrows might miss the target, but this wouldn't be particularly amusing (unless Randall forgoes armbraces and discovers the bowstring's propensity for smacking the inside of his wrist after releasing it).
 ----
 ''The comic shows Randall missing all his shots on the target.''
@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 | {{w|Freestyle BMX}} - Contestants ride BMX bikes and perform various tricks, and are then judged by trick quality.|| He would likely fail to perform even basic tricks, and any attempts to do so would result in one or more crashes.
 |-
-| {{w|Pommel horse}} - Using a gymnastic device somewhat similar to a horse, gymnasts perform various tricks.|| They might awkwardly flop around, fall off, or lose their balance & risk crushing {{tvtropes|GroinAttack|a particularly squashy part}} of their anatomy, which could, depending on one's sense of humor, the context, & the exact aesthetics of the incident, elicit laughter.
+| {{w|Pommel horse}} - Using a gymnastic device somewhat similar to a horse, gymnasts perform various tricks.|| They might awkwardly flop around, fall off, or lose their balance and risk crushing {{tvtropes|GroinAttack|a particularly squashy part}} of their anatomy, which could, depending on one's sense of humor, the context, and the exact aesthetics of the incident, elicit laughter.
 ----
 ''Randall is depicted awkwardly perched atop a pommel horse with a leg extended.

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 |rowspan=5| Not that funny || {{w|Rowing}} - One or more people row a boat to a destination.|| The person would struggle to row effectively, falling out of cadence and fouling the oars of the other rowers in their boat. However, if Randall competed in the single sculls, such coordination would not be an issue, and he would likely just be much slower than the other competitors. Or fall in the water.
 |-
-| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layman watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil & sabre) use a codified system of {{w|Priority (fencing) ranking moves}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
+| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layperson watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil & sabre) use a codified system of {{w|Priority (fencing)#ranking moves}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
 |-
 | {{w|Weightlifting}} - Contestants lift weights, which, in the Olympics, get heavier with each round, until all but one fail to lift.|| They might just fail to lift the weights or injure their back.

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 |rowspan=5| Not that funny || {{w|Rowing}} - One or more people row a boat to a destination.|| The person would struggle to row effectively, falling out of cadence and fouling the oars of the other rowers in their boat. However, if Randall competed in the single sculls, such coordination would not be an issue, and he would likely just be much slower than the other competitors. Or fall in the water.
 |-
-| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layman watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil & epeè) use a codified, intricate system of {{w|Priority (fencing)#Prioritisation}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
+| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layman watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil & sabre) use a codified system of {{w|Priority (fencing) ranking moves}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
 |-
 | {{w|Weightlifting}} - Contestants lift weights, which, in the Olympics, get heavier with each round, until all but one fail to lift.|| They might just fail to lift the weights or injure their back.

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 |rowspan=5| Not that funny || {{w|Rowing}} - One or more people row a boat to a destination.|| The person would struggle to row effectively, falling out of cadence and fouling the oars of the other rowers in their boat. However, if Randall competed in the single sculls, such coordination would not be an issue, and he would likely just be much slower than the other competitors. Or fall in the water.
 |-
-| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layman watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout.
+| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layman watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil & epeè) use a codified, intricate system of {{w|Priority (fencing)#Prioritisation}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
 |-
 | {{w|Weightlifting}} - Contestants lift weights, which, in the Olympics, get heavier with each round, until all but one fail to lift.|| They might just fail to lift the weights or injure their back.

@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 ==Transcript==
 :[A header is above three panels, with each panel containing a title at the top of how funny it would be, a bullet list of five sports, and one or two depictions of Cueball performing sports from that list.]
 :Header: Olympic Sports ranked by how funny it would be if I, a regular person without athletic training, snuck onto the team to compete:

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 ''Randall is shown completely unable to control his horse. He is in the process of falling off and is flailing his arms.
 |-
-| {{w|Freestyle BMX}} - Contestants ride BMX bikes and perform various tricks, and are then judged by trick quality.|| He would likely fail to perform even basic tricks, and any attempts to do so would result in a series of crashes.
+| {{w|Freestyle BMX}} - Contestants ride BMX bikes and perform various tricks, and are then judged by trick quality.|| He would likely fail to perform even basic tricks, and any attempts to do so would result in one or more crashes.
 |-
 | {{w|Pommel horse}} - Using a gymnastic device somewhat similar to a horse, gymnasts perform various tricks.|| They might awkwardly flop around, fall off, or lose their balance & risk crushing {{tvtropes|GroinAttack|a particularly squashy part}} of their anatomy, which could, depending on one's sense of humor, the context, & the exact aesthetics of the incident, elicit laughter.

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 | {{w|Weightlifting}} - Contestants lift weights, which, in the Olympics, get heavier with each round, until all but one fail to lift.|| They might just fail to lift the weights or injure their back.
 |-
-| {{w|Golf}} - Contestants attempt to use golf clubs to hit a golf ball into one or more holes in as small a number of hits as possible.|| They would likely miss the ball or hit poorly, due to an incorrect stance/swing when hitting, using a club whose loft (angle of the front face) is inappropriate, or just basic lack of skill.
+| {{w|Golf}} - Contestants attempt to use golf clubs to hit a golf ball into one or more holes in as small a number of hits as possible.|| The worst case scenario would be simply failing to hit the ball. If he did make contact, the ball would likely fail to go in the right direction and/or fail to achieve the right distance.
 ----
 ''The comic illustrates this by having Randall putt and miss the hole at very close range.''
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 |rowspan=5| Pretty funny || {{w|Swimming}} - Contestants swim to a destination or complete lengths as fast as possible.|| They might struggle to stay afloat (particularly in open water swimming, where they would be buffeted by other contestants) or {{w|Eric Moussambani|swim awkwardly}}. They are also likely to have a markedly different physique to the other competitors, which would have a comic effect.
 |-
-| {{w|Long jump}} - Contestants, with a running start, attempt to jump as far as possible.|| They would likely make a very short jump, or perhaps foul every jump.
+| {{w|Long jump}} - Contestants, with a running start, attempt to jump as far as possible.|| They would likely make a very short jump, or perhaps foul every jump, and possibly trip and land in the pit.
 |-
-| {{w|Pole vault}} - Using a bendable pole, contestants attempt to propel (vault) themselves over a bar.|| They might miss the plant and end up dropping the pole and running under the bar. If they did manage to get some lift, but failed to get enough to reach the mat, it would probably be concerning, rather than funny.
+| {{w|Pole vault}} - Using a bendable pole, contestants attempt to propel (vault) themselves over a bar.|| An untrained person attempting to pole vault would very likely miss the plant altogether, and simply run headlong into the bar. Even if he managed to plant the pole, attempting to hold onto it would likely result in him being knocked off his feet.
 |-
 | {{w|Diving}} - Contestants attempt to fulfil multiple criteria while diving into water.|| Awkward or painful-looking dives could ensue. Potential for injury would be high.
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 |rowspan=5| Incredibly funny || {{w|Figure skating}} [The only Winter Olympic discipline featured in the main comic] Competitors perform artistic routines set to music while skating on an ice rink, and are judged on a combination of skating skill, composition, and presentation. || They might slip and fall continually on the ice, with a high risk for sprained joints or bone fractures. This might have particular comic potential if Randall were skating as part of a pair, awkwardly attempting to lift and spin a partner, or perhaps doing nothing but being lifted and dragged around by them.
 |-
-| {{w|Horizontal bar}} - A horizontal bar is used to perform gymnastics.|| They might fail to perform any flips or lose their grip on the bar, falling to the safety mats below. In all likelihood, having been lifted to the bar, they would simply hang helplessly beneath it, managing minimal swings backwards and forwards.
+| {{w|Horizontal bar}} - A horizontal bar is used to perform gymnastics.|| An untrained person would likely struggle to even hold onto the bar, and would likely be able to do no more than swing back and forth until they lost their grip.
 |-
-| {{w|Equestrian sports}} - Various activities involving the use of horses.|| They might struggle to control the horse or fall/get thrown off.
+| {{w|Equestrian sports}} - Various activities involving the use of horses.|| Attempting any jumps or tricks without training would likely result in failure to control the horse, and most likely end with the riding falling off or being thrown off.
 ----
 ''Randall is shown completely unable to control his horse. He is in the process of falling off and is flailing his arms.
 |-
-| {{w|Freestyle BMX}} - Contestants ride BMX bikes and perform various tricks, and are then judged by trick quality.|| They might crash or fail to perform tricks.
+| {{w|Freestyle BMX}} - Contestants ride BMX bikes and perform various tricks, and are then judged by trick quality.|| He would likely fail to perform even basic tricks, and any attempts to do so would result in a series of crashes.
 |-
 | {{w|Pommel horse}} - Using a gymnastic device somewhat similar to a horse, gymnasts perform various tricks.|| They might awkwardly flop around, fall off, or lose their balance & risk crushing {{tvtropes|GroinAttack|a particularly squashy part}} of their anatomy, which could, depending on one's sense of humor, the context, & the exact aesthetics of the incident, elicit laughter.

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:20, 7 August 2024
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|Created by a BUNCH OF XKCD EDITORS AND POSSIBLE TROLLS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}~~
−
	This comic was officially published on the day of the opening ceremony of the {{w\|2024 Summer Olympics\|2024 Paris (Summer) Olympics}}, though it actually appeared early the following day.		This comic was officially published on the day of the opening ceremony of the {{w\|2024 Summer Olympics\|2024 Paris (Summer) Olympics}}, though it actually appeared early the following day.

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 | {{w|Pommel horse}} - Using a gymnastic device somewhat similar to a horse, gymnasts perform various tricks.|| They might awkwardly flop around, fall off, or lose their balance & risk crushing {{tvtropes|GroinAttack|a particularly squashy part}} of their anatomy, which could, depending on one's sense of humor, the context, & the exact aesthetics of the incident, elicit laughter.
 ----
-''Randall is depicted awkwardly perched atop a pommel horse with a leg extended.|}
+''Randall is depicted awkwardly perched atop a pommel horse with a leg extended.
 The title text may be a reference to ski jumper {{w|Vinko Bogataj}}, whose spectacular crash at a (non-Olympic) {{w|Ski_flying|ski flying}} event in 1970 in Oberstdorf, (then) West Germany became emblematic of the expression "the agony of defeat" in the opening narration of the popular US television program "{{w|Wide World of Sports (American TV program)|Wide World of Sports}}". Alternatively the reference may be to {{w|Eddie the Eagle}}, whose poor performance in the {{w|Ski_jumping|ski jump}} at the {{w|1988 Winter Olympics}} led to the introduction of a rule requiring entrants to be ranked internationally in the top 50 and top 30%.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ==Explanation==
 This comic was officially published on the day of the opening ceremony of the {{w|2024 Summer Olympics|2024 Paris (Summer) Olympics}}, though it actually appeared early the following day.
@@ Line 56: / Line 58: @@
 | {{w|Pommel horse}} - Using a gymnastic device somewhat similar to a horse, gymnasts perform various tricks.|| They might awkwardly flop around, fall off, or lose their balance & risk crushing {{tvtropes|GroinAttack|a particularly squashy part}} of their anatomy, which could, depending on one's sense of humor, the context, & the exact aesthetics of the incident, elicit laughter.
 ----
-''Depicted, Randall is awkwardly perched atop a pommel horse with the rather basic {{w|The_Lexicon_of_Comicana|agitrons}} surrounding him suggesting that he is wiggling some body parts but otherwise not moving much at all. However, he seems to be unaware of this, excitedly demanding that people look at what he presumably thinks is an impressive feat of athleticism.
+''Randall is depicted awkwardly perched atop a pommel horse with a leg extended.|}
 The title text may be a reference to ski jumper {{w|Vinko Bogataj}}, whose spectacular crash at a (non-Olympic) {{w|Ski_flying|ski flying}} event in 1970 in Oberstdorf, (then) West Germany became emblematic of the expression "the agony of defeat" in the opening narration of the popular US television program "{{w|Wide World of Sports (American TV program)|Wide World of Sports}}". Alternatively the reference may be to {{w|Eddie the Eagle}}, whose poor performance in the {{w|Ski_jumping|ski jump}} at the {{w|1988 Winter Olympics}} led to the introduction of a rule requiring entrants to be ranked internationally in the top 50 and top 30%.