Every adult in Britain has been entered into the Olympics lottery.

[LubaLuca]

Twelve months before the Olympics start you receive a letter to tell you which event you'll be taking part in. You are given paid leave and childcare, and all equipment is provided. Like jury service, this is not optional.

Which event would you most want to be picked for, and which would be your worst nightmare?

I’m up for the 4 man bob. I bring plenty of extra weight to help us go faster downhill.

If they could reinstate some old categories, then painting please!

Copied and pasted from the internet
"At every Olympics between 1912 and 1948, sporting events weren't the only kind of competition. Artists competed in artistic events that included five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture. The artwork was required to fit the sports theme of the Olympics, and it often depicted sporting events, while the architects designed mostly sports venues. The only American to medal was architect Charles Downing Lay who won silver in the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin for his design “Marine Park in Brooklyn.” Since only amateur artists were allowed to enter the Olympics, the competitions didn't garner much attention from the professional art world. Judging was often inconsistent, and people were more interested in the actual sports, so after 1948, the art competition became an exhibition held concurrently with the Olympic Games. None of the 151 medals won from the art competition are counted towards any country’s medal count, and they have all been removed from Olympic records."

I have no interest in sport but I'd happily watch competitive painting or music.

@CaptainCallisto

DH reckons he'd be good at badminton or shot-put, and would suck at any kind of gymnastics or trampolining. Personally, I think it would be hilarious to watch him try rhythmic gymnastics

Yes, I'm quite enjoying the utter hilarity of the idea of my DH doing rhythmic gymnastics too. He said he didn't fancy any of the water ones, as he'd die, and he can't ride a bike so cycling events would be problematic. He quite fancies the ones with balls (ooer) - tennis, football, table tennis, the one that looks like softball (is it softball?), hockey.

Shooting for me, I have won many a cuddly toy in my time
Worst for me would be the pole vault, just how???

My nightmare would be the marathon. I'd love to do the floor dance bit of the gymnastics. When I was a kid I'd make up my own routines, move the furniture and perform them in the living room to my parents classical tapes.

@CliffsofMohair.

You guessed right.
Definitely in with a chance of medals (plural) in the rowing and even more in the coming years. 🤞

If I could also turn the clock back 40 years my choice would be hockey.
Worst would be gymnastics, I'd be like an unco-ordinated baby elephant on the apparatus.

Probably middle distance, I have a decent 5k time, but also a chronic respiratory condition. Would hate swimming or horses. Relay might be fun, since you're not on your own.

Just discussed this with DH and DS. Both said the high diving was the worst because of the budgie smugglers and all the things that could go wrong. DS wants to skateboard or snowboard. DH said curling because he thinks it is achievable. I’d do archery or synchronised swimming. I would hate to have to do gymnastics (beam, parallel bars), though the comedy potential would be huge.

The luge

I'd choose the 1500m but I would really like to sidestep the high jump. #notgoodwithheights 😳

Dressage - heck, I can ride a bit

Pole vault? Hahahahahahaha. No.

Best : Running With Scissors - no-one has been trained to-do this from a young age, quite the reverse in fact. Whilst I, in order to infuriate my Mother, have been doing it for years.
Worst : Tidying a Bedroom.

I'm not sure that either of the above are actual Olympic Sports - but if they aren't, they ruddy well should be.

The marathon 😊

Boxing. I’m in the mood for twatting someone. 🥊

Ooh it's hard to choose a favourite.

Any of the althletics
Weightlifting
Anything equestrian
Gymnastics

Absolute worst would be tennis 😴

@lljkk

Dream: kayaking, rowing, maybe MTB Nightmare: anything involving heights

Oooh I forgot about MTB. I'm adding that to my list. Probably replacing rugby which I don't think is an olympic sport....

@tedsletterofthelaw

Ooh it's hard to choose a favourite.

Any of the althletics
Weightlifting
Anything equestrian
Gymnastics

Absolute worst would be tennis 😴

Oh and I've just read the OP properly realising it's not watching the event but taking part. That changes things!

Best: Probably still weightlifting or something like shotput

Worst: anything that involves running

I don't do sport, so I'd happily pack stuff up at the end. We'd lose at any sport I was entered into as a competitor, terrible idea, haha.

Recommend listening to Matthew Sweet's "PE - A history of violence" which accurately describes my experience of and attitude to physical activity www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002g6z

Jo

Ooh... archery I would have a go at. I would never ever ever manage high jump

I was district champion for shotput and discus, my shoulders ain’t what they used to be but still remember the technique.
I used to be in a trampolining club also when I was younger, competing and such.
Anything running would be a straight up no for me.

Great idea for a thread OP

I'd happily have a go at marathons (swimming and running), 10k running, triathlon and climbing. Road cycling if I had to. I would love to have a go at track cycling though, hurtling round in a circle with no brakes - ideally one of the more exciting races like madison or keirin.

I cannot do anything that involves hand-eye coordination - tennis, hockey, any ball sports tbh, I would be humiliatingly bad. I was once persuaded to join in on beach volleyball on holiday and was so awful it makes me feel hot to think about

I would be that person in the cycling who didn't move when everyone else shot off, but instead slowly toppled over unable to save myself thanks to my feet being strapped to the pedals. While dressed as an extra from a Pet Shop Boys video.

I'll have a go at the sprint walking. Just tell me John Lewis have got a sale on and the first 150 people inside win their bodyweight in Hourglass cosmetics. [elbows competition to the floor, tramples over their inert bodies]

Oooooh! I’d like to have a go at a running event.

I’m severely allergic to horses, so I should probably rule out equestrian sports… but actually diving would be worse, and I’d be more upset if I got that.

I would want to do gymnastics.

I wouldn't want to do running or swimming or cycling.