Rhythmic gymnastics and synchronised swimming

[JellySaurus]

Two amazing disciplines that are never available to watch on TV. Watching the news last night, when the first ever British medal in synchro was reported, the connection was suddenly obvious: these are women's disciplines. I can't think of any other reason not to bother televising these incredible athletes.

Artistic gymnastics is highly visible (and highly enjoyable!) but rhythmic gymnastics always gets less coverage.

Just be careful you don't inspire them to actually take it up. I'm in Germany and rhythmic gymnastics is hell for parents and honestly kids too. It's a Russian dominated sport and most teachers are in that mold- utterly merciless military drill sergeants and completely intolerant of anyone wanting to pursue the sport for recreational motives but not devote their whole lives to it.

"I went to see Artistic Swimming ( not a great name change btw IOC, do you call synchronised diving Artistic Diving, er, no you don’t) as a test event at the 2012 Olympics and was won over, it is incredible, they perform a mix of swimming/ gymnastics/ free diving and they do it smiling!"

The governing swimming body has changed the name to Artistic Swimming - that's not on the IOC.

BBC R4’s Women’s Hour had a section on artistic swimming in the week.

It was about how men can do it too but they don’t get the same chances, or something. Obviously they interviewed a man about it.

No doubt they would have to break through prejudices, in the same way as women do who want to participate in sports traditionally associated with men.

I expect that mixed-sex synchro would end up rather like cheerleading: using the strength of the men and the flexibility of the women.

time.com/7004871/men-synchronized-swimming/

If you access iPlayer via a computer / laptop is it much quicker to find shows.

Then if you click on the option add to watchlist, when you go to iPlayer via your tv, you can quickley find the watchlist option and it should be there.

Haven't actually looked but they are listing coverage of all days of the Olympics. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b00cmh07/olympics?seriesId=b00cmh07-67-must-see

Though may help if you can find a timetable for the Olympics on line.

There's probably a better one than this, but it shows which days events were held.

https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/grid

That's great, thanks @IwantToRetire .

Everything viques said. And yes the coverage of rhythmic gymnastics has been minimal.

I don't know why men aren't encouraged to do these things just as much as women, when men do do things like figure skating (very rhythmic and artistic, glittery, arty and floaty costumes galore including for men), ballroom dancing (likewise) and street dance troupes (artistic, rhythmic, teamwork, costumes). A man doing an artistic/rhythmic and decorative floor routine would be pretty similar to a man doing solo figure skating. Male synchronised swimming could be really brilliant - males and females might have different strengths or styles but that would make it even more interesting. I can't see any reason for men not doing these, when the arty/dance/glam aspect of it is there in other disciplines men do.

A man doing an artistic/rhythmic and decorative floor routine would be pretty similar to a man doing solo figure skating.

And if you think of solos by men in ballet (I dont think they get that many) they are both athletic and arty! And quite muscular.

So no need for sequins or whatever if that is a hurdle too far.

Male ballet soloists get to do rather a lot, as it happens - my friend's son is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet by the way.

Well that just shows I dont know much about ballet.

The bits I've seen they just seem to be helping women jump, or carrying them around (not unlike skating in fact)!