Olympic sports

Ideas For Olympics Backyard Games
2012 Olympics

10 Events For Your Own Backyard Olympics

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One of the ironies of the Summer Olympics is that so many sports fans show their support for US athletes by gluing themselves to the TV and turning into couch potatoes for the duration of the games. Sure, getting together with friends and neighbors to watch the Olympics is great, but you can bring the fun and fitness to a higher level by hosting your own backyard Olympic games as well.

WATCH: Raising an Olympian: Lolo Jones

"Let's support Team USA not just by cheering them on at home, but by striving to live up to the examples they set," the first lady said last week in a video message. "Let's encourage our children to get active just like their Olympic heroes." Keep reading for the rest of the story.

Olympic Sports With Judges Plagued by Controversy
Poll

Should Sports With Judges Be Allowed in the Olympics?

It was nail-biting watching the men's figure skating competition this year.
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It was nail-biting watching the men's figure skating competition this year. In the end, Evan Lysacek took home the gold — a decision that wasn't without controversy. Many argue that at its core, figure skating is not a sport, in part because the winner is determined by a group of judges. Often, the judges disagree and it's questionable how impartial they can really be — remember the huge judging scandal that plagued the 2002 Winter games? Try as they may to revamp the scoring system, there is always controversy: some felt that Evgeni Plushenko should have skated away with gold, while others said Johnny Weir was cheated out of a better standing.

Some say that the only way to have a fair Olympics is to get rid of any sport that relies on judges, turning them into demonstration sports instead. That way, medal standings are determined solely by an athlete's performance: who crosses the finish line first and which team scores the most points. No one doubted the gold medal victories achieved by Lindsey Vonn, Hannah Kearney, or Bode Miller — it was clear as day that each of them finished first.

What do you think . . .

Poll of Winter Olympic Sports
Poll

Which Olympic Sport Are You Most Excited to See?

I know, I know.
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I know, I know. I can't shut up about the Winter Olympics. But with the Vancouver games only two days away, can you blame me? Highlights and popular events will be shown during the evening, but I want to make sure I DVR events that won't make it onto primetime. I've been studying the schedule of the two-week competition to map out my viewing and recording times. Can we say OOCD (Olympic Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)?

This year I am most excited to see the snowboarding events. Team USA always shreds this competition, and with athletes like Gretchen Bleiler, Shaun White, Kelly Clark, and Hannah Teter reppin' us, I definitely see lots of gold coming our way. How about you — which event are you most excited to see?