Sir, – In his letter, Michael O'Keeffe (December 10th) says, "Baron de Coubertain must be spinning in his grave". Does he mean doing a headspin? – Yours, etc,
SUSAN ROSE,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – A correspondent appears to be miffed at the idea of the inclusion of breakdancing as an event at the 2024 Olympic games in Paris. While I have no natural grace or flair for dancing myself, from I what I have seen of this particular activity, it appears to require a high degree of fitness, dexterity and athleticism, not to mention incredible balance and control.
I cannot say that I would be over-eager to watch this competition at the next Olympic Games, in the same way that I will eschew other events such as equine dressage, pistol shooting or wrestling, I think that this particular sport qualifies for inclusion on the basis of the attributes outlined above.
It might interest your correspondent to know that poetry was an official Olympic event at the games held between 1912 to 1948, and its inclusion appears to have had no deleterious effect of Pierre de Coubertin, who was alive for six of the tournaments. – Yours, etc,
FRANK WALSH,
Coolballow,
Wexford.
Sir, – Given the number of sports whose place in the Olympics is questionable, such as soccer and basketball, to name but a few, to the outright nonsense, such as synchronised swimming, dressage, and now breakdancing, one would think room could be made for an infinitely more deserving candidate such as mixed martial arts, arguably today’s closest equivalent to the ancient Olympic Games’s pankration . – Yours, etc,
NICK BUCKNELL,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.