The Olympics desperately needs a cull and not additions. A few principles I’d go with. Starting with most important, being an OG event trumps all.
1. Any original (as in Ancient Greek) event is safe if it’s already in. Wrestling and boxing stay, you don’t get to drop the OG events.
2. If there’s a higher and more prestigious international venue, it goes. This sucks because I like the sports, but still. We have the World Cup, we have Majors, we have Grand Slams. The games need to be without a doubt the best athletes, if you consider sitting out the games in a sport that means the Olympics aren’t the venue for the sport.
3. No animals. Bye equestrian. Bring back chariot racing and we will talk. Modern pentathlon gets a waiver because it’s got four other disciplines and the test to be a Napoleonic courier is super cool— no arguing that. But horse dancing has to go.
4. If there are two versions of a sport in the games, the older and more prestigious stays. Goodbye 3x3, table tennis, beach volleyball, etc. Time to winnow adjective sports that are more like recreational activities than Olympics worthy.
5. If there are “judges” vice “referees,” it needs to go. We can grandfather in gymnastics and ice skating to keep the ratings up, but breakdance and artistic swimming and the like gotta go.
6. Finally calories expended. There’s gotta be a cutoff. I love you shooting and archery, but that’s an impressive skill and not athleticism. Combine it for modern pentathlon or biathalon and we are cooking.