Sport or Not A Sport: Winter Olympics Edition, Part 1

Sport: "Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively."

Alpine Skiing - Definitely a sport, and one that requires much more athleticism than you might expect.

Biathlon - The classic combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. I'm not really sure if rifle shooting should count as a sport (because of the physical activity requirement), but the cross-country skiing part makes the biathlon a sport.

Bobsleigh - I'm not sure about this one. It starts off well enough with a sprint to get the sled started, but after that it all depends upon the design of the sled (an engineering contest) and the ability of the driver (a skill contest?).

Cross-Country Skiing - Now there's a sport.

Curling - This is another tough call. Curling is somewhat reminiscent of shuffle boarding. Is shuffle boarding really a sport? Hmmm.

Figure Skating - Just because you're on ice, it doesn't make dancing a sport. In addition, events 100% dependent upon judging to determine who wins cannot be considered true sports (that may just be my rule, but it's a good one). Not a sport.

Freestyle Skiing - A race where half the score is determined by judged style and another quarter of the score is determined by two "acrobatic manoeuvres." Imagine a 400-meter race where Michael Johnson crosses the finish line first by 15 meters, but doesn't even get a medal because of his poor style and his failed pirouette attempts during the race. Not a sport.