Now this is just sad

Wonderful thinking, I mean, look at all the terrible accidents from the trained shooters!!!! The humanity!!!

Oh wow. That is disgusting. I guess it will be a better judge of the athlete since lasers go pretty much the same spot every time and any (nonexistent) safety issues would be cleared up, but it's sad to see tradition get hucked out of the window.

Maybe in the name of " safety " the athletes should use a Wii type simulator instead of
those dangerous snow boards, downhill skis and the like.

Stu-pid

Mothers of America strikes again. Now about this javelin event...

One more reason to boycott this travesty, and all who advertise there.

Are handguns banned in the UK? I think they are, maybe not I'm not sure.
Maybe this has something to do with that since the Olympics are there

Gotta question... Don't lasers make you go blind?

Don't they realize that using laser pistols completely eliminates the skill of shooting from the competition? Anybody can put a dot on a target, it takes skill to put a bullet there.

Georgie Patton be rolling over in his grave.

Even worse:

(From the caption to the picture in the article, emphasis added)

Pentathletes currently use air pistols in the sport's finale, the combined event

Click to expand...

They're not even replacing firearms, they're replacing the air guns. I know air guns can still be dangerous, but come on...

So, this is a hint of things to come? Like "shooting" at targets with a flashlight in the name of safety? At least Wal-mart will always have batteries.

Just silly.
Russ

This is appalling! Do they plan to next train their police and military forces in laser tag arenas?

There is going overboard, and then there is this.

"Based on this new technology, all countries in the world can compete in our sport."

Click to expand...

Least common denominator mode, engage!

Umm part of the skill of shooting a pistol is anticipating the kick., Are they gonna install a kick-simulator as well. And yeah I got a laugh out of them replacing the bb guns (air pistols). I mean hey "youll shoot your eye out kid", somehow comes to mind. And javalins arent really that dangerous since they arent shaped like pistols, thats what this really comes down to Im sure. This just all seems so rediculous. Then again Im not trying to make light or downplay all the ppl that do die to guns every year. That is very tragic, they are weopons and can easily enough be missused. But I think that using weopons in the games is I think what they did in the ancient times. Im sure they didnt use fake arrows or javalins or discus. Those were the weopons of that day. I know many lives are taken every year either negligantly or malicously with handguns. But using laser pointer guns in this sport is going into the rediculous in my opinion.

I could see the lure for a second rate console arcade to go to laser guns so they can put ranges in cities .... but an Olympic Sport!?

War Squirrel said:

Oh wow. That is disgusting. I guess it will be a better judge of the athlete since lasers go pretty much the same spot every time and any (nonexistent) safety issues would be cleared up, but it's sad to see tradition get hucked out of the window.

Click to expand...

Hahaha, what?

When's the last time you played a "Deer Hunter" arcade game in an arcade? Or for that matter, how about those fakey M16's they use for the [edit=EST] ranges the military uses?

Switching to glorified Zappers. Disgusting.

rygould said:

This is appalling! Do they plan to next train their police and military forces in laser tag arenas?

There is going overboard, and then there is this.

Click to expand...

Uhh... they do.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyweapons/a/virtualcombat.htm

EST ranges.

ktmmudd said:

Maybe in the name of " safety " the athletes should use a Wii type simulator instead of
those dangerous snow boards, downhill skis and the like.

Click to expand...

They're saving this idea for the next Winter Olympics, after all the coverage that the biathlon got last time around.

In this vein, why not go all the way and replace the Olympics entirely with animation and be done with it?

Bullnettles said:

Gotta question... Don't lasers make you go blind?

Click to expand...

You'll burn your retina out, kid.

Well, as long as the laser can duplicate a trajectory arc, or simulate wind effect ...

Oh, wait ...

In their defense, I think that their safety concern was more about being able to put ranges in populated areas without worry. I don't think that they were worried about athletes shooting each other.

Gee, all those nasty evil black guns can just be so scary.

Maybe they should use frisbees for target paractice.

Or hacky-saks. Maybe Tie-Dye hacky saks.

shotgunjoel said:

In their defense, I think that their safety concern was more about being able to put ranges in populated areas without worry. I don't think that they were worried about athletes shooting each other.

Click to expand...

Bingo.

There's this quote in the article: "We can now hold competitions in parks and shopping malls."


I guess its for the children.......