KAZAN, Russia — It makes no sense that the International Olympic Committee voted Beijing, a city devoid of snow, to be a Winter Games host but has resisted inviting high diving into the Summer Olympics. The men’s high-diving event on Wednesday at the FINA World Championship, won by Britain’s Gary Hunt, was more entertaining than puppy videos on YouTube.
How is it possible to reject a sport in which the athletes are constantly turning their tattoo-covered backs on spiffy judges dressed in white pants, button-down shirts, ties and blue jackets, even if it’s only to set up for an inward dive?