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 U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn smiles after her run at the women’s first World Cup downhill alpine skiing race of the season in Lake Louise, Alberta. (REUTERS/Andy Clark) |
Olympic mania is reaching thrilling peaks with snowboarding pros busting out crazy, head-spinning air tricks and speed skaters dazzling viewers with remarkable performances, and now comes the hotness test to keep the games buzzing.
In a poll of its members, the international online dating site Lavalife has revealed which sporting events and Olympic athletes deserve 100% pure gold on the sexiness scale.
Doing a little Olympian ogling of your own lately?
Well I suspect you're not alone, but ladies, what's up with those crushes on figure skaters?
Someone, please help me understand how 39% of gals polled rated figure skating as the sexiest Olympic sport of all. Perhaps it's the flashy garb, sculpted gams, dramatic ballads and romantic silhouettes, but whatever the appeal, svelte folks pirouetting on skates seem to drive the ladies wild.
It's a hot number for guys too, with 74% of those polled selecting figure skating as the highest scoring sport for its sexiness.
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Seems guys in tights and gals in shrunken skating skirts is an irresistible combo indeed.
Next in line, men chose alpine skiing for the silver medal in terms of sex appeal at 11%, followed by snowboarding at 9% and hockey at just 7%.
The results vary slightly among women, who handed the rough-and-tumble hockey elite the second place prize on hotness title at 27%, followed by a bronze for snowboarding at 18%, and alpine skiing at 15%.
Who's the greatest .... err, sexiest ... of them all?
Forget about the battle of the sexes, Lavalife asked both men and women to weigh in on the sexiest male and female athletes flaunting their stuff at the 2010 Winter Games.
While just 10% of females ranked alpine skier Lindsey Vonn as the steamiest athlete making the wintery rounds, she proved more popular with the blokes, landing 41% of the vote, just behind Melissa Hollingsworth at 47%.
So who's grabbed the attention of the dames this time around?
Yep, Sid the Kid makes the gals melt.
Hockey star Sidney Crosby apparently has just the right combination of talent, mind-blowing skills and fresh-faced good looks to land him the gold for sex appeal, gaining a 55% approval rating. Not surprisingly, men gave Crosby a limp 7% on the sexiness scale.
Meanwhile another popular choice among the gals is alpine skier Bode Miller who received 24% of the female vote.
When sex sells athletes:
Sexualization of athletes is certainly nothing new. In fact, this saucy trend has crossed the sporting gamut, from tennis stars to basketball players and right on over to the baseball field. Sometimes it seems as thought curling may just be the only sport sex-amplification hasn't hit!
Throughout the years, attractive, six-pack wielding athletes have posed scantily-clad for magazine pictorials, popped up as the famous faces in print ads - pushing everything from bottled water and watches, to vehicles, razors, clothing lines and sporting gadgets — and strutted their stuff for TV commercials promoting any number of goodies.
So, when U.S. snowboarder Hannah Teter posed in Whistler B.C. recently for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the critical heat storm that followed was a little surprising.
In it, the 22-year-old blonde is captured wearing a variety of teeny, weeny bikinis and donning expressions ranging from sexy and sultry to playful and girl-next-door sweet.
While the Olympian is defending her right to strike a steamy-hot pose, some insist such overt sexualization of female athletes is going too far.
Teter told Reuters that she has no regrets for taking part in the shoot.
"I was really amped up to do that because I don't believe in the criminalization of bodies and women having to be ashamed of their bodies," she said. "That's just so wrong."
Meanwhile, the skin-barring issue also includes the washboard bellies and girlie curves of Olympians Lindsey Vonn; Clair Bidez and Lacy Schnoor. Skeptical of finding love online?
It worked for Peruvian Olympic cross-country skier Roberto Carcelen who fell in love on Lavalife. Carcelen and future wife Kate Clement (now Kate Carcelen) bonded seven years ago over instant messaging. The love struck Carcelen moved from Peru to the U.S. to be with Kate. The couple now lives in Seattle.
Sexiest Olympic sport?
MEN
Figure skating 74%
Alpine skiing 11%
Hockey 7%
Snowboarding 9%
*Total male votes: *601*
WOMEN
Figure skating 39%
Alpine skiing 15%
Hockey 27%
Snowboarding 18%
*Total female votes: *692*
Total - both genders:
Figure skating 55%
Alpine skiing 13%
Hockey 18%
Snowboarding 14%
*Total votes:*1293*
Sexiest Olympic athlete?
Men's opinions....
Lindsey Vonn (Alpine skiing) 41%
Melissa Hollingsworth (Skeleton) 47%
Sidney Crosby (Hockey) 7%
Bode Miller (Alpine skiing) 4%
*Total male votes:*632*
Women's opinions...
Lindsey Vonn (Alpine skiing) 10%
Melissa Hollingsworth (Skeleton) 10%
Sidney Crosby (Hockey) 55%
Bode Miller (Alpine skiing) 24%
*Total female votes: *338*
Total - both genders:
Lindsey Vonn (Alpine skiing) 30%
Melissa Hollingsworth (Skeleton) 34%
Sidney Crosby (Hockey) 24%
Bode Miller (Alpine skiing) 11%
*Total votes:*970*