Race Walk?

Watching the Olympics is a blast.  For some reason I am mesmerized by the Track and Field, Gymnastics (man, these 12 year olds are good), and (surprisingly) Table Tennis.  I find myself asking, "Why don't I care about these sports any other time of the year?"  I dunno.  I love them now, but knowing how this stuff works, I imagine that next week I'll probably blow them off for another 4 years.   I guess it is just another one of life's mysteries.  Speaking of mysteries...

What is up with this racewalking thing?  Have you seen it?  This is the only race I know of where the participant is not allowed to go as fast as they can go.  Basically, the racers have to walk as fast as they can walk.  "It is a progression of steps so taken that the walker makes contact with the ground so that no visible (to the human eye) loss of contact occurs."  What this really means is that you have to shake your bootie like a honey bee doing a waggle dance.

But is it a sport?  I am willing to accept it, but what about the mainstream?  At nbcolympics.com they have a listing of "Top Sports," which contains Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Gymnastics, etc.  They also have another list of "All Sports."  Racewalking is not on the list.  Excuse me, but what are they trying to say?  Likewise, if you go to the Yahoo Olympics sports site and choose from the Sports menu "All Sports," you won't find it there either.  Wow.