With Rugby 7s making its Olympic bow in Rio, and the news that BMX cycling will follow suit at Tokyo 2020, we have a look at some more unsung sports that should make the cut. Hell, if curling can be an Olympic sport, then why can’t these?
***
Ultimate Frisbee
For too long now Ultimate Frisbee has been unfairly maligned as a passtime only played at American colleges by athletes with far too much pep. It’s high-time for the sport to make it to the big leagues. Make it happen, IOC.
Underwater Hockey
Just like real hockey…but underwater. No, really. Underwater hockey involves snorkles, a puck and makes do without that pesky detriment of being a spectator sport. Put simply, underwater hockey just does not care what you think about it. Although, it is technically classified as a limited contact sport, the opportunity for an underwater brawl, and possible drowning is simply too great to pass up.
Arm Wrestling
Picture the scene: a burly American steps up for the ultimate contest of manly strength with the scariest Russian since Ivan Drago. This is what arm wrestling could bring to the Olympics. The world’s hardest men violently holding hands for a brief period of time. There will be no need for world wars with Arm Wrestling at the Olympics. All geo-political disputes can be settled by men with one arm significantly bigger than the other.
Chess-Boxing
This sport combines both brains and brawn. As you’d probably guess from the name, it involves tenets of both chess and boxing. Matches alternate between the two ‘sports’ with a match consisting of six rounds of chess and five of boxing. Outright wins are obtained by either checkmate or knockout. The Olympics love to promote intelligent athletes and this is the perfect opportunity to get Gart Kasparov a gold medal, just as long as he watches out for that right jab.
Quidditch
Yes, it may have begun as the fictional brainchild of author J.K Rowling, but Quiddich has taken the College sport scene by storm over the last few years. It fulfils the niche of a sport that actual athletes will be too ashamed to play thereby finally giving those who were never picked first in gym class the chance to shine. This is one of the few sports out there with mixed-gender teams and is probably the only chance for that quiet-but-nice girl to win a medal at the Olympics. The snitch is also just a person dressed in yellow who runs around a lot, which, simply put, is fantastic.
