When the Summer Olympic Games hit Tokyo in 2020, the lineup of events may look a little different. This week, the Olympic organizers announced they're is considering adding eight new sports to the 28 you'll see in Rio next summer. Baseball and softball are the early favorites to make the cut, with bowling, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, surfing, and wushu rounding out the list.
Some seem like pretty obvious choices, but we can think of plenty more sports (not even including bar sports like darts and billiards!) that deserve a chance to go for the gold.
Also called Octopush in the UK, underwater hockey is just what it sounds like. Two teams of six face off (with masks, snorkels, and fins) in a hockey-style matchup at the bottom of the swimming pool. It was first created in 1954 and is growing in popularity around the world, including the US. So the real question is, which country do you think can hold its breath the longest?
Duh, right? How is America's most popular sport not an Olympic event? It was featured in the 1932 Games, but never again. Maybe there's the slight advantage the US would have over other countries or maybe the Olympic organizers aren't too keen on some of the sport's drama. Still, we think it'd be pretty cool to see some of the best athletes from the NFL come together... and maybe even get along.
Cricket was actually played in the Olympics in 1900, and we think it's about time it made a comeback. There's lots of buzz in the international scene for this very unique sport with some really funny lingo. Take a look at these top five matches in cricket history to catch a bit of the excitement.
"If you can dodge a wrench..." and you can dodge a ball, you should totally be able to go to the Olympic Games. C'mon, who doesn't want to see every nation's top gym class heroes vie for the ultimate bragging rights?
You know all those race photos of your friends covered in mud and climbing over walls? Welcome to the world of obstacle course racing. OCR is serious business, with athletes competing at the elite level in races around the world. What an incredible accomplishment (not to mention super entertaining for spectators!) for these epic competitors to reach the ultimate podium.
The 1972 Munich Games gave waterskiing a try as a demo sport, but it just didn't ride. And we can't figure out why. It's a popular recreational and professional sport around the world, with more than 11 million water skiers in the US alone. Plus pulling off tricks on water are way more impressive than on a bike or in the snow.
Olympic-level lacrosse did exist at the 1904 and 1908 Summer Games—but only for men. So while that's cool for all the lax bros out there, we know plenty of ladies ready to face off against the world. Lacrosse is often called "the fastest game on two feet" and is also one of the fastest growing. Times have changed since the turn of the century.
Can you just imagine all the jaw-dropping this incredible sport would bring to the Olympic Games? Parkour is more than just running, jumping, climbing, flipping, and . It takes awesome strength and athleticism to compete, and it's just really rad to watch. And hey, it looks like it's making serious moves to get up to the Olympic level, too.
Ok, so we don't actually believe this fictional game from the Harry Potter series will ever become a real Olympic sport. Especially since the 2012 London Games really dropped the golden snitch on this one. But, well, we also never thought there would be a Quidditch World Cup tournament either. So some dreams do come true.