Chess, the board-game battle of wits, along with bridge and tug of war, is among a list of 26 sports vying for inclusion in the roster of sports played at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The summer games, which will be held in the Japanese capital for the second time, can play host to a maximum of 10,500 competitors across 310 events. Now, campaigns are being made by 26 sports to be formally included in the 32nd Olympiad in August, 2020. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will shortlist the applicants next Monday, with the finalists allowed to make a formal presentation the Tokyo organisers in August.
Those responsible for making the decision will need to assess whether or not an applying sport can “serve as a driving force to promote the Olympic movement and its values, with a focus on youth appeal.” The Tokyo games’ delegation will also consider which of the 26 sports are most likely to ignite interest in the Japanese population – leading many to believe that the combined bid of baseball and softball, not seen in the Olympics since Beijing 2008, is a shoe in, considering the huge popularity of baseball in the country.
The complete list of sports competing for a spot at the games is: Air Sports, American football, baseball-softball, bowls, bowling, bridge, chess, dance sport, floorball, flying disc, karate, korfball, netball, orienteering, polo, racquetball, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, sumo, surfing, tug of war, underwater sports, waterski & wakeboard, and wushu.
While we may consider the inclusion of some of these sports a little strange, the summer Olympic games has a long history of niche events that have fallen out of favour. Here are the 10 strangest events to ever be deemed medal-worthy...
5: Obstacle-race swimming
This 200m dash in the aquatics centre was only held once, at the 1900 games in Paris – and also in the river Seine. The 200m obstacle race saw competitors climbing over a pole, running across a row of boats, and then swimming underneath another row of boats.
4: Plunge diving
Held only once at the 1904 games, this diving discipline demands a diver plunge from a stationary take-off from a height of 18 inches above the surface of the water. Each diver then had to plunge as deeply as possible into the water for a period of 60 seconds, without imparting any propulsion from their arms or legs. It was a clean sweep of medals for the American team at the St Louis games – hardly surprising given that all five divers were from the US.
3: Water motorsports
Held only once at the first of London’s three games in 1908, water motorsports was considered an unmitigated disaster. Three events saw competitors attempt to complete five laps of an eight-mile course, but a gale meant that only one person managed to finish each of the events, winning gold by default. The lack of competition and athleticism also left a sour taste in the mouths of spectators, and motorsports were never featured again.
2: Hot-air ballooning
At the 1900 games, a number of hot-air balloon events, including elevation, duration, and distance, were swept away by the home team.
1: Rope climb
This event featured at four different Olympic games from the first modern one in 1896 through to 1932. Contestants had to scale a rope of 15 metres as high as they could, and where competitors made it to the same level on the rope, judges made a decision based on speed and form. Contestants where only allowed to use their hands to climb, so the competition was a serious test of upper-body strength.
On this evening's The Right Hook, George spoke to David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, about the summer Olympic games and the various sports that have featured - or could yet. Listen back to the podcast here.
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