There are still plenty of sports vying for a spot in the Olympic Games. Photo / Getty Images.
There are still plenty of sports vying for a spot in the Olympic Games. Photo / Getty Images.
With the International Olympic Committee announcing the inclusion of breakdancing for the 2024 Games, Christopher Reive highlights five sports that could have a place in the Olympics in the future.
Squash
Paul Coll represented New Zealand in squash at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Photo / Getty Images
A racket sport, the aim is to hit a small, rubber ball in such a way thatyour opponent cannot play a valid return - with lines on the walls indicating the in and out of bounds areas.
A mainstay of the Commonwealth Games, it is yet to earn a place in the Olympics. It's high-paced, tactical, and, being played in a glass case, it's extremely spectator friendly.
Mixed martial arts is a fast-growing sport. Photo / Getty Images
The third rule of Fight Club is if someone yells stop, goes limp, or taps out, the fight is over. This, in essence, works as an explainer for pankration.
Pankration was an Olympic sport in ancient Greece in which athletes combined boxing, kicking and wrestling techniques with joint locks and chokes with the sole aim of submitting their opponent. The sport was not reinstated when the Olympic Games were revived in 1896, but became the foundation for what is today known as mixed martial arts.
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation has been trying to get the sport back into the Olympics and there is a strong enough pool of amateur fighters worldwide to make it a viable option in the Games.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a martial art in which athletes try to submit one another using choke holds and joint locks. Photo / Getty Images
If mixed martial arts can't find its way back into the Olympics, perhaps Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can. A martial art based on grappling and submission holds, BJJ is a battle of wits as much as it is a battle of physical skill.
The focus on the sport is to take your opponent to the ground, gaining control and a dominant position and trying to find submission holds through chokes or joint locks. The sport was developed around the concept of smaller people being able to successfully use it to defend themselves against a larger opponent but understanding the benefits of leverage and weight distribution.
It's among the most popular martial arts worldwide, and BJJ tournaments based on weight class are common. Some tournaments are submission-only affairs, while others implement a points system similar to that used in wrestling to find a winner if neither athlete is submitted within a certain time.
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is a full-contact, tag-style sport. Photo / Getty Images
Do you ever find yourself watching a sport and becoming so engrossed in it that, although you know none of the rules, you start audibly cheering on the players? You should try kabaddi.
A sport believed to have been developed in ancient India that will pop up on Sky Sport from time to time, kabaddi is like tag on steroids. Played between two teams of seven, the objective is for one player on each team to tag out opponents while trying to avoid being tackled.
Each team elects one player, called the raider, who runs into the opposition's half of the court. Every player the raider tags is out, and their team is awarded a point. However, if the raider is tackled before reaching the safety of their own half, then the raider is out and the defending team is awarded a point. Oh, and each raid must be carried out in a single breath. Raiders can also earn bonus points by reaching the bonus line in opposition territory.
Like in dodgeball, players who have been tagged out can be brought back when a teammate earns a point either through a tag or tackle. Bonus points do not bring players back.
It's a fast, frantic sport and is entertaining whether you know the rules or not.
Beach football
Beach football's inclusion in the Olympic Games would be welcomed by many. Photo / Getty Images
If it was a choice between field football and beach football, I'd opt for the inclusion of the latter. There was a strong push to try get beach football included in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, though that ultimately fell short.
Still, there's definitely a place for it in the Olympics. As a reincarnation of field football, the rules are easy to understand and the game is easy to follow. It's a sport that continues to grow around the world and would add another beach sport alongside the always popular beach volleyball.
