Pickleball

   There’s ping-pong and tennis, but what about a sport that somehow combines both of them? 

   Despite how silly it may sound, pickleball matches can get pretty intense. Using a paddle, a plastic ball, and a low net on a large court, pickleball ends up being no different than certified Olympic sports like badminton or tennis.

   There have been talks of adding it to the Olympic roster for some time now. Many people argue that it’s just as worthy as the sports mentioned above. The Professional Pickleball Association Tour estimates that the sport will not be included in the Olympics until 2032 at the earliest.

Quidditch

   This is a bit of a controversial take, since this sport is purely fictional. If the name sounds familiar to you, then you may remember it from J.K. Rowling’s famous series: “Harry Potter.”

   Quidditch is a game often played in the book series where characters ride around on magic brooms to catch a flying ball. Though it seems purely imaginative, people have managed to replicate this sport in real life. 

   However, it is much less glamorous than it is made out to be in the books. Players run around with brooms between their legs, throwing a variety of dodgeballs, a tennis ball, and a volleyball into hoops stationed around a field. 

   It’s intriguing to see how creative people are with the methods they use to translate a fictional sport to real life, and an Olympic adaptation would provide so many new opportunities to improve the game.

Hobby Horsing

   There is professional horse racing that has been around for centuries, but people in the modern age have found a new form of riding that’s increasing in popularity. 

   Riders still run around a track, but their horse is a toy’s head on a stick. Instead of a horse jumping over barriers and weaving between barrels, everything is done on foot.

   Many people online have critiqued this sport with how foolish it seems. However, hobby horsing actually requires more physical prowess than one would usually think. These riders have to cleanly jump hurdles that can range from three to four feet, and sprint with incredible speed. 

    Though the sport may face some backlash, its addition to the Olympics would be interesting to wash.

Slap fighting

   This sport originated in Russia, and it is exactly what it sounds like.

   Two opponents stand face to face with each other. Then, each person takes a turn slapping the other as hard as they possibly can. The person getting slapped must have their hands around their back, stay still, and not fight back until it is their turn. This usually is repeated for about three to five rounds.

   The ultimate goal of slap fighting is to knock the other opponent out from sheer strength. If nobody is knocked out by the last round, then the person with the strongest slaps wins. 

   Though people may see it as boring or needlessly aggressive, it’s no different than other sports where the goal is to physically dominate: such as wrestling or boxing.