Eager sports fans worldwide are waiting with bated breath for the next Winter Olympics that are set to be held in Beijing this year, ahead of the Summer Olympics in 2024, scheduled for Paris – all dependent upon the coronavirus situation, of course.
There have been numerous new sports in the Olympic Games over the years, with pursuits such as skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing being added into the mix. This article looks at some other massively popular games that haven’t been but definitely should be made into Olympic events.
Squash
So close, but yet so far… again. Squash has been put forward for consideration for inclusion in the Olympics since 2016, but another sport is always edging it out. Squash is played around the world by around 17 million people, yet in the last official bid to enter squash into the Olympics as an event, it was rejected in favour of wrestling!
There are numerous reasons why squash just couldn’t make the final cut; amongst them are the fact that the squash courts are expensive to erect and set up, and the rules were too difficult to understand.
Considering that squash is played in over 185 countries as a sport, it has been a somewhat frustrating experience so far in the sport’s push for Olympic recognition. Nonetheless, never say die as a new bid is expected for the Paris 2024 games.
Darts
While darts may not take much vigour and is not as physically challenging as other sports, fans and media moguls have long debated the possibility of including the game as an Olympic event.
Although the game of darts is pretty simple, it does take practice and a lot of skill. Darts does, however, have a somewhat dubious reputation that it can’t seem to shake off: many people class it as “just a pub game”, which can only be played with a pint of beer on the table.
Nevertheless, darts is a great sport, and anyone willing to give it a chance will experience an exciting display of practised skill and incredible mental ability.
Various official dart organisations around the globe have worked tirelessly to get darts included in the Olympics in the past, and the processes have again begun. However, there is some good news on the horizon as the Olympic Committee has stated that darts “may become incorporated in the 2024 games”. Watch this space!
Poker
Poker has been around for centuries and has always been an extremely popular card game with people from all walks of life, but one which certainly needs practice, concentration and just a little bit of luck. In Vegas, each year, they hold the World Series of Poker and even in 2021, 6,650 people paid $10,000 EACH to participate during the pandemic.
Like golf, learning how to play poker is easy but extremely hard to master – it takes many years of study and practice to become a regular winner. But, with winnings that can, in some games, reach millions of dollars, it’s not surprising it’s such a popular game.
Chess
Easily considered to be one of the oldest games we still play, no one can deny that chess is one of the most intellectual games out there. People from all age groups play chess, and with its patterns and calculations that would have Einstein pulling his hair out, a single game of chess can completely mentally drain a player.
Chess is undoubtedly one of the most universal sports around, and in the Chess Olympiad of 2014, which took place in Norway, there were 170 countries competing for the coveted prize. Not many sports can boast such widespread popularity and reach, surely?
Cricket
There has been a long and ongoing debate as to whether cricket should be part of the Olympics. Although it was included in the first modern Games of 1896, it was later withdrawn due to a lack of entrants. Cricket had only featured once as an Olympic sport way back in 1900 when Gold was won by Great Britain, who beat France.
Surprisingly, cricket has not featured in the Olympic games at all since then. Recently, however, the ICC (International Cricket Council) has formed an official Olympic Committee and is working on the inclusion of cricket as an event in the Olympic games.
Cricket is undoubtedly one of the most famous and popular sports around and has a fan base that circumnavigates the globe. However, despite the popular opinion that it should be included, the lack of interest by the IOC has left fans and players completely stumped.
