With five new sports being added to the roster at Tokyo 2020, we have been deliberating which other sports could have a case to be included in the schedule for the Paris Olympics in just three years.
T20 Cricket
Cricket has only ever appeared in the Olympics once, that coming in 1900 when Great Britain beat the French Athletic Club Union to win the gold medal, but there have been calls for the sport to make its return.
Limited-overs cricket has grown in popularity and although The Hundred is currently making its debut in the UK, it would be the T20 format which would go down well at Paris 2024.
There are currently 82 nations who play T20 cricket, going from number-one ranked England to bottom-ranked Serbia, and the quick, exciting style of play would definitely make it entertaining to watch at the Olympics.
Crazy Golf/Mini Golf
While a normal 18-hole round of golf has not gone down great at the Olympic Games, there is the feeling miniature golf, also known as crazy golf, could be received better.
The sport of miniature golf has grown over recent years and it is governed internationally by the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF), headquartered in Goteborg, Sweden.
World Championships are organised for youth and elite players, while Continental Championships in Europe, Asia and the United States are held in alternate years.
I am sure most people have played miniature golf before, usually when you are on holiday, but there is just the sense this would go down well in the Olympics as the competitors try to battle past obstacle-laden courses to land the gold medal.
Touch Tennis
Touch Tennis has been growing in popularity and the modified version of tennis, which is played on a compact court with foam balls and shorter (21-inch or 53-centimetre) racquets, could be included in future Olympics if it continues to trend in the right direction.
For singles, the court is 12m x 5m, while it is 12m x 6m for doubles matches, and former and current ATP Players that play this format include Fernando Gonzalez, Marcus Willis, Jeff Tarango and Chris Eaton.
It is quickly becoming a great way to get younger players into the sport and it would fit perfectly into the Olympic ethos.
Darts
Darts is not for everyone, but neither are surfing or skateboarding, so why players throwing tungsten arrows at a circular board shouldn’t be included in the Olympics is beyond me.
The fanbase for this sport continues to grow and if you have ever been to watch the darts, then you know just how great the atmosphere is and the excitement that watching darts thrown at a board can bring.
Darts has showcased the World Cup of Darts since 2010 and the format used in that tournament, which currently involves 32 nations, would work perfectly at the Olympic Games.
Sumo
Although the likes of wrestling, Judo and Taekwondo have been seen at the Olympics, Sumo has never been included and there is a strong case it should be handed its debut in 2024.
The fact it wasn’t at Tokyo 2020, the country it originated in, is an absolute mystery, but it is an entertaining event to watch and one which could capture the minds of many viewers.
Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a wrestler attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet.
In a world where healthy living is promoted, the look of Sumo may not suit today’s age, but that shouldn’t detract from what is classified as Japan’s national sport and has been around since 712.
