The idea that bingo could become an Olympic sport might see bizarre but there is a possibility that this could happen. Of course, our readers would be the players at the top of their game in the 2020 Olympics!
The Story so Far
There are many driving forces behind this campaign, including Mecca Bingo. They’ve submitted a formal application to the International Olympic Committee to bring the game to Japan. The next Olympic venue could be the first to host this game and it’s an excuse for bingo players to get their fix.
This is a sport England and the rest of the UK could really get a chance at winning the gold in. With the application being processed now, we might need to provide an update if it does indeed get approved. But just how likely is that?
The History of the Olympic Games
When the Olympic Games were first played in Ancient Greece, the events took just 1 day to play through. That’s a far cry from the jam packed schedule that we see with today’s version of the game.
There were really only a few sports to watch at this time, including wrestling and discus throwing. After the events of Grecian culture, it took until 1896 for the Olympics to be organised once more, a gap of thousands of years.
In the coming century, many sports would be added and taken away from the line-up of events. There is definitely precedence for bingo to become a part of the games, as sports like archery, diving and gymnastics have previously been added.
Why We Think Bingo Would Be Great For the Olympics
There are lots of reasons that this game would be right at home in the Olympic stadium, here are our top three:
- Dabbing is a finely tuned skill – Those that dab their cards manually online or in a hall will tell you that this is a skill. Precision and speed are integral to this, just the same as they are in many other Olympic sports.
- Scores would be easy to track – Bingo tourneys are already super popular online and this format could easily be transferred into an Olympic venue. Keeping a track of Full Houses would be simple and the winner would be undisputed.
- It’s fun – Possibly one of the biggest reason to take this game to the Olympics is that it’s fun. Could you imagine hearing ‘eyes down’ as bingo players from all over the world compete for the gold medal in bingo?
3 More Games That May Become Olympic Sports In The 2020 Tokyo Games
It’s not just bingo fans that have been inspired to bring their hobby to the Olympic proving ground. These weird and wonderful sports could also be joining it:
- Orienteering – If you’ve ever went for a weekend in the great outdoors then the chances are you had to find your way around. This is known as orienteering and this may have a place at the next Olympics. Contestants would be required to find objects using their maps in as little time as possible.
- Dance Sport – Shows like Britain’s Got Talent are filled with dance squads that could easily take the gold in a competitive environment. Teams would be judged on precision, timing and routine to determine those at the top of their game.
- Sumo – Tokyo 2020 would be the very best venue for these fighters to make their debut. This sport requires years of dedication and has a cult following in Asian countries. Even those not accustomed to the rules can get that it’s two guys trying to push each other out of the ring.
We would absolutely love to see this sport at the next Olympic Games and there are people that could make that happen. If the committee approves the application then us bingo fans are one step closer to seeing our favourite activity as part of the games. The next step would be a further discussion on how the games would be conducted and the qualifying process.
Until then, we’ll need to wait and see if we’re picked for the team! We’re sure that our readers would go for gold.
