Competitive Ballroom Dancing
If ‘Dancing With the Stars’ has gold medal Olympians like Hope Solo, then you’d think it could be an Olympic sport. However, ballroom dancing remains behind ballroom doors at the Olympics.
Darts
I have seen a grown man cry after losing a dart game. Not because he lost money or anything, people just take darts seriously. So it’s no wonder it has been in consideration by the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
Disc Golf (Frisbee Golf)
Although Frisbee Golf is recognized by the Olympics as a sport, it remains banished to that one section of the park that smells like burning sage.
Dodgeball
In a bid to expand their fan base and coverage from ESPN 8 “The Ocho,” dodgeball has been considered as an Olympic event.
Wakeboarding
There’s an old adage, “Waterboarding at Guantanamo Bay sounds super rad if you don’t know what either of those things are.” Although wakeboarding would be super rad in the Olympics, too little is known about the sport on the international level. Wakeboarding still has a bid for the 2020 Olympics.
Pole Dancing
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill strip club crowd. In the past few years, pole dancing has blown up as a highly competitive sport requiring serious strength. While still considered a tad risqué, there’s no denying pole dancing could be considered for the Olympics.
Inline Speed Skating
Do you ever lay awake, tossing and turning, trying to figure out what speed skaters do in the summer? Well the answer is inline speed skating. This sport has been widely considered for the summer Olympics, but has gotten the “warm shoulder” from the IOC.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
With other Olympic sports like wresting, Judo, and boxing, it’s a little strange that MMA hasn’t made a debut. There have been a few bids to have it included, but the IOC has deemed the sport “too violent.”
Bowling
Bowling, or what the Olympics consider “destruction curling,” has been widely talked about for an Olympic sport. But for now, it remains in the back alley of the IOC.
Parkour
In a bid to stay relevant, the IOC considered including the most complicated way to get form point A to point B (also known as Parkour).
Squash
I grew up in the hard knocks of a public golf course, and the Squash players were the bad boys of the area. With over 1.2 million American players, it has been considered numerous times for the games, but was squashed from the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.
Foosball
Normally played in a college dorm community area, complete with a half-ripped Kill Bill poster taped to the wall, Foosball is actually being considered for an Olympic sport.
Cricket
Cricket (or as us Yanks call it ‘British Baseball’) has been a frontrunner to be included in the Olympics with over 2 billion fans, but sadly has not. As someone that doesn’t know much about Cricket, this pretty much sums up all British sports.
Floorball
Floorball is just like Hockey, minus the ice and protective equipment. There have been a few pushes for the summer-style Hockey matches to make it to the Olympics, but no dice.
Billiards
Billiards surprisingly gets a lot of airtime on TV, and if you’re in a waiting room or find it playing, it’s easy to get hooked. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association have actively made bids to have the sport in the Olympics.
Chess
They want Chess in the Olympics. That’s all I’ve got for that.
Ultimate Frisbee
There’s a large community of Ultimate Frisbee players, mostly found at community colleges. While the sport has been considered for the Olympics, it remains in the quad next to the gymnasium.
Beach Soccer
Beach Soccer is like normal soccer on vacation. Playing in the sand adds a huge challenge to the sport, and was heavily considered from the Rio Olympics.
Competitive Ice Climbing
Ice climbing can be incredibly dangerous and unpredictable conditions have caused many deaths. While a controlled environment would be needed for the Olympics, Ice Climbing remains in the mountains.
Cheerleading
The competitive level of cheerleading goes far beyond choreographed moves between the Laker Girls and mascot. On the Olympic level, cheerleaders are launched 20 feet into the air, have to have insane stamina and balance, and do it all while smiling. A handful of cheerleading associations have told the Olympics to ‘Bring It On,’ but sadly the IOC hasn’t budged.
(h/t: List25)
