What are some unique sports that many Americans do
not know about?
In the summer
Olympics alone there are over 35 sports that athletes compete in. The Olympics
are international events; sports that are popular in the United States may not
be as popular in China or Australia and vice versa. Many Americans would have
never heard of Budo, a Japanese archery, wrestling, fencing event or Kabaddi
and Indian tag type game (topendsports.com).
Competing in games of other countries gives us awareness of their
traditions and culture, unifying the world.
The Olympics are
always evolving and while sports like Gymnastics, Track & Field and
Swimming are fan favorites there are others that have been eliminated over the
years. For example, the games used to
include a swimming obstacle race, tug of war, underwater swimming racing, and
croquet (topendsports.com). As new
sports are updated, old are eliminated.
Again, the games are a reflection of the times. For example, the 2012 Olympics saw the
addition of Women’s Boxing.
Some may argue
if certain competitions are sports or not. Many argue that competitions such as
ballroom dancing, shooting, and table tennis are skills rather than sports. A
sport is defined as an activity
involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes
against another or others (Webster). Since sports and skills are interrelated,
all physical activities in the Olympic Games are indeed sports.
You may also be
asking; “How does a sport become Olympic?” The sport must be administered by the International Federation to
make sure the sport follows the Olympic criteria. If a sport becomes popular
with many countries, the IOC will then review the game and add it to
competition.
Judo is a modern
martial arts competition similar to karate here in the United States. Judo has
been an Olympic sport since 1964 and was originated in Japan. The object is to throw your opponent to the
ground by using different handhold techniques to get the opponent down first (judoino.com).
Like Judo, there is also Greco-Roman wrestling. In the Olympics since 1904,
this form of wrestling was originated by the French and contains two wrestlers that get scored in three
two-minute periods. This type of wrestling does not allow one to grab below the
waist whereas in freestyle wrestling is allowed (fila-official.com).
Slalom is a really interesting individual competition. This sport was introduced in 2008 making it
relatively new. Athletes need to
carefully navigate a kayak through a whitewater river rapid course in the
fastest time possible (2.teamusa.org/canoe-kayak).
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