From surfing and skateboarding to brand-new break-dancing, sports-mad Olympic organisers are always looking for new events to debut at the Games.
While some fans are calling for darts and motorsports to make the cut in Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics, the AI assistant Chat GPT has a few ideas of its own. And if the artificial intelligence got its way, the LA Games would look pretty weird indeed.
Here are the five sports the virtual hive mind reckon should be added, alongside Daily Star Sport’s ratings of how much we’d enjoy it on the telly, and how likely it is to one day feature.
Wife carrying
(Image: Getty Images)
A popular past-time in Finland, this barmy sport involves blokes carrying their wives across an obstacle course. As well as getting a medal if you win, prizes are awarded for best costume and strongest carrier.
And in 2023, the International Wife Carrying Competition Rules Committee said that women could take part too, carrying their hubbies across a course featuring boulders, sand traps and a metre deep pool.
Here’s what the virtual boffin Chat GPT reckons: “This sport combines strength, strategy, and teamwork, with a humorous twist. Its entertaining nature can engage audiences and bring a light-hearted, family-friendly event to the Olympics.”
Enjoyment: 5/5
Likeliness: 2/5
Kabaddi
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Kabaddi is an ancient Indian game that’s pretty much a slightly more complicated version of tag. Teams of seven try to raid each other’s zones, scoring points by touching their rivals.
The daring raiders have to be quick and nimble, as the opposition defenders are allowed to rugby tackle them to the floor.
Kabaddi is massive in India, as well as a number of other Asian countries. And here in Britain we even have our own league, boasting ten teams such as the Glasgow Unicorns and the Luton Bengal Tigers, so we’d be in with a chance of a medal too.
Chat GPT says: “Kabaddi is an ancient sport with a massive following in South Asia. Its inclusion would honor traditional sports and bring a physical, strategic team game to the international stage, promoting cultural exchange.”
Enjoyment: 3/5
Likeliness: 4/5
Bog-Snorkelling
(Image: Getty Images)
The Welsh go mad for a bit of bog-snorkelling, apparently, and Chat GPT reckons that the bizarre event could be added to the Olympics roster.
For the uninitiated, bog-snorkelling essentially does what it says on the tin. At the World Bog Snorkelling Championships each year, competitors take turns to complete two lengths of a 55 metre peat bog, using a snorkel to help them breathe.
If it does make it to the Olympics, those taking part will have a tough time beating legendary snorkeler Neil Rutter’s world record of 1 minute 18 seconds, which has stood for eight years.
Chat GPT had this to say: “This quirky sport demonstrates endurance and adaptability in unconventional environments. Its unique challenge and connection to nature can captivate audiences and bring attention to Wales’ natural landscapes.”
Enjoyment: 4/5
Likeliness: 1.5/5
Underwater Hockey
(Image: Getty Images)
Underwater hockey, sometimes called Octopush, was invented in Portsmouth in the fifties by a bloke called Alan Blake.
Alan, apparently, felt that regular hockey didn’t leave him quite damp enough, and so the bonkers Brit decided to have a game inside a swimming pool.
The barmy watersport is played all over the world, and is particularly popular in hockey-mad Canada. At the most recent World Champs Australia took gold in the mens, while New Zealand took the women’s title.
Great Britain last won a gold in 2011, so we can probably add this to the long list of sports we invented but don’t win.
Chat GPT reckons this: “Underwater Hockey promotes teamwork and breath control, offering a unique twist on traditional hockey. It showcases athletic versatility and can be an exciting addition to aquatic events, attracting a diverse viewership.”
Enjoyment: 3/5
Likeliness: 3/5
Ferret Legging
(Image: YouTube)
Now this one’s a bit weird. Ferret legging involves tying the end of your trousers shut, and shoving a live ferret down them. Contestants win the freaky sport by outlasting their opponents while the startled animal bites about at their privates.
The sport has strict rules, according to expert Donald Katz. Neither you nor the ferret can be drunk or sedated, and the creature must have a full set of teeth.
While the cruel game, which was invented by bored miners in Yorkshire, is banned in many countries, the US did have a yearly tournament as recently as 2009. A women’s version also exists where ferrets are put down ladies’ tops which is called ferret busting.
Chat GPT says: “Though unconventional, Ferret Legging highlights endurance and courage in a humorous way. Its eccentricity can draw global curiosity and highlight unique aspects of British rural traditions.”
Enjoyment: 5/5
Likeliness: 0/5