A roundup of Olympics-inspired events to liven up your sports day
There are so many kinds of events at sports festivals, but how about livening things up with competitions themed around the world’s grand celebration of sport—the Olympics?
Participants can enjoy feeling like athletes, and spectators are sure to have a great time getting excited too!
In this article, we’ll introduce Olympic-themed events that are easy to incorporate not only into student and adult sports festivals but also into those for children attending kindergarten or nursery school.
If you keep the Olympics in mind for costumes and decorations as well, it will be even more exciting.
Be sure to enjoy Olympic events full of personality!
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A roundup of Olympic-themed events to fire up your sports day (1–10)
Hockey Race
Simply put, hockey is a sport where you control a ball with a stick and score goals while dodging opponents.
It’s typically played in a team-vs.-team format, but why not incorporate it into a school sports day or athletic festival? Since controlling the ball with a stick can be difficult for those who aren’t used to it, you can add this element to attractions like an obstacle race.
If used skillfully, you can even lift the ball to clear obstacles, so try designing a variety of courses to make it enjoyable for spectators as well.
Dribble Relay
Passing the ball while dribbling—one of the fundamental movements used in sports like soccer and basketball.
How about turning that into a sport: the Dribble Relay? It’s a relay-style team competition where pairs aim for the goal while passing the ball back and forth.
The key point is whether you can show seamless teamwork! Watch your partner’s movement and pass to an easy-to-reach spot.
Judge carefully what’s within arm’s reach.
The faster you go, the harder it gets—and the more exciting it becomes!
Relay
Among the events included in the Olympics, a relay is something almost everyone has experienced.
As everyone knows, runners pass the baton to the next runner, and the team that crosses the finish line first wins.
In a sprint, you compete purely on speed, but in a relay, strategy is also crucial.
With choices like the running order and how you hand off the baton, any team has a chance to win depending on their tactics.
That’s why relays are so appealing—everyone can get excited together.
Summary of Olympic-themed events to liven up sports day (11–20)
shot put
Shot put is one of the track and field events, where athletes compete to throw a heavy ball as far as possible.
Because there are detailed rules governing the throwing technique, it is also important to assign judges who can determine whether an attempt is a foul.
Holding the competition during a school sports day with spectators watching can create a sense of tension and support from the crowd, which may help athletes achieve better results.
Distinct techniques such as the rotational throw are also key aspects of the event; mastering them can make the competition even more compelling to watch.
Olympic torch relay
It’s not a competition, but one of the essential elements of the Olympics is the torch relay.
The torch relay originally symbolizes peace, so including it is sure to create a sense of unity! That said, using real fire is dangerous, so you’ll want to prepare various substitutes.
For example, you could make a stick shaped like a torch and put a gashapon capsule inside it.
Then prepare a container like an Olympic cauldron and place the capsule inside.
With a bit of creativity, you can adapt it in countless ways, so brainstorming together with your child can be a lot of fun.
Triathlon (obstacle race)
Triathlon is a sport in which swimming, road racing, and marathon running are performed consecutively.
Because it’s quite demanding, it’s difficult to include it as-is in a school sports day.
However, I think we can incorporate the appeal of triathlons into the event.
The greatest appeal of a triathlon is that, because competitors vie across three disciplines, the outcome isn’t decided until the very end.
So how about holding it with each part replaced by more accessible activities? For example, a footrace, dribbling, and putt-putt golf.
Please tailor the events to suit the ages of the participating children.
Basket (free throw)
A free throw, one of basketball’s penalties, is also a classic for casual play and a quick break.
Because it’s a simple format—shooting the ball from a designated spot—it can stand alone as a competition, but it can also be incorporated as one of several challenges.
The shooting location is an important element in the event, so by setting the distance farther, you can adjust the difficulty to match the participants.
It’s the kind of activity where, when someone sinks a beautiful shot, they’ll have fun and the whole venue will get excited.