25 Group Activity: A New Olympic Sport
Eric Dodson; Luciana Diniz; and Nanci Leiton
Great news! You have been hired (for free!) by the International Olympic Committee to help choose a new sport to add to the Olympic Games.
Instructions:
- You will work together and focus on four key questions about the activity.
- You will start by reviewing 3 example sports.
- After that, you can brainstorm and choose any sport that you want to suggest.
- Finally, you will talk about your #1 choice and share it with the rest of the class.
The 4 key questions
- Is the activity challenging?
- Is the activity entertaining to watch?
- Is the activity open to everyone?
- Can people with disabilities participate?
For each question, you can discuss more questions:
- Is the activity challenging?
- Does it require a physical skill?
- Does it require mental skill?
- How long does it take to become excellent?
- Is the activity entertaining to watch?
- Is it a popular sport around the world?
- Is it fun to watch in person and on TV?
- Is it fast, exciting, or intense?
- Is the activity open to everyone?
- Can people around the world play it?
- Does it require expensive equipment?
- Can children play it?
- Can older people play it?
- Can people with disabilities participate?
- Can they participate with able-bodied people?
- What changes could you make to the sport to include people with disabilities?
Three examples
Discuss these sports with the 4 key questions. They are sports that have been suggested in the past:
- Firefighting.
- This really was a demonstration sport at the 1900 World Olympics.
- The teams were required to extinguish a fire and perform a rescue.
- The instructions:
- The fire started on the 3rd floor of a house six floors; 4th floors and stairs the upper parts are impassable. People are saving the 5th and 6th floors. Operate rescue and extinction.”
Brainstorm
- What sport or activity would you like to see in the Olympics?
- Take a few minutes to suggest ideas. Try to get one idea from each person.
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses.
- Can you agree on one sport?
- o You can take a vote
- o You can try to compromise
- o You can invent a new sport that combines your favorite parts
Share
Be ready to share with the rest of the class.
- Who will explain about the sport?
- Do you have an answer about each of the 4 key questions?
- Do you have pictures or examples of the sport that you can show everyone?
