Dom Joly: Aim javelins at morris men for 2012

Weird World of Sport: Morris dancing is not exactly a sport, but with a little help I think this could be a winner

News in pictures
News in pictures
Opinion blogs

“Not growing inequality”

What do we want? “A fairer sharing of rewards not growing inequality.” Well said, Ed Mil...

A defence of competition in health care

Just when you thought he was six feet under and all forgotten, Andrew Lansley comes bouncing back up...

Prime Ministers shopping

There was a flurry of interest last Monday when David Cameron went to Morrison's to be photographed ...

Once again there is much discussion as to what the demonstration sports should be at the 2012 Olympics. This is actually a total irrelevance since, back in 1992, the International Olympic Committee ruled that the Olympics were too big and complicated to have an alternative, "demonstration" calendar running alongside the main event. This is also a bit of a bummer. Part of the fun of the Olympics is the host country being able to foist local sporting eccentricities on the world population. China managed to get a special dispensation for Wushu, a traditional martial art, during the Beijing Games so we must fight hard for our oddities to be included in 2012.

Cricket is making a bid to have a special Twenty20 exhibition but I think that this is going about it the wrong way. Cricket should not be diluted to make it more accessible to the rest of the world. It should be made even more complicated and incomprehensible. Let's pull up the drawbridge and show the game to the rest of the world while proudly declaring that, "you'll never understand this." We should have a specially extended Test match – a seven innings affair. This could last the entire length of the Games and allow disappointed spectators of other sports to always have somewhere to pop into. We could sort it out so that a draw would be officially declared live in the middle of the closing ceremony. What could be more British? Actually there are a couple of things now that you ask...

Morris dancing is not exactly a sport, more a weird pastime but, if we give them a little help, I think this could be a winner. How about if we combined morris dancing with the javelin? The javelin is already in trouble, as they have to make the thing heavier and heavier so that it doesn't land in the crowd at the other end of the stadium. So let's forget about distance and turn it into an accuracy contest. Surely that was the original idea of the thing – to spear the enemy. In a winning combination of ancient Greek and daft British, we get men of morris to dance in the middle of the stadium while competitors attempt to spear them with the javelin. I'm sorry, but you know that's a top-selling spectator sport right there.

Another worthy entry might be shin-kicking. This was once very popular in the UK and has Olympic possibilities. Nowadays it's not as hardcore – people stuff straw down their tracksuit bottoms before holding each other by the shoulders and kicking each others' shins as hard as they can. In the olden days, however, miners (in a possible nod to ancient Greece) used to shin kick each other (sometimes to the death) totally naked save for their clogs. The use of clogs and nudity is a lovely European touch and this could give Wayne Rooney something to do when he retires...

Another favourite is British Bulldogs. Who can forget being alone, facing the rest of the school as they prepare to maul, smash and wedgie you once you pluck up the courage to make your suicidal move? We could rename it Olympic Bulldogs. Just imagine – in the middle of the stadium, as slightly dull events like the steeplechase are under way round the track – teams from around the world up-ending each other in a no-holds barred contest. The genius of Bulldogs is that it takes the essentials of weird sports like Greco-Roman wrestling and weightlifting and then places them in a running field sport. The fact that the game ends with 600 people facing one plucky survivor... how much more British could we get than that? Maybe we could play some of Churchill's speeches over the PA while the action is under way?

My last thought tackles the obvious problem of drug cheats as well as the impending unemployment of a large number of MPs. Why don't we have a "Total Olympics" where anything goes? We could pump MPs full of every steroid and chemical enhancer known to man, wind them up and let them go. It would be fascinating to see what the human body is capable of when assisted by world-class scientists. We could see if Menzies Campbell could beat his time from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. How high could the diminutive Hazel Blears jump when given the right stimulant? Don't stop there – get the crowd involved with a binge drinking competition – we are, after all, world leaders in this. Seb Coe – call me, let's do lunch.

Blocked out by Murray net moves

Andy Murray has blocked me from Twitter once again and I feel lost and alone without tales of his high jinks. Has anyone got any interesting sports stars to monitor? Let me know on twitter.com/domjoly

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus

Day In a Page

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

After years of complaints and workers' suicides in China the technology giant faces up to the human cost of its gadgets
Peter Moore: 'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'

Peter Moore interview

'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'
Sellafield faces nuclear option as overspending threatens plant's future

Sellafield faces nuclear option

Overspending threatens plant's future
Israel blames Iran for embassy bomb attacks

Israel blames Iran for embassy bomb attacks

Tehran rejects Netanyahu's 'lies' after diplomats in India and Georgia targeted
Former manager enjoying Apoel crack at the big time

Tommy Cassidy interview

Former manager enjoying Apoel crack at the big time
James Lawton: Patience may not be a virtue this time, Roman – Andre Villas-Boas looks all at sea

James Lawton: AVB looks all at sea

Abramovich's visits to training reinforce the idea of a coach feeling pressure from above and below
The 10 Best sledges

The 10 Best sledges

Not all of them require snow...
Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy

Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy

Confronting the real reasons for puttting things off can help us beat it
Fun in the sunset years

Fun in the sunset years

A new movie follows retirees moving to India for low-cost care and a culture of respect for the elderly. For many Britons, it's already a reality
Picture preview: Lucian Freud drawings

Lucian Freud drawings

Picture preview
Silent revolution at the Baftas as the French take top awards

Silent revolution at the Baftas

The Artist wins in seven categories, with Meryl Streep the other big success story
Whitney Houston: The diva who had – and lost – it all

The diva who had – and lost – it all

Nick Hasted charts the highs and lows of Whitney Houston's life
How Picasso won over (some of) the British

How Picasso won over (some of) the British

Winston Churchill and Evelyn Waugh hated his work, but Picasso provided inspiration for a whole generation of UK artists
Topshop: A Decade Of Design

Topshop: A Decade Of Design

When London Fashion Week starts on Friday, Topshop will celebrate 10 years backing its brightest young stars
John Prescott: 'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

At 73, John Prescott isn't mellowing. In fact he's taking a shot at becoming a police commissioner