Can it be time for the hugely popular team sport of paintball to be considered for inclusion in the Olympic Games? The International Olympic Committee announced in late 2009 that golf and rugby were being added to the schedule of sports for the 2016 games in Rio. Hearing that, many paintball enthusiasts began thinking, how do we get the Committee to consider our sport for the Games?
To answer that question, they need to take a hard look at two things: organization and support. There is no doubt that paintball is a growing sport in many parts of the world, as evidenced by the enthusiasm for the game in Australia and some South American countries. However, interest in the game does not have a significant head of steam in Asian countries. Even in the United States, the sport is formally organized by only the loosest definition of the term. World-wide organization does not exist, as there is no "international or federated" association style group to champion paint balls march into the Games.
To see what this means, you only need to look at golfs efforts to return to play under the Olympic Rings. The game was last played in the 1904 Olympic Games. True enthusiasm for the games return to the competition was not taken seriously until the millennium was nearly upon us. By this time the impact of golf fever in many Asian countries had significantly expanded international interest in and support for the game. In 2003, the International Golf Federation (IGF)came into being.
Why was the Federation important to golfs inclusion in the Games? The International Olympic Committee has a strong preference for dealing with organizations that represent global organization and support for the sport wishing to become part of the Games. Golf icons like Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam became "Federation Ambassadors" and shared the enthusiasm that U.S., European, and Asian professional golfers have for the chance to win a gold medal. This kind of support had a significant impact on the IOC.
If paintball players want to get serious consideration for their game's participation in future Olympics, the sport of golf has provided a blueprint for the effort. Right now the sport does not have the organizational unity to get agreement on rules for speedball play vs. field play. If golf can work out match play vs. stroke play, there is a map to follow to successful agreements.
As you can see, support and organization are of critical importance to the effort for Olympic inclusion. Maybe more important are dedication and patience. Those who begin organizing efforts now, will very likely have moved on or passed on, by the time the IOC might undertake serious consideration of paintball as an international team sport. However, success will not come until those who dream today have seen the organization, dedication, support and investment through so there can be future winners of paintball gold in the Olympic Games.
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