Martian Olympics?

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Precision Pole Vaulting among other new sports revealed at the first Track & Field Conference hosted in Amrita fuel excitement for a Martian Olympics

Coinciding with the Track & Field Conference held in Amrita this week, PSAC (Pathfinder Sport Athletics Committee) announced an ambitious initiative to develop a Martian equivalent of The Olympics. The games will not be affiliated with the defunct International Olympic Committee or any other Earth-based organizations, however, a spokesperson did confirm this is intended to involve multiple partners.

The keynote presentation on Martis by Fredrick Seulovik, CEO of Ice Sports Mars Organization, is fuelling speculation that that he could be one of the stakeholders.

In his keynote, Seulovik shared his personal experiences with incubating experimental sports and the incredible financial and emotional burden with failing to produce viable self-sustaining franchises. He made it clear that even though ISMO’s future may not be certain, he remains resolute in continued investment in professional sports to enhance the quality of life on Mars.

The pooling of resources and operational knowledge would, no doubt, help with orchestrating such a spectacle, but what makes this more viable than the previous Ice Hockey experiment would be in the inclusion of all colonies and settlements.

Many suspect that success of this bid will rest in the hands of the MAFL and/or the club owners because of their great influence and access to recourses.

Adding to the hype, a number of new sports were also exhibited at the conference, including a convincing demonstration of Precision Pole Vaulting. The athletes purportedly have only trained in the sport for 6 weeks, implying that candidate games may have a low barrier of entry, thus enabling more settlements to participate in Martian Olympics. This has been a successful recipe for the Pathfinder Marathon, contrasting the steep learning curve that came with Seulovik’s exhibition ice hockey.

Though a target date is yet to be revealed, numerous colonies have already expressed their support. With the top sporting groups and settlements lining up, this could happen sooner rather than later.

The Elusive Outdoors

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Chariton Drilling crew find time to play a game of catch.

Being outside is incredibly inhospitable and deadly, yet it turns out to be the cradle of Martian sports.

For those that work in the field, especially members of nomadic settlements or expeditionary companies, many hours are logged under the Martian sky. There are always risks associated with being away from protective habitats, but among the benefits of being outdoors is a propensity to play games. This has inspired the MAFL, the survival marathons like Pathfinder and the Olympus Run, and continues to host a wealth of would-be athletics.

Dating back to 708 BC, the ancient Greek pentathlon is re-emerging on Mars. Jones Tokjon mixes field-work with outdoor training.

Sports like the ancient Greek pentathlon has re-emerged on Mars thanks to ambitious field workers exploiting their surface hours to train and re-imagine how games are played with our planetary conditions. Discus throws here travel over 350 meters, more than 4x the world record holders of Earth, and javelin throws travel more than half a kilometre.

The success of sports is slowly influencing changes in colony policies with respect to out-of-colony access. Less than a year ago, many participants of the Marineris Pathfinder Marathon had to rely on virtual training with limited in-field training time. New permits are allowing ‘non-essential’ colonists to go outdoors for the first time. Considering that prior to 2077, less than 5% of all colonists had walked freely on the surface of the planet they live on, this marks a incredible new stage for life on Mars.

The Pathfinder Sport Athletics Committee (PSAC) now has a full schedule of track & field competitions, including many programs for novices. With easier public access to out-of-colony permits and more maintainable life support and EV suits becoming a growing trend, outdoor sports will no longer be exclusive to those in construction, natural resource operations, and expeditionary companies.