What sports are coming in the future: 10 new disciplines

In the future, new technologies will provide mankind with many interesting opportunities in different areas. For example, space tourism is becoming more and more accessible every year – not only astronauts, but also ordinary people have already been to the orbit. And with time, new sports, totally fantastic and even theoretically impossible just a few years ago, are bound to appear.

Lightsaber fighting

In 2021, a working prototype of the lightsabre, similar to the Jedi from the cult sci-fi film Star Wars, was shown for the first time. It is possible that in the future, the development will be used to create a new spectator sport, fencing. Lightsabre fighting (saberfighting) is already officially recognised as a sport in France.

Geocaching with teleportation

The first quantum teleportation of an atom to a distance of 1 metre was carried out in 2009 by physicists at the University of Maryland. There is a possibility that the technology will be used to create a new type of sporting event. For example, geocaching, where participants would be able to get to the desired point by means of teleportation. This would require a huge amount of energy, though.

Cyborg athlete competitions

In the future, technology could be used to enhance the human body. And athletes will be able to increase their strength, speed and endurance. Such advantages will provide the modified humans, which can be called practically cyborgs, with more opportunities. And they will not compete with ordinary athletes, but with each other.

Hoverboarding

The creators of a hoverboard (a flying skateboard) were inspired by a similar device from the Back to the Future movie series. For now, this skateboard is not fast enough to compete. But in the future, there could even be hoverboard racing.

Mountaineering on Mars and other planets

Earth’s mountains are by no means the highest peaks known to man. There is a volcano on Venus that rises 11,000 km above the planet’s surface. Mars has a 24-kilometre peak and the asteroid Vesta has a mountain 21 kilometres high. In the future, these cliffs will allow for interplanetary mountain climbing.

Floating in zero gravity

Swimming in zero gravity is difficult. But it is possible – a huge spherical mass of water on an orbiting station, for instance. Inside the sphere, the usual laws of gravity won’t apply and you can swim freely in any direction.

Skiing on the Moon

Skis can be used to navigate the surface of Earth’s satellite. Skiing would increase speed and make exploring the Moon easier. And in the future, it will make it possible to organize a ski resort. For this purpose, suitable areas are located near the Sea of Clarity, the landing site of Apollo 17.

Space gymnastics

Gymnastics classes in space colonies and on orbital stations are a sport that could become popular. Mainly because of the lower gravity, it opens up new opportunities for athletes. When they’re in zero gravity, they can do tricks that would be impossible on Earth, and the risk of injury is dramatically reduced.

Jetpack racing

Jetpacks, or jetpacks, are flying vehicles that have become popular and are used not only for fun, but also for rescue work. They fly at speeds in excess of 70 km/h and a flying height of at least 150 metres. And when such vehicles become more widespread, they can be used to stage races.

Football in orbit

In zero-gravity conditions, you can play games that are already popular on Earth – but in space it will be much more interesting. One of them is football in orbit, which in a zero-gravity environment requires a completely different skill set for athletes.