The Olympics are getting a Ninja Warrior event in 2028
One step closer to every reality TV competition becoming an Olympic sport
In news that might sound made up, Ninja Warrior is officially heading to the Olympics.
The obstacle-course format made famous by Japanese series Sasuke and later adapted internationally as shows like American Ninja Warrior will become part of the Modern Pentathlon at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Which means there is now a very real possibility somebody wins an Olympic medal after sprinting across rotating platforms and hanging from monkey bars while millions of people scream at their television.
The deal was confirmed after Japanese broadcaster Tokyo Broadcasting System Television partnered with the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, the organisation that oversees Modern Pentathlon worldwide.
Modern Pentathlon has technically been part of the Olympics since 1912, traditionally combining fencing, swimming, horse riding, running and shooting. But after years of criticism surrounding the equestrian section, officials voted in 2023 to replace horse jumping with obstacle racing for the LA 2028 Games.
Replacing confused horses with people flinging themselves through Ninja Warrior-style assault courses feels like a natural solution.
The new obstacle racing format has already been tested through multiple events since 2022, with the first official Obstacle World Championships taking place in Beijing last year. Under the agreement, UIPM will now officially use elements of the Sasuke format, including some of its famous obstacle designs.
It’s a wild evolution for a franchise that started life as a niche Japanese TV competition back in 1997 before eventually exploding into a global phenomenon. The format now airs in more than 160 countries, while American Ninja Warrior is somehow entering its 18th season this summer.
You have to wonder whether former Ninja Warrior contestants could eventually become Olympians, which feels extremely possible given that the event now involves doing Ninja Warrior.
While some recent Olympic additions haven’t exactly landed smoothly, looking directly at the breakdancing discourse from Paris 2024, this one at least feels weird in a way people might actually enjoy watching.
Because if the Olympics are going to keep modernising, there are definitely worse ideas than turning one of television’s most entertainingly ridiculous competitions into an actual medal event.
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