TripZillaWhile the rest of the world is currently tuning into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, anime fans are signing a petition for the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game to be considered an official sport in the Olympics. Yes, you read that correctly.
“It is an absolute injustice that the game of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Trading Card Game is not a legitimate sport in the Olympics,” said sci-fi and fantasy book author Xiran Jay Zhao, who started the petition on change.org.
“The playing of Yugioh requires dexterity (when drawing the cards), athleticism (when playing the cards), and endurance (when you’re in round 10 of a YCS [Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series]).”
Should the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game be part of the Olympics?
Called “Make Yugioh an Olympic sport,” the petition has already gained over 7,000 signatures and counting. As for the valid to not-so-valid reasons that people gave for signing this petition, one netizen left the comment: “This game requires strategy and training as any other sport.”
“This is actually better than a lot of the Olympic events and it would be comedic to see people duel in Olympic uniforms,” another fan added.
Image credit: Kyle Dias (left); Netflix (right)
Naturally, many fans couldn’t pass up the opportunity to poke fun at the 2000s anime and its spin-offs. “The power of friendship deserves to be shown at the Olympic games,” said one netizen.
Another comment alluded to the premise of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s: “This has always been a lifelong dream to play card games on motorcycles.”
“Honestly if this becomes a big deal,” said one fan. “The holographic duel disk needs to be a thing in the future.”
I’m only signing if the athletes’ cartboard beds are shaped like the blue eyes jet’s head pic.twitter.com/15tFzsybct
— Carry Nek (@CarryNek) July 28, 2021
Also read: A Japan Guide: The Ultimate Must-Visit List for Gamers & Anime Fans!
Will these signatures be enough for the International Olympic Committee to believe in the heart of the cards? To find out why this is happening, you can visit the ongoing petition here to see all the entertaining reasons why the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game should be an official sport in the Olympics.
Featured image credit: Timothy Tsui | Unsplash
