The start of the Olympic Games in France has led me to thoughts about sport in fiction – specifically fantasy as that’s where most of my interests lie.

The fact is, sports usually don’t have a major occurrence in fantasy fiction. This isn’t as much because there would be no way to add such an aspect to the worldbuilding but more because there are many much more pressing matters in the plot. Thus, the chances are the highest in longer stories or sagas where the story spans a major timeframe and lets the author and readers alike delve more into the culture and setting.

Furthermore, given that these stories often take place in times of conflict, such entertainment would very likely be in the background of people’s minds or outright halted (as our own recent history proves with the breaks during WWI and WWII).

Thus, there’s more potential in times of peace – to let the warriors have some stakes and friendly competition when they aren’t needed in a fight; or in times of ceasefire as a way to encourage a peaceful outlet while still giving the individual groups or nations a way to prove themselves, this time without costing innocent lives (most of the time, at least). It can also be used as a way to show a nation’s strength if the times are strained – if you can prove that your people are the best, it might make the opponents think twice about starting an armed conflict.

Thus, most sports would be, in their nature, based on various aspects of combat and/or training – armed and unarmed combat, archery, athletics, and possibly axe tossing. Equestrian competitions could also be a possibility. Among the nobility, hunting contests are a possibility that could also serve as a social event and bonding.

Given the fictional universe and possible involvement of magic and/or mythical creatures, fantasy stories could involve fully fictional contests.

The topic might also be involved in stories that feature a bit more violent nations, in case gladiator fights to death are involved – such might expose something about the culture in whether they’re seen as a peak of bravery or an irresponsible risk of life.

Furthermore, some degree of competition is often depicted in stories oriented for teens as a part of their “proving themselves” story and that can be utilized in many genres, including fantasy.

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Well, that’s it for my musings for today. I’ll welcome thoughts from your experience on the topic, whether as a reader or as a writer. Personally, I’ve been considering some form of this for my story, though they didn’t make the cut – for now, at least.