"There Is a World Championship for Snowball Fights Too"... Japan's "Yukigassen" Aims for Official Olympic Status

First international tournament in 1989... Spread to Australia and Finland

Tournaments now feature over 100 teams from 13 countries

A scene from a match of the traditional sport Yugikasen in Sobetsu, Hokkaido, Japan. Instagram screenshot

The traditional snowball-fight sport "Yukigassen" from northern Hokkaido, Japan, is aiming to be adopted as an official Olympic event. At present, more than 100 teams from 13 countries, including Japan and Russia, compete in a world championship, and organizers plan to step up their efforts, noting that there are relatively few team events in the Winter Olympics.

According to France's AFP news agency on the 22nd (local time), the snowball-fight game "Yukigassen," which originated in Sobetsu in northern Hokkaido, Japan, holds a tournament every year. In Yukigassen, players hide behind obstacles and win by hitting all seven opposing players with snowballs or by capturing the opponent's flag.

The idea of turning Yukigassen into a sport arose out of a crisis in Sobetsu. At one time, many tourists flocked to the village to enjoy its hot springs, but tourism came to a halt after the eruption of Mount Usu in 1977.

As residents searched for a way to revitalize the village, they saw tourists happily having snowball fights and suddenly came up with the idea. This is the background that makes the organizing committee chair's remark that it is "an instinctive and primitive sport for humans" convincing.

Ano Yuji, chair of the Yukigassen tournament organizing committee, said, "Our ancestors must have done exactly the same thing. Snowball fights are the oldest winter sport in human history," adding, "Long before skating or skiing appeared, people were having snowball fights with each other. That is the greatest appeal of snowball fighting."

Making a ball out of snow for a Yugikasen match in Sobetsu village, Hokkaido, Japan. Instagram capture

The first international tournament was held in 1989, and three years later the sport spread to Australia and then to Finland, where a national federation was established in 1995. It also gained popularity not only in other parts of Scandinavia but also in Russia and North America, and it is now played in 13 countries.

Officials are trying to capitalize on this international expansion to make Yukigassen an Olympic event. Ano said, "There are hardly any team events at this year's Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which conclude on Sunday," but confessed, "It is almost impossible to make perfectly accurate refereeing decisions. Unless we solve that problem, it will be difficult to qualify as an Olympic sport."

Because Yukigassen is unfamiliar even within Japan, online reactions have been enthusiastic since it became known. This is especially true in Okinawa, where the weather is mild all year round and snow is rarely seen, so many people are hearing about it for the first time or still find it unfamiliar despite it being a homegrown sport.

Japanese internet users commented, "There is not much difference between sports and play," "If the activity humans enjoy the most could turn into a competition, that would be wonderful," and "I hope it becomes more widely known," among other reactions.