Yu-Gi-Oh! fans have amassed to petition the International Olympic Committee to accept Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Trading Card Game as an official sport in the event. Yeah.
"It is an absolute injustice that the game of Yugioh: The Trading Card Game is not a legitimate sport in the Olympics," said Xiran Jay Zhao, the person who wrote the manifesto, and continued to claim that the game asks "dexterity," "athleticism" and "endurance" of its competitors. "I now call on the International Olympic Committee to add Yugioh as an official Olympic sport to both mend this injustice and to apologize to Japan for making them go through with the 2020 Tokyo games."
According to Time Magazine, Tokyo has seen a record high of coronavirus cases with 5,000 new infections reported on August 5th, while the Olympics has been hosted in the city since late July. Personally, I'm not sure how adding Yu Gi Oh! into the Olympics will lessen this phenomenon, but Xiran Jay Zhao and other supporters are sold on the idea.
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Check out this video on the world's biggest Pokémon card below, and then imagine this effort being undertaken on an Exodia, the Forbidden One deck. That's a lotta paint.
"Did you know that architecture and painting used to be Olympic sports? Contrary to popular belief, the Olympics were never just about physical prowess, they are about excellence in any area," explained one fan who has signed the petition. "Currently, we still have artistic events (artistic swimming) and precision events (sharpshooting). eSports and chess are already being considered for the future of the Olympics. Why not Yu-Gi-Oh!?"
It's difficult to deny that those are valid points that they've got there. This year, the Olympic Virtual Series featured baseball, cycling, rowing, sailing and motorsport as a part of the International Olympic Committee's agenda to "encourage sports participation and promote the Olympic values, with a special focus on youth." Under that umbrella, Yu-Gi-Oh! wouldn't be out of place.
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Of course, Yu-Gi-Oh! excites and lightens fans' lives, yet it is also capable of triggering intense strife. Consider the story of a peeved off woman who discovered that her partner was cheating on her. She enacted the only revenge that would cut to the very core of his being. His pristine Yu-Gi-Oh! card collection sold for almost $200,000 on eBay. Oof.
Featured Image Credit: Studio Gallop