The world of sport is always changing and evolving. Although not all new sports can expect to appear in the Olympic Games anytime soon, they need not fret given the fact that squash still isn’t an Olympic sport.

Instead, these new sports and games can develop from the ground up, finding a grassroots movement that loves them before becoming known by the wider world as a result of their popularity.

Some of them might not be entirely new, as such, but rather simply become known to more people in a way that makes them appear new.

Bossaball mixes volleyball, football, and gymnastics on inflatable court with trampolines. #BossaballFun #HybridSport

— Diego (@dondieg.bsky.social) 23 August 2024 at 18:21

Creating a new sport isn’t easy, of course. Sometimes, with the likes of Quidditch, the popularity of the novel from which it emerged means that there is a ready-made audience. Other times, the creators have to be a little bit more willing to be patient before their new sport takes off and becomes world-renowned.

Bossaball, for example, was conceptualised in 2004 and combines volleyball, football, and gymnastics, played out on an inflatable court, but it didn’t really begin to take off until around five years later.

Hantis

There is something to be said for a sport that takes up only a small amount of room, inasmuch as it is significantly easier to spread the word about it than something that requires a huge amount of space to be able to play.

That, perhaps, is what has made Hantis one of the fastest-growing sports, owing to the fact that all it requires is four tables and a ball. The name is something of a portmanteau of ‘hand’ and ‘tennis’, whilst the game itself is like an odd cross between handball and table tennis, played with four players.

@justplaysports Hantis #physed #pegames #justplaysports #peteachersoftiktok #pe #peteachers #teachersontiktok #physedgames #primarype #physedteacher ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

There are four tables, each with a gap between them. A player serves the ball from one table to another, with each player allowed two hits of the ball before they need to either pass it on or hit it onto one of the tables.

Each team has five serves before they alternate, using their hands to hit the ball and trying to get to 21 points. It is a fast and frenetic game that looks to put camaraderie and good play front and centre. It might sound simple enough, but this is a game filled with complexity and liable to leave players exhausted.

Padel

Ok, it is ridiculous to refer to a sport that was first played in Mexico in 1969 as a ‘new’ sport, but the manner in which it has slowly begun to take over the world means that many people might not have heard much about it until now.

Also known as Padel tennis, it tends to be played in doubles and uses an enclosed court that is slightly smaller than the court used in doubles tennis. It shares the same scoring system as tennis, but the rules and technique are entirely different. It was seen as a niche sport until the 2020 world health crisis.

💥 Right where he wanted it#A1FranceGrandMaster #sport #padel #France pic.twitter.com/7hJw7bByEY

— A1 Padel (@A1PadelOfficial) March 25, 2025

The initial serve has to be underarm and below waist height, with balls that hit the wall after first bouncing on the ground considered to be in play. There is a net in the middle of the court that divides it into two, and if the ball ends up in it, then a point is lost.

To give a sense of how quickly the sport’s popularity is developing, especially in the United Kingdom, there were around 50 Padel courts in the country in 2019, which had grown to more than 200 three years later, doubling again by the time 2025 came around.

Earthing

Again, referring to a sport that has been around for more than a decade as ‘new’ might not sit right for some people, but when it has remained mostly in one location for a long time before slowly moving to the wider world, it is fair to say that it has found a new audience.

In the case of Earthing, we’re not talking about the sport of trying to ensure that your electrical cable has been safely earthed before someone touches it and gets a shock. Instead, it is something of a blend of two of the Olympics’ most loved sports.

Earthing asks competitors to run full out in a sprint towards a pool, jumping and gliding through the air before landing gracefully in the water and swimming as quickly as they can towards a target at the end of their lane.

The name comes from the fact that it is a sport that combines all of the elements: running on the earth, jumping through the air, and then swimming in the water. It puts all of those things together in order to try to find out who is the best at using their body in as smooth a way as possible for the purposes of sport.