Car-flipping is not only a pastime but a sport with potential — as universities already compete against one another for the title.
As the Summer Olympic Games take place halfway across the world, students at the University of Ottawa have expressed disappointment with a ruling from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which ruled that flipping a car is not an Olympic sport and therefore will not be added for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The ruling comes after students attempted to have car-flipping added following a gold-medal-worthy showing in Sandy Hill back in October 2021.
Car-flipping is relatively new to Ottawa, having been practiced at other universities in years past, but gained significant notoriety in the fall of 2021 after several U of O students displayed their athletic prowess by flipping over a car in Sandy Hill. Since then, many have speculated on the potential for this to become an Olympic sport, citing how car flipping tests an athlete’s strength based on how well and how quickly they can flip a car.
“I think it shows a great deal of skill, athleticism, and teamwork,” says Russell Somers, an avid car-flipping enthusiast. “Do you know how difficult it is to lift and overturn one of those things? That takes skill and strength.”
While the IOC has rejected other sports like shawarma tossing in the past, Ottawa residents remain baffled that the IOC has not chosen to recognize such a feat of strength considering there are already other heavy-lifting events present at the Olympics. Some have even suggested that car-flipping could be a sport in which Canada would have a stronger advantage in to boost its standing at future Summer Olympic Games. As proven by Sandy Hill residents in the past, car-flipping is not only a pastime but a sport with potential — as universities already compete against one another for the title.
“When we flipped a car, it was clearly a competition. McMaster students flipped around the same time but our performance and style won the night.” Somers commented. “Car-flipping is not just a sport, it’s a competitive sport with lots of potential. I really hope Olympic officials will take a second look at this rising star.”
Olympic officials have not commented further since their official rejection announcement. However, some insiders have speculated that top officials may be willing to take a second look at the sport considering that some high-ranking Olympic officials have been observed parking their cars inside their garages since the announcement.
