Catch - A New Sport
The new sport of Catch was created by Australian Luke Angus on 12 June 2022. In Catch, athletes are paired up and start at opposite ends of a running course with loops. Both run in same direction around the course - the first to catch their opponent wins!
Sport Summary
'Catch' is based on the sport of running, but with a twist. There is no set distance, no finish line and no common starting point. The objective of 'Catch' is for a competitor to catch the opposition runner before their opponent catches them. By doing this, they win their head to head race and progress to the next round â a tougher opponent. 'Catch' would cater for people of all ages and fitness levels, would be quick and easy to set up and could be played in all parts of the world.
Equipment Required: Running Course with loops , Race Gun
Sport Details
'Catch' could cater for any number of competitors, however an even number would be preferable so that nobody has to sit out for a round. The course could be set out as a standard running track, a cross country course or even an obstacle course. For a simple example though, a 400m running track will be used and 16 competitors will participate in the event. Competitors would be seeded based on running strength and then paired up against an opponent 1 VS 16, 2 VS 15, 3 VS 14 etc. or randomly paired up depending on the formality of the event.
Competitors would then be spaced out evenly around the running track, ensuring that they are directly opposite their opponent, that is, 200m of track apart. This would mean Runner 1 who starts at the 0m point of the track would be competing against Runner 16 who would start at the 200m point of the track, while Runner 2 who starts at the 25m point of the running track would compete against Runner 15 who starts at the 225m mark of the track and so on. All of the runners would start the race at the same time at the sound of the gun.
Runners would have to use tactics throughout the race such as balancing their own speed and endurance while keeping an eye on their opponent so as not to get caught! Each individual Head to Head race would end when either competitor 'catches' their opponent by tagging or passing them. When this happens, this pair of runners would step off the track while the remaining competitors would continue running. The round would finish when the winner of each pair of opponents has been determined by one catching the other.
Runners would be given adequate rest time before Round 2 commences with each Round 1 winner being paired up with another Round 1 winner (to compete for positions 1-8) and each Round 1 loser being paired up with another Round 1 loser (to compete for positions 9-16). Following the completion of Round 2 and adequate rest time being given, Round 3 would commence with each competitor who won in both Rounds 1 and 2 being paired up with another competitor who also won both Rounds 1 and 2 (for the Semi Finals). Similarly, each competitor who won in Round 1, but lost in Round 2 would be paired with another competitor who did likewise and would now be competing for positions 5-8. Each competitor who lost in Round 1 but won in Round 2 would be paired with another competitor who did likewise and would compete for positions 9-12. The remaining competitors who lost both rounds would be paired up and compete for positions 13-16.
This process would continue until each competitor has a final standing/placing for the event and the overall champion is determined! With 16 competitors (as in this example) this would happen following the conclusion of the Finals in Round 4 with the overall champion being the only competitor who won in all 4 rounds.
A New Athletics Event
I see Catch as another variation of running which could be introduced into competition at all levels with a possible schedule of events for a day at a running championships being:
Event 1: Individual - 800m
Event 2: Hurdles - 400m
Event 3: Steeplechase - 3000m
Event 4: Individual - 10000m
Event 5: Catch - 200m between runners
Event 6: Relay - 4X400m
Event 7: Relay - 4X100m
Event 8: Steeplechase - 2000m
Event 9: Hurdles - 100m
Event 10: Catch - 100m between runners
There would be many advantages in introducing Catch as an exciting new variation of running. These include:
- The large numbers of people of all ages and from all countries from around the world who already participate in some form of running would allow for the sport to grow quickly
- Audiences would have the unique opportunity to see sprinters compete against long distance runners in an event that isn't defined by distance
- Catch can be played anywhere where there is open space including school ovals, parks and professional tracks
- Catch would provide a great spectacle for an audience as spectators would see runners starting at all points around the course and consistently passing their viewing point throughout the race rather than runners starting as a pack and only seeing the pack running past every so often.
- Catch would produce large levels of excitement when runners are close to catching their opponent, or making big tactical moves
- Some different race tactics would be involved in Catch compared to other running events, such as runners always having to keep an eye out for their opponent and having to make decisions mid race such as whether to sprint, slow down or keep a steady pace without the knowledge of how long the race might last
Other Sports
The format of Catch where competitors race in a head-to-head format, doesn't necessarily have to just apply to running. It could easily be extended to most sports that involve a race and a set course and a such as Swimming, Cycling or Motor Sports.
Note
Related Pages
- See our large list of other New Sports
- How to Submit a New Sport
- Complete list of unusual sports
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