“Sports that should be in the Olympics: Tuna Tossing.” No doubt, The Courier-Mail in Australia posed this silly proclamation because the Olympic Games in London are fast approaching. But lest you think tuna tossing isn’t a real competition, feast your eyes on the World Tuna Tossing Championship, courtesy of The Telegraph (TCM’s sister publication):

As you see in the video, every Australian summer in Port Lincoln, “tuna tossers” take turns trying to heave a tuna as far as they can, much like an Olympic hammer thrower.

They whip the tethered tuna around in circles and fling it into the air — and hopefully not in the direction of spectators.

The world-record toss is more than 121 feet. Not bad but still about 163 feet short of the world-record hammer throw.

This crazy competition has been ongoing since 1962. But since Port Lincoln thrives on the tuna trade and tuna stocks are said to be threatened, it banned the use of real tuna in 2007.

To satisfy environmental concerns, local artists are commissioned to sculpt fake tuna that look and feel like tuna.

As for the Olympics? Well, if we really must answer, tuna tossing has about as good a chance as rock-paper-scissors of ever becoming an Olympic sport.

Photo from the Port Lincoln Tunarama Facebook page.