Yukigassen — which means “snowball fight” in Japanese — was invented in 1989 and is held every year in Sobetsu, a town on the main northern island of Hokkaido. The goal is to hit all seven players on the opposing team using perfectly spherical snowballs made with a special machine. The idea of turning Yukigassen into a sport was born out of a crisis in Sobetsu. While visitors once flocked to the town to enjoy its hot springs, the eruption of Mount Usu in 1977 brought tourism in the area to an abrupt halt. Looking for ways to put their town back on the map, residents had a flash of inspiration when they saw a group of tourists having fun during a snowball fight and thought, what if this children’s game could save the town? All that remained was to put rules down on paper, develop special helmets, and invent a machine to mold the snowballs. Keen to capitalize on the international expansion, officials want to turn Yukigassen into an Olympic sport. This year, more than 1,000 players came to compete in Sobetsu, but not a single foreign team was among the 118 entrants. To boost the number of registered players and try to win over the International Olympic Committee, the sport has had to step away from snow. Artificial snowballs have been developed so the game can be played in gyms or on the beach, turning a seasonal battle into a global sport playable year-round. Still, another major problem stands in the way of the Olympic dream: complex officiating that makes it difficult to train new referees. Eight referees watch each match, where 180 snowballs can be flying during a 3-minute set. Judging accurately is almost impossible. As long as that issue isn’t solved, it will be difficult to stake a claim for the Olympics.
