Celebrate the 2024 Games with These 10 Office Olympics Ideas
The 2024 Summer Olympics are nearly upon us. That means it's the perfect time to bring the thrill and competition of the Games to your circle!
But this time, forget the traditional Olympic events you're about to watch on TV.
We've got you covered with 10 office olympic ideas to bring the competitive spirit to your office or friend group. These activities are a perfect blend of friendly competition, teamwork and nostalgia. These office Olympic games aren't just for the super athletes. They're ideal for all ages and skill levels to ensure everyone has a memorable experience!
Flag Relay
This is a game we created that combines speed, memory, smarts, and luck. The goal is to be the first team to race across a field and identify the correct flag of a named country.
For the setup, print out images of about 20 flags from across the globe. You may choose to use well-known flags (Japan, United Kingdom, China) or throw in some tougher ones.
Tape the flags to the inside of an object. We like to use soccer cones for many of our games. Then scatter the flags on one side of a field or room.
Divide the group into teams and have them line up single-file behind a starting line. The game official will shout out a country represented by one of the printed flags. On this cue, the first player in line will run up to the pile of cones and look underneath a single cone to reveal a flag.
Assuming the player doesn’t identify the correct flag, they will run back to the starting line. They will high-five their next teammate who will race up to look underneath another cone. Emphasize that a player may only look at a single flag/cone and then must return to the starting line.
This continues until someone identifies the correct flag for the game official and becomes the winner of that round.
Repeat for more rounds and the team with the most wins takes the gold!
Olympic Potluck
This one combines competition with creativity and eating... an international-themed cooking contest!
Each team will choose a country to represent. You may specify that each team must pick a unique country or you may allow repeats.
The objective is for each team to create a dish or meal that represents their country. Feel free to offer more guidelines to suit the group...
You may give groups the flexibility to create their dish at home versus a common gathering place. You could also specify that it needs to be a room-temperature snack vs a hot entree.
A panel of independent judges should score the event. The judges can incorporate scores for taste, creativity, and representation of that team’s country.
Minute to Win It Triathlon
“Minute to Win It" challenges are quick and fun games where players generally have just one minute to complete a task.
For an Olympic-style Triathlon, pick 3 challenges for teams to complete. For large groups, use a smaller subset of the teams to participate in each challenge. Ideally, every participant will participate in at least 1 of the challenges.
Score the event based on how long it takes all the team’s players to complete the particular challenge. Sum the times of the 3 challenges together to determine the final score.
Here are some popular Minute to Win It challenges:
Stack Attack: Stack 36 plastic cups into a perfect pyramid and then take them down as fast as possible
Face the Cookie: Move a cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands
Junk in the Trunk: Attach an empty tissue box filled with ping pong balls to the participant's waist. Then see how long it takes for players to shake them out
Spoon Frog: Use a spoon to catapult small objects (like marshmallows) into a cup
Paper Plate Shuffle: Move ping pong balls from one paper plate to another using only a spoon
In the Face the Cookie challenge, players moving a cookie from each of their foreheads to their mouths without using their hands
Virtual Olympic Games
Is your group spread out across the globe? Throwback’s ‘Virtual Recess’ offering was created during the COVID period to help companies combat ‘Zoom fatigue’.
Activities include spins on field day games along with classics like Pictionary, Scavenger hunts, and trivia activities. Plus, many of our own color war games with Olympic themes!
Check out our Virtual Recess page for more info.
Office Olympic-Themed Family Feud
Family Feud is a perfect game for all ages and demographics. Unlike regular trivia, which relies on specific knowledge, Family Feud questions come from common knowledge and opinions. The game show questions typically reflect everyday life and popular culture. This makes it easy for everyone to relate and participate.
For an Olympic theme, divide participants into two or more teams, each team representing a different country. Then, gameplay will consist of a series of Olympic-themed questions.
You can find plenty of these online, but there are some examples.
Question: "Name a popular Olympic sport."
Answers:
Track and Field (33 points)
Swimming (26 points)
Gymnastics (20 points)
Soccer (11 points)
Basketball (8 points)
Volleyball (5 points)
Question: "Name an athlete who has won multiple Olympic gold medals."
Answers:
Michael Phelps (45 points)
Usain Bolt (32 points)
Simone Biles (9 points)
Carl Lewis (8 points)
Question: "Name a country known for its strong Olympic team."
Answers:
USA (52 points)
China (21 points)
Russia (17 points)
Germany (8 points)
You may also customize the questions based on your group. Here are some examples:
Who would be most likely to qualify for an Olympic event?
Who would most passionately cheer for Team USA while watching from their TV?
Who would most likely get into it with officials or judges if they were competing?
Olympic Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt unites the nostalgia of a classic field day game with the excitement of the Summer Olympics.
The game official will prepare a list of Olympic-related items. Choose items that teams can find around the office or event location.
You can specify that each item must be physically brought back. Or you may allow a photograph if some of the items would be super challenging to carry.
Specify a time where all teams must return to the starting place. Teams must work together to retrieve all the items on the list as fast as possible. Score the teams based on how long it takes them to return to the starting place. Assess a penalty (such as 3 minutes) for each item that team fails to bring back.
Here are some item ideas to include in the scavenger hunt:
Cycling helmet
Sports drink
Dumbbell (real or toy)
Ping pong paddle
Baseball cap
Olympic mascot plush
Soccer ball
Basketball
Swim goggles
A country’s flag
Sparkler Torch Relay
Proceed with caution on this one since it involves fire. Play it outdoors to be safe.
Teams should line up shoulder to shoulder, each holding an unlit sparkler. The number of players should be equal for each team.
The game official will light the first sparkler of the first person in line for each team. When those first individuals have their sparklers lit, the official will shout 3-2-1-Go!
The players with the lit sparkler will then use their flame to light the sparkler of the person next to them. This continues with each player passing the lit flame to the person next to them.
The team that lights the flame of their final player in line takes the gold!
Pro tip: For uneven teams, make up the difference by having some players from the team with few members light two sparkers.
Beep Test
The track and field events are some of the most captivating of the Summer Olympics. The thrilling showcase of speed, strength, and endurance creates moments of suspense that resonate with viewers across the globe.
The Beep Test is an exciting way to challenge your friends or coworkers who are looking for a physical adult field day game.
The goal of this activity is to be the last person standing. If you make it team-based, score it based on the last remaining member of each team.
Participants run back and forth between two markers set 20 meters apart, timing their runs to a series of beeps. The beeps start at a slow pace and progressively gets faster, requiring participants to adjust their speed to keep up with the beeps. When a participant can no longer reach the marker before the beep, they are out.
New Sport Competition
The Olympic Committee regularly adds new sports to the Olympics, reflecting the diversity of global interests.
A fun and creative Olympic-themed challenge could be for teams to come up with their own unique sport or new Olympic event. This encourages innovation, teamwork, and laughter as players design their own competition.
Teams can present their creation by playing the game live with the full group. We suggest appointing a panel of independent judges to score each team’s game. Award points based on creativity, ease of understanding the rules, and fun had by players!
To get the creative juices flowing, you can hint at a unique obstacle course or puzzle completion. Teams can take game ideas from summer camp nostalgia too. Perhaps a twist on capture the flag or something involving water balloons!
Teams competing to finish a puzzle by racing across a field to retrieve the pieces
Color War/Field Day Olympics
Most of us are never going to play traditional Olympic events. 1500m hurdles, 100m backstroke, artistic gymnastics, marathon… not much fun for us commoners.
Instead, bring the spirit of the Olympics to your friends or colleagues with a field day or color war. Field day games allow everyone to participate in a variety of activities that cater to different skills and interests.
From relay races and tug-of-war to trivia contests, field day games provide a perfect mix of friendly competition, team spirit, and nostalgic fun. There is something for everyone to enjoy!
Throwback’s corporate field days provide accessible versions of favorite Olympic sports. ’Hot Shots’ is our take on basketball that is even fun with non-athletes. We also have a mashup of soccer and handball that emphasizes the excitement of a shoot-out.
Check out our field day or color war pages for more field day games and color war ideas. Learn how we can customize an event for your group!
