5 Olympic Sports To Play In The Office
Who can honestly say that they haven't taken time out from a busy working day to play office sports? With the arrival of the Olympics, there's probably not a better time to give it a go with your fellow co-workers.
Whether it's a swift game of basketball with some paper and the waste bin or an impromptu game of football, some creative thinking can get everyone participating on those long rainy lunch hours.
Here are five fun suggestions for some great office entertainment.
1.Basketball
You can buy additional equipment if you want and several companies can supply you with a plastic basketball hoop that attaches to a wall but for spur of the moment opportunities, just get some waste paper and a bin.
The advantage to office basketball is that you can either play it secretly on your own or as part of an 'organised' office team. For solitary play just put a bin some distance away from you and throw balls of waste paper towards it, moving further away in order to test your skill 'shooting hoops'. Just remember to use waste paper and not that report that your boss is expecting in the morning.
If you want a full on game however, just get two teams of two or more. Dribbling may be a little tricky as paper doesn't tend to bounce, so it might end up playing more like office netball.
2.Table Tennis
Simply push two office tables together to form the table and mount some books across the middle to act as a net. Now all you need to do is find that random elastic band ball which has been sat invitingly on someone's desk. Every office has one somewhere!
Using your notepads as bats, you should be able to rally with an office co-worker. Of course the other option would be to just buy a cheap set of bats, balls and net that will fit a desk or boardroom table, but perhaps that's to sensible.
3.Football
This is another game that could be played as part of a team but perhaps, given the space needed for such an event, its best played between two. One player takes the role of the striker, and hits the ball between two posts - usually the legs of a desk or your boss's office doorway. Opposing him is the goalkeeper and they run through five penalties before alternating.
This can also be adapted to take in great penalty shoot outs of the past: Chelsea v Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final for example. However, if you're thinking of recreating the 1990 World Cup semi-final contest between England and Germany, be careful not to emulate Chris Waddle as such a wayward penalty could break a window!
4.Darts / Archery
Darts in the office sounds dangerous while archery sounds impossible but this is another case of utilising office equipment in a safe and fun way. Once again you can buy an office darts set which consists of a board and soft darts with Velcro but if you want to play and can't wait 48 hours for delivery then create your own game.
Draw a board and tape it to the wall and then find an object to throw. Elastic bands are useful and you can also fire staplers from small distances. Adjust the size of the board and the targets within it to accommodate your makeshift 'darts'. The obligatory photo of your boss as the target is obviously essential in this game.
5.Athletics
This is another sport that is perfect for the office and it doesn't need any specialised equipment whatsoever.
Simply stay seated in your office chair and set out the course through the office, before racing co-workers to the finish line. If you don't have rollers on your chair, then you might not fair quite so well. The more the merrier in this particular sport, what could possibly go wrong with a dozen of you rampaging to the finish line?
On that note, perhaps we'd advise to just enjoy the Olympics away from the workplace!
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Written by Alexa Garthwaite of Executive Offices Group