Sure, cycling and diving are impressive. But if the Olympic Games are for celebrating extraordinary human achievement, why is parallel parking not considered in the lineup? After all, it involves a perfect combination of spatial awareness and composure under pressure – and only a small number of people can carry it out flawlessly.
If you aren’t yet convinced that parallel parking would make an incredible addition to the Summer Olympics in 2028, here are the key elements that make it a dazzling contender.
The precision
You need to turn at just the right times and by the right amount to really nail a parallel park the first time around. When you think about it, are the intricate angles involved any different to getting a soccer ball past a world-class goalie? And that’s just for a normal parking space! When the parking space looks slightly too small, the precision needed really steps up a notch. You could even say it’s exactly like nailing the triple Axel jump in figure skating, or hitting the bullseye as an Olympic archer.
The pressure
Having a whole stadium watching you compete is one thing. But having to perform with cars lining up behind you on a busy road? Now that’s pressure. The people waiting in traffic behind you are the ultimate adjudicators, waiting to judge you with a side-eye as you succeed or fail. You could even end up in a viral video if your performance is particularly wonderful (or woeful).
The coordination and timing
Olympic time-keeping now goes down to the millionth of a second. And if you take even that much too long with parallel parking, you risk the wrath of other drivers on a busy road. Sure, they could just be patient and wait, but where’s the challenge in that?
A well-executed parallel park has all the elegance and timing of a rhythmic gymnastic routine. It seems almost like a dance as you indicate, turn the wheel and reverse smoothly in one go. If that’s not Olympic-worthy coordination, we don’t know what is.
The training
Just like the most seasoned Olympic athletes, experience counts for everything with parallel parking. In a similar way, you might begin practising at your local park and work your way up to the pro level. Parallel parking can take many years to master. You might even learn your parallel parking techniques from a wise old sensei, such as Bob the driving instructor. Eventually, all those years of finessing help you stay cool and calm under the mounting pressure and the process starts to feel like muscle memory.
The resilience
Parallel parking, just like Olympic sports, requires mental and emotional fortitude. Those reverse parking sensors going off in your ear? Yes, they’re probably just as intense as the starter buzzer on the 100m sprint. Rain, hail or shine – this is your moment to step up and deliver.
Plus as a parallel parker, you know the whole world is watching if you crack under pressure. Is this really any different to competing on the world stage? Being pipped at the post at the Olympics is an awful lot like having someone swoop in and steal your parking spot before you have the chance to reverse into it. And if it happens, you’ll have to wait another four years (or another trip ‘round the block) to gather your resolve and try again.
The victory
That exhilarating moment where you finish reversing, straighten your wheels and know you’ve totally aced it? Tell us how that’s any different to the moment a gymnast or pole vaulter masters a perfect landing. You’ll be riding that high for the rest of your life. If only slow-mo replays had captured it all, so you could relive it in your old age and say, “That was me. I was really something, wasn’t I?”
And just like in the Olympics, the challenges never stop with parallel parking. Once you’ve mastered the process, there’s always more to conquer – like parallel parking on a steep hill, or in peak-hour New York traffic.
If you still aren’t convinced, then consider this – is parallel parking more difficult than fast walking? We think many would say yes.
So, while the world debates the inclusion of sports like lacrosse and flag football for LA in 2028, let’s push for parallel parking to take its rightful place in the Olympic spotlight. It's time for the International Olympic Committee to recognise what we all know: that parallel parking is the ultimate test of human performance.
In the meantime, find gold with your next second-hand car
While we eagerly await the announcement from the IOC, why not take advantage of Carma’s car buying experience to nab yourself your next set of wheels? The many customer reviews make it clear that it’s a better way to buy pre-loved cars. First, you can search hundreds of quality used cars online that have been pre-checked by an expert mechanical team. Every car comes with a 3 month warranty, plus a seven-day window in which you can return the car for any reason. And with the option of free home delivery, you can finesse your parallel parking process close to home before taking your rightful place on the public parking podium.
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