According to PR Newswire, T.G.I. Fridays, the casual dining chain that hosts the World Bartender Championship annually, is hoping to have their bartending competition as a part of the Olympic games.
Friday’s has petitioned the International Olympic Committee, requesting official recognition of bartending as the next Olympic sport. As the finalists of the WBC prepare for the world finals in Dallas on March 14, 2011, support from their fans could send them to London, Rio, and beyond. They can show support by signing an online petition on T.G.I. Friday’s Facebook page, or the World Bartender Championship web site.
“What other sport requires ten-hour routines, absolute precision and a fully memorized playbook? Bartending can be a whole new playing field for Olympic sport,” said Trey Hall, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of T.G.I. Fridays. “Twenty years of World Bartender Championships have shown that bartenders at Friday’s are no stranger to athletic competition, and our newly awarded 2010 finalists are no different. As a federation of thousands, the sport is ready to go for the gold.”
The ten global finalists include six winners from the U.S. divisional level competitions as well as four international winners from Hungary, Japan, Peru, and Sweden. To win their division, competitors performed an eight to ten minute flairtending demonstration.
