The Olympics are a beloved series of sports of all kinds, with athletes competing against each other. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, there were many different sports to watch. Whether that be gymnastics, swimming, basketball, volleyball, golf, surfing, etc. Even sports like weightlifting, shooting, skateboarding, dressage, and a variety of others you didn’t even realize were in the Olympics. However, have you ever heard of the Tram Olympics held in Europe? Every year, European tram drivers show off their skills by competing in an obstacle course. This year in particular was the 11th European TramDriver Championship, which took place on September 14th, 2024, The competition was held in Frankfurt, Germany and 25 different teams from at least 20 different countries participated. All of the teams trained hard for this event. The following described below were some of the challenges the drivers had to encounter, as well as the motivations for having the Tram Olympics in the first place.
First, they had to emergency brake at a specific spot. This was done as if someone suddenly veered in front of them. Not only that, but a similar challenge took place where drivers had to stop so precisely that water filled in a bowl to the brim couldn’t spill out. Not even a single drop. There was some water spilled though, and more points were received with the less spilled water. Not something you hear every day.
They were tested to multitask at one point. This included having to remember distinct symbols that appeared on mock traffic signs while having to drive at the same time. One of the toughest challenges the drivers faced was to gently steer the tram to knock over a pool cue connected to a stand, into the billiard ball on a table. 500 points was the highest score one could get in this section. Isn’t that exciting? Budapest ended up winning the championship because of its faster and smoother nature. Vienna will be hosting next year’s Tram Olympics. They would want to host the first world championship and incorporate teams from America and Asia into the competition. One of the main reasons that the Tram Olympics take place is to celebrate all the drivers. In celebration, some of the drivers wore clothing with the logo of their company on it, and pins as well. Furthermore, it also promotes the job since Europe is having a hard time employing more drivers. In conclusion, the Tram Olympics are very unique and exciting. Drivers from across the European continent all come together to honor their profession and compete with each other. These challenges included emergency braking, gracefully stopping to
avoid spilling water out of a bowl, multitasking, and knocking over a pool cue into a billiard ball on the table. The organization wants to expand its competition by opening it to tram teams from Asia and America and bringing more attention to the career. Would you want to compete in the Tram Olympics?
