Image from on Flickr
The IOC announced today that the sport of geocaching will be added to the list of games at the 2012 Olympics in London. While a surprise to traditionalists, geocaching has reportedly seen unprecedented growth worldwide in the last few years, though numbers are difficult to pinpoint as most cachers see the sport and lifestyle as a solo pursuit. The sport has no governing body, and most regional organizers are self appointed.
Geocaching athletes fought hard for their sport to be recognized on the Olympic level, and their victory today wasn't without some compromises along the way. Most notably, the absence of a medal ceremony, which the IOC declared too expensive. Instead, the gold, silver, and bronze medals will be cached for the top athletes to find themselves.
The official venue for geocaching's Olympic debut has not yet been announced, but participants should have no problem finding it when the games begin. Inside sources say the event will most likely not take place in London proper, after several caches were nicked and hocked by locals during a test run Tuesday, before participants could find them.
–April Fuehls