Education in Middle Earth

Originally Posted by Kitanna

A pie eating contest seems a more likely option than olympic games. Any sort of contest you'd find at a county fair, (cooking, livestock, vegetable contests), all are closer to a hobbit's taste than games of strength and will. They were simple folk and simple contests would have fit them well.

Olympic type games would have been better suited in the world of men. Archery, riding, etc. were already being taught to young men so contests like that make more sense in the world of Big People.

Hobbits had an excellent sense of direction and aim, so archery was not a problem for them to master. Hobbits (the lean ones) could also run at a good pace, almost to the level of Dwarves (excluding Bombur of course!), so they could make worthy sprinters. So on at least two fronts they could compete at a decent level in sports. But what of golf? The Hobbit did reference the subject.