If you thought the Olympics had jumped the shark with trampolining, BMX and skateboarding, they may be about to become mainstream.

The charity English Heritage has started a petition calling for jousting to be made an Olympic sport.

English Heritage’s jousting expert Dominic Sewell has told the BBC that the sport was a global “phenomenon that should be recognised”.

While only about 20 people in the UK joust competitively, the charity told the BBC that tournaments were held across the world from Australia, to Belgium, Brazil and New Zealand.

In the United States, where jousting has been the official state sport of Maryland since 1962, competitors have launched a similar Olympic campaign, the BBC reported.

Mr Sewell, who jousts competitively, said: “Just like the Olympic British equestrian team, we ride beautiful horses to an exceptional level.”

He said jousting required a “huge amount of skill and a daily training regime”, saying jousters were “strong, not just physically but mentally, so you can sit fearlessly in your saddle, face your rival, and offer yourself as a target”.

For a sport to be included in the Olympic Games programme, it must be governed by an international federation, practised widely across the world, and meet other various criteria before being considered by the IOC’s executive board.

But the BBC noted the IOC was “unaware” of any official request for its recognition.