Should shin kicking be considered a sport?

Two men compete in the Cotswold Olimpick Games. The sport of Shin Kicking allows competitors to stuff their pants with straw to minimize damage. (Compfight / SoGlos.com)As the 2012 Summer Olympics approach, villages and towns across the U.K. are preparing to welcome the torch in a distinctly British way: by kicking each other in the shins.

Shin kicking is a traditional English sport that dates back to 1612. It is one of many rustic sports associated with the annual Cotswold Olimpick Games, played on Dover's Hill each June, according to the Shin Kicking Association of Britain.

The rules of the game are simple: Two opponents kick each other in the shins until one falls down. The remaining player stands victorious.

"The easiest way to describe it is it's a bit like wrestling but with a lot of contact below the knees," shin-kicking judge James Wiseman told the Mirror. "The idea is really to throw the person to the ground, but to throw the person to the ground you've got to unbalance by kicking them first."

The World Shin Kicking Championship recently celebrated its 400th anniversary in Western England. With the Olympics coming to London this year, the Shin Kicking Association of Britain feels primed to take this beloved pastime to the next level.

The organization, whose motto is "If it ain't broke, yer not kickin' hard enough!" is running a petition on its website to help make shin kicking on Olympic sport.

"Once we have enough names, we plan to deliver our petition to the International Olympic Committee to demand that the ancient game of shin kicking - the main event at England's Cotswold Olimpicks - be recognized as an official Olympic sport," reads their website. "You know it makes sense!"

What do you think? Should shin kicking be designated as an official Olympic sport?