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Jousting might be most associated with ancient knights of the Middle Ages, but a new campaign claims it should take its place as an Olympic sport alongside modern events such as weightlifting and tennis.The campaign by English Heritage aims to secure a place at the Olympics for one of the oldest equestrian sports in the world.The charity, which hosts jousting events at its castles in England in the summer, claims modern jousters need the same levels of fitness, skill and strength as many of the competitors heading to this summers games in Rio de Janeiro.The sport involves competitors with 44lb (20kg) of armour holding lances 12ft (3.7m) long, racing towards each other on horseback at a gallop of up to 30mph, and English Heritage says it shares similarities with Olympic sports from fencing to equestrian eventing.English Heritage, which insists the campaign is not a publicity stunt, accepts that any road to the Olympics for the event would be a long one. However, the organisation said the sport has international appeal with jousting tournaments held in countries from Belgium to New Zealand, as well as in England.A form of jousting is the official state sport of Maryland in the US, where a campaign is trying to get jousting established as a recognised equestrian sport.With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) aiming to encourage innovation in the programme, host city Tokyo has put forward five sports -- karate, skateboarding, sports climbing, surfing and baseball/softball -- for the 2020 gamesEnglish Heritages head of projects Lucy Hutchings said: We want to see jousting take its rightful place at the Olympics table.It is one of the oldest equestrian sports in the world, with its roots in Ancient Greece, and requires similar levels of athleticism and artistry as other official Olympic sports.Jousting is a wonderful dramatic spectacle, it is fantastic to watch knights in action against the backdrop of our castles, it would be even better to see it on the Olympics stage.English Heritages jousting expert Dominic Sewell added: Jousting is a sport that requires a huge amount of skill and involves a daily training regime.You have to be strong, not just physically but mentally, so you can sit fearlessly in your saddle, face your rival, and offer yourself as a target.And just like the Olympic British equestrian team, we ride beautiful horses to an exceptional level. Josh Manson Jersey . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Nick Ritchie Jersey . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. http://www.authenticduckspro.com/Ondrej-kase-ducks-jersey/ . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Hampus Lindholm Jersey . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Korbinian Holzer Ducks Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. NEWPORT, R.I. -- John Isner is glad he gave Newports grass courts another chance. Now he can look back and joke about how he disliked playing on them. The two-time defending champ is making another Newport run, advancing to the quarterfinal round of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships on Wednesday by beating Adrian Mannarino of France 6-0, 7-6 (7). "Its funny, because when I was first professional, I played here a few times and didnt like it too much," he said, smiling. "I remember one year I didnt play because I didnt want to come. Two years ago, I took a wild card here, and everything changed. "Its very special to me. It turned my season around that year and has gotten my summer off to a great start. I love it here. Its one of the reasons I enjoy coming here because I like it so much." The 6-foot-9 Isner served 13 aces in the match that lasted just 59 minutes. The 28-year old Isner rode his big serve in winning his 12th straight match in Newport, improving his record to 11-0 in tiebreakers during the run. "On a surface like this, the way I play, its not uncommon for me to play a few tiebreakers," said Isner, ranked 19th in the world coming into the week. "Its probably one of the reasons Im 12-0 in my last 12 matches here. If you dont lose a tiebreaker it helps. I feel like it gives me a little bit of an advantage." The No. 2 seeded Isner needed only 15 minutes to win the opening set, and served four aces in the second-set tiebreak. He closed it out when Mannarino hit a forehand wide off a 131 mph serve. That came one point after Mannarino double-faulted. Isner knew the match was then in his control. "I can imagine what kind of goes throughh their head," he said.dddddddddddd "If they just slip up a little bit when it comes down to a tiebreaker, one point and the set is over. Theyve got to play solid to win a tiebreaker against me. Today was no different. He made a few mistakes, double-faulted at 7-all and thats all it took." It was a Wimbledon rematch for the pair. Isner retired in the third game of the previous match last month after injuring his left knee. In other second-round play, No. 4 seed Lleyton Hewitt, a runner-up last year in Newport, needed just over an hour to defeat wild-card entrant Prakash Amritraj of India 6-2, 6-1. The 32-year old Hewitt was one of five players in their 30s to reach the quarters, the most in the 37-year history of the tournament. "I felt comfortable," he said of returning along with his wife and three small children, who were there to greet him in the players area. "I knew what I was coming to. The practice courts even play different out back than the two or three centre courts out there. I didnt even know that last year. This year I expected it." In other action, third-seeded Igor Sijsling of The Netherlands beat Yuichi Sugita of Japan 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; Michal Przysiezny of Poland ousted No. 8 seed Rajeev Ram of the United States 2-6, 7-5, 6-3; Michael Russell defeated fellow American Alex Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-4. Ivo Karlovic of Croatia beat Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, and qualifier Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic edged American Jack Sock 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. In the last match of the day, 31-year old Nicolas Mahut of France beat American Tim Smyczek, who upset top-seeded Sam Querrey on Tuesday, 6-2, 6-4. Mahut was the Newport runner-up in 2007. ' ' '