To run office olympics, get a manager’s sign-off, pick five to seven desk-safe events, form teams of four to eight, and score each event by placement. At PartyGameKit, we write every event so one organizer can set it up from the supply closet.
Every event below uses supplies already in the office, and each one has a seated or judging role for anyone who would rather not compete.
How to Run Office Olympics
To run office olympics games successfully, follow this seven-step organizing method:
- Secure manager sign-off on the schedule and budget before making any announcements.
- Select five to seven desk-safe events from the activity list below.
- Form teams of four to eight players, either by existing department or by mixing groups to get people talking across silos.
- Assign each squad a team country or custom name and a distinguishing color.
- Host a brief opening ceremony where teams reveal their names and display paper flags.
- Run the chosen events in a fixed, announced sequence with dedicated judges.
- Tally placement scores on a shared scoreboard and present medals during a closing ceremony.
Regarding event timing, the full competition fits cleanly into a long lunch break or a dedicated two to three hour afternoon block. If your company cannot pause work for several hours at once, spread the schedule across a full work week by running one event each day at the start of lunch.
Office Olympics Events Using Office Supplies
These desk-friendly office olympic games use ordinary items found in supply closets.
Paper Airplane Distance
Each team receives three standard sheets of printer paper. Teammates fold their own airplanes using house rules agreed upon before the throws start. Contestants stand behind a strip of painter’s tape placed across the floor. One by one, players throw their planes down a clear hallway. The plane that lands farthest from the throw line wins gold for that heat. To run an accuracy variation instead, place a wastebasket down the hall and award points to any throw that lands inside the bin.
Trash Can Basketball
Place an empty wastebasket against a wall and mark three shooting lines on the carpet using tape, set at varying distances. Contestants crumple three sheets of scrap paper into tight balls. Each player takes three shots, earning higher points for baskets made from the deeper taped lines. The contestant or team with the highest combined shooting score across all attempts takes the event.
Rubber Band Archery
Build a pyramid of six plastic cups on a sturdy breakroom table, placing three cups on the bottom, two in the center, and one at the top. Hand each player a bundle of rubber bands. Standing behind a taped foul line, contestants shoot rubber bands at the pyramid to knock cups completely off the table. Shooters must always aim away from other people. The player who knocks down the most cups in sixty seconds wins.
Office Chair Curling
Find a flat, clear hallway with no pedestrian traffic. Tape a circular target on the carpet or tile floor, marking an outer ring, an inner ring, and a center bullseye. One player sits on a rolling office chair and pushes themselves forward with their feet, coasting down the path toward the target. Teammates cannot push the chair, and riders may not propel themselves at dangerous speeds. The chair that stops closest to the center bullseye claims the top placement.
Cup Stacking
Provide a single stack of ten plastic cups to each competitor. When the referee calls start, contestants must build a four-tier pyramid using four cups on the bottom, three on the second row, two on the third, and one at the peak. Once the tower stands freely for two seconds, the player must slide the cups down into a single nesting column. The player with the fastest recorded stopwatch time earns first place.
Paper Clip Chain
Give each team a full box of standard paper clips. On the starting whistle, players work individually or pass a single chain down the line to link clips together as fast as possible. When sixty seconds expire, players must stop immediately. The team that constructs the longest continuous linked chain within the minute window takes the victory.
Sticky-Note Challenge
Hand each squad two pads of sticky notes. One volunteer from each team stands against a blank wall. In sixty seconds, teammates must peel and apply as many individual notes as possible to the volunteer’s clothing or onto a designated taped square on the wall. Notes may only touch clothing, never skin or hair. The team that attaches the highest number of secure notes before the timer expires wins the heat.
Typing Race
Set contestants up at designated workstations with a standard paragraph of workplace text displayed on a screen or printed card. On the signal, racers type the passage as fast as possible. The judge tracks total completion time and deducts points or adds time penalties for spelling errors. The typist with the fastest error-free completion time secures the gold medal for their squad.
Flonkerton Box-Shoe Race
Flonkerton is a classic race run on carpeted office floors using empty, lightweight copy paper boxes. Contestants step into two empty box bottoms and secure them to their feet using tape or cardboard flaps. Racers shuffle their feet forward across a straight carpeted course to the finish line. Stepping out of a box requires a player to stop and reset their foot before continuing. The fastest racer across the tape wins.
Envelope-Stuffing Relay
Set up a folding table with a stack of fifty flyers and fifty matching envelopes. In a relay format, one runner from each team races to the table, folds a flyer into thirds, slips it inside an envelope, tucks the flap, and runs back to tag the next teammate. The team that properly prepares ten envelopes first wins the round.
| Event | Required Supplies | Physical Intensity | Space Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper Airplane Distance | Printer paper, painter’s tape | Low | Long hallway |
| Trash Can Basketball | Wastebasket, scrap paper, tape | Low | Break room |
| Rubber Band Archery | Plastic cups, rubber bands | Low | Conference table |
| Office Chair Curling | Rolling chair, painter’s tape | Moderate | Clear hallway |
| Cup Stacking | Plastic cups, stopwatch | Low | Desk or table |
| Paper Clip Chain | Boxes of paper clips | Low | Seated at desk |
| Sticky-Note Challenge | Pads of sticky notes | Moderate | Open wall space |
| Typing Race | Workstations, test text | Low | Standard desks |
| Flonkerton Box-Shoe Race | Empty paper boxes | Moderate | Carpeted hallway |
| Envelope-Stuffing Relay | Envelopes, paper flyers | Moderate | Open room |
Teams, Points and the Scoreboard
A clear scoring system keeps competition fair and gives spectators an easy way to follow standings. Record every score on a central whiteboard placed in the main event area so everyone can track team progress throughout the day.
For events with four to six squads, award points by placement:
- Gold (first place): 3 points
- Silver (second place): 2 points
- Bronze (third place): 1 point
- Fourth place and below: 0 points
If your company has seven or more teams competing, expand the point scale so that the top five finishers earn five, four, three, two, and one point respectively.
Before the first whistle blows, announce a designated tie-breaker event. A sudden-death paper airplane accuracy toss or a sixty-second paper clip link-off works well because both challenges resolve quickly without moving furniture.
Making It Work for Everyone
Workplace activities must welcome all colleagues regardless of physical ability, comfort level, or work schedule. Participation should always remain strictly optional so nobody feels pressured to compete against their will.
Every event in your schedule should offer non-physical roles. Colleagues who prefer not to run or toss items can serve as official timekeepers, event judges, score recorders, or play-by-play commentators. Furthermore, challenges like typing races, paper clip chains, and rubber band target shoots can be completed entirely from a seated position. Avoid events that require running, jumping, or balancing on uneven surfaces to protect coworkers with mobility limitations.
If your office operates on a hybrid schedule, include remote teammates over video calls. Remote colleagues can compete simultaneously in typing races, paper airplane builds, or workplace trivia rounds, allowing distributed staff to earn points for their squads.
Medals and Closing Awards
Wrap up the festivities with a dedicated closing ceremony to recognize team accomplishments and celebrate funny moments.
Hand out plastic medals or bags of chocolate gold coins to the first, second, and third place teams. For an enduring workplace tradition, craft a homemade trophy using an upside-down mug, gold spray paint, and an old stapler, passing it to the winning department until the next tournament.
In addition to podium finishes, distribute novelty awards to highlight effort across the company:
- Best Team Spirit: Awarded to the group with the most creative costumes, banners, or chants.
- Most Dramatic Loss: Given to the contestant who suffered the closest near-miss on a final toss.
- Engineering Excellence: Presented to the builder of the most elaborate, slow-gliding paper airplane.
Where the Idea Came From
The concept of an indoor office olympics was popularized by the US television comedy series The Office, in the season 2 episode titled Office Olympics. In that storyline, employees invented events at their desks, including Flonkerton, a race with boxes of copy paper strapped to their feet. The fictional contest inspired real-world workplaces to adopt desk-based games for casual team building.
Choosing Alternative Formats
This tournament model works best for coworkers who share an indoor office space. It is not the right choice for a team too small to split into several squads, or for client-facing spaces where loud cheering disrupts customers.
If your group wants outdoor athletic activities rather than indoor stationery challenges, shift your plans toward field day games for adults, which feature sack races, tug-of-war, and relay sprints on open grass. For casual indoor team building without tournament brackets, our guides to office party games and icebreaker games for work provide conversational activities and quick mixers. You can also explore our broader collection of party games for team challenges, or use our free browser-based bingo card generator to create printable cards with custom word lists of 24 or more terms for seated office socials.
Pick five desk-friendly challenges, set up your central scoreboard, and start your first round of office olympics games.