Swimbappe Makes a Splash with World Cup Predictions

A tiny oranda goldfish in Toronto, nicknamed Swimbappe after French footballer Kylian Mbappé, has become a small World Cup celebrity.

He lives in a fish tank designed like a football pitch outside an office building in downtown Toronto. Every day, people gather around the tank while team flags are placed above it. Swimbappe starts in the middle, then swims left or right to “choose” the winner of the day’s World Cup match.

So far, his record is surprisingly decent: 14 correct predictions, 4 wrong predictions, and 10 draws. The funny part is that draws are apparently hard for him to communicate, because, as one of the creators joked, he only has “his fish body” to work with.

The story is a playful continuation of past “animal oracles,” like Paul the Octopus, who became famous during the 2010 World Cup for predicting Germany’s results. Other animals, including orangutans and elephants, have also been used for fun sports predictions.

Basically: Toronto has a goldfish football pundit, and somehow he is doing better than expected.

Happynass Editor: What about you? Do you think Fish and Octopus have the ability to predict game outcomes? 😇

Story Source Link:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/goldfish-swimbappes-world-cup-predictions-make-splash-in-toronto-6196291