'World's first' sperm race organised at Los Angeles's Hollywood Palladium for THIS reason

A group of American students hosted what they billed as the world's first Sperm Racing competition at the famed Hollywood Palladium on Friday (Apr 25) night, turning heads with a provocative mix of science, spectacle, a cause, and adolescent humour.

The sperm race was organised by four young Americans, who raised a whopping $1.5 million (£1.13 million) in funding.

Quite literally, it was a head-to-head race between sperm samples from two healthy university students down an eight-inch (20 cm) long racetrack.

The goal, organisers said, was to raise awareness about male fertility.

Tristan Mykel, 20, a University of Southern California student competing under the nickname "Tristan Milker," was crowned the champion after beating 19-year-old University of California student Asher Proeger. 

In traditional race-day fashion—with a twist—the loser was sprayed with a liquid designed to resemble semen.

The samples were deposited onto 2 mm-long tracks modelled after the female reproductive system. These microscopic tracks were magnified 100 times, filmed by specialised cameras, and turned into a 3D animation projected onto big screens for the live audience. Spectators were treated to livestreams, instant replays, and even real-time betting odds.

"There’s no way to really tell if this is real, but I want to believe it is," said one spectator while talking to AFP. This basically sums up the surreal experience.

The "sport's" inventor, 17-year-old Eric Zhu, said that a genuine concern led to the idea.

"There could be this dystopian future where no one will be able to make babies," he said, referring to social media posts that claim average sperm counts had halved over the past 50 years.

While his words echoed that of DOGE and Tesla chief Elon Musk, Zhu said that "I'm not like an Elon Musk, who wants to repopulate the Earth". 

"It's your choice to sleep earlier. It's your choice to stop doing drugs. It's your choice to eat healthier, and all these different things have a significant kind of impact on your motility," Zhu added.

Musk, a supporter of former president Donald Trump, has fathered over a dozen children and frequently comments on the dangers of global population decline.