The Weirdest Olympic Sports Past and Present
By
Will Brown
Contributor Updated: 15 July 2024
Will Brown Contributor
William Brown is a Content Writer with strong expertise in US and global gambling industry trends. Having covered the local sports betting market since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, William approaches his gambling guides with passion and diligence. He is a keen player of online slots, blackjack, and a regular sports bettor.
Weirdest Olympic Sports
While the first Olympic games were held nearly 3,000 years ago in ancient Greece, the modern version of the games has only been running for roughly 120 years. Over this time, many events have come and gone from the lineup, with several raising eyebrows among modern audiences. In this guide to the weirdest Olympic sports of all time, we’ve looked at the unconventional competitive events that continue to amuse us in retrospect.
Intro to the Strangest Olympic Sports
Before we discuss the strange sports that were held or continue to be held at the Olympics, we’ve provided a brief history of the international sporting events. From there, we’ve looked at past sports found at the earliest games, then discussed some head-turning current events.
If you head to betting sites with Olympic markets, you may still be able to wager on some of these sports in time for the Paris 2024 games. You will also learn about the weird Winter Olympic sports that have been held.
- Brief History of the Olympics
- Weird Past Olympic Sports
- Weird Present Olympic Sports
- Strange Winter Olympic Sports
- New Olympic Sports
A Brief History of the Olympics
The Olympic Games date back to ancient Greece and were first held in Olympia in 776 BC. These games were said to honor Zeus, and ran for over 1,000 years until they were banned by the Roman Empire. In 1896, the first modern games were held in Athens, with 14 countries competing across 43 events.
Now, more than 200 nations compete in the games, with 329 events held for 32 sports in the upcoming Paris 2024 games. Over its history, the strangest Olympic sports have debuted that reflect the cultural times, with some only lasting one year. Both Summer and Winter games are held every four years.
Weird Past Sports
Through the lens of time, it’s easy to judge the weirdest Olympic sports as being silly or quirky. However, it’s important to note that many of these events were popular pastimes or competitions in the era. In this first section, we’ve looked at strange sports that are no longer recognized or held at the modern games.
Tug of War
Many will remember tug of war as a game commonly enjoyed by children, whereby two teams pull on opposite ends of a rope in order to drag the other team across a center line. This game, which aims to test the collective strength of each team, was held in the 1900 Paris games and the 1920 Antwerp games.
Plunge for Distance
In the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, a plunge for distance event was held which required divers to jump in a pool, remain motionless, and test how far they could travel underwater. The winner was the diver that could reach the furthest distance without additional movement. Rather than gauge speed, the judges were interested more in stillness.
Live Pigeon Shooting
Another strange event to grace the 1900 Paris Olympics saw shooters compete to shoot and kill as many live pigeons as possible. By the end of the event, roughly 300 pigeons were killed. In subsequent years, these were replaced by clay pigeons, and this remains the only game where animals were intentionally killed for sport.
Motor Boating
In the 1908 London Olympics, three motorboat races were held over a five-nautical-mile course. This event stands out as it tested the driving acumen and reliability of boats rather than physical attributes. The event was marred by poor weather and unreliable mechanics and was dropped from subsequent games.
Rope Climbing
Rope climbing was the most regular of these weirdest Olympic sports to be held, being run in the 1896, 1904, 1906, 1924, and 1932 games. The competition aimed to test how fast climbers could ascend a hanging rope in a test of upper body strength.
Solo Synchronized Swimming
In the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, solo synchronized swimming was added as an event. This saw individual swimmers perform routines to music rather than in sync with teams. Immediately, this was considered to be strange and contradictory to the nature of the sport, which aims to showcase the elegance and skill of group synchronization.
Art Competitions
Among the weirdest Olympic sports have to be the art competitions that were held between 1912 and 1948. These contests saw works of art inspired by sports awarded medals and could include paintings, music, sculptures, literature, and architecture. Their removal signaled the focus of the games on physical contests rather than mental ones.
Club Swinging and One-Handed Weightlifting
Club swinging was featured in both the 1904 and 1932 Olympics, and saw athletes perform choreographed movements with weighted clubs. This mixed the finesse of gymnastics and dance with the strength and coordination of weightlifting. In 1920, one-handed weightlifting was held, which as the name suggests, required lifters to raise a weight with a single hand in a display of strength and balance.
Weird Present Sports
The strangest Olympic sports are not necessarily relegated to the history books. Even today, there are several events that appear unusual to modern audiences and get people talking with every passing game. Despite this, they are still highly regarded for their showcasing of athleticism and physical acumen by experts, as weird as they may seem.
Race Walking
Race walking, as its name suggests, is one of the more strange Olympic events to watch. Participants are required to always maintain contact with the ground and keep the leading leg straight, which distinguishes it from regular walking. This sport has been hosted since 1904.
Trampoline Gymnastics
Debuting at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, trampoline gymnastics sees athletes perform acrobatic gymnastic routines on a trampoline. While this can appear strange, it can also be gracious, with fine and precise movements and a strong aerial ability required to successfully land flips, twists, and somersaults and earn high marks from judges.
Synchronized Swimming
Unlike the aforementioned solo synchronized swimming event, this team sport has continued well after its debut in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Also called artistic swimming, this involves choreographed in-pool swims, gymnastics, and dancing to music. Athletes are judged on the artfulness of their routines, water skills, and synchronization.
Pentathlon
Introduced in the Stockholm 1912 Olympics, the pentathlon was conceptualized to showcase the skills required by a soldier of the era. There are five events within the sport, including swimming, equestrian show jumping, fencing, pistol shooting, and cross-country running. While it’s certainly weird, many athletic skills are tested in the event.
Weird Winter Olympic Sports
The first Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Over the hundred-year history of the games, there have been plenty of strange sports showcased, with some still held today. In this section, we’ve described some weird Winter Olympic sports from past and present-day games.
Past Strange Winter Olympic Sports
One of the strangest sports to come out of the Winter Olympics was ski ballet, which was demonstrated in 1988 and 1992. This was like figure skating on snow. Like the pentathlon, the 1924 Winter Games also included a Military Patrol event, which included cross-country skiing, rifle shooting, and mountaineering.
The German ice stock sport was held in both 1936 and 1964, which is a sport that is similar to curling but played with stocks. Finally, skijoring was a sport showcased at the 1928 games, which saw skiers pulled by horses over a snow course. This made it similar to water skiing.
Current Strange Winter Olympic Sports
Unless you’re Canadian, many have always considered curling to be a strange Olympic sport. This requires athletes to slide stones on the ice toward a target, with brooms used to influence the stone’s trajectory. Biathlon is also unconventional and involves a mix of cross-country skiing and shooting.
Other weird Winter Olympic sports include skeleton and luge. In skeleton, athletes slide down a frozen track head-first on a skeleton-shaped sled at speeds as high as 80 miles per hour. Luge is similar but athletes move down the track on the sled feet first.
New Olympic Sports
If you think we’ve seen the end of the weirdest Olympic sports, think again. It’s common for new events to come and go, with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics debuting both sport climbing and skateboarding. Sport climbing involves speed climbing, bouldering, and lead climbing on artificial walls.
Skateboarding as a sport is much more well-known, but its inclusion in the Olympics was controversial to some. Long considered a hobby or pastime, the sport was included after a long campaign by riders and skateboarding authorities.
