Swimming, basketball, tennis, and gymnastics has always been a part of the ancient games played at the Olympics, but have you heard about games like tug of war that was once a serious game played at the Olympics? Check out some of the oddest and strangest sports that are no longer a part of the Olympic games.
Distance Plunging is a sport event where athletes are required to dive into the pool and coast underwater without moving their limbs. After 60 degrees, the athlete needs to float on the surface and the person who survives the longest wins the competition.
Shooting has always been there at the Olympics and Live Pigeon Shooting was one of the popular games played in 1896. The competitors needed to shoot at disc-shaped targets called clay pigeons. Live birds were released as competitors aimed them and more than 500 birds were killed every year in the event.
Often played for fun, Tug-of-War had been one of the serious games considered in the Olympics. Official rules included that an eight-man team needs to pull their opponents six feet to win. Once either side fails, judges would declare the team who won.
Many won’t believe this, but yes rope climbing was one of the events that was included at the Olympics. While competitors were originally judged on both speed and style, this competition was banned from the Olympics for various reasons.
Horse long jump was introduced in 1990’s in order to check how far a horse long jump can make its place in the Olympics. Horse long jump only had one go at the Olympics to make its mark and it failed to do so and soon after it was dropped out of the list.
Solo Synchronized Swimming made its initial splash at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Synchronized swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance, and gymnastics, which is performed in front of a panel of 5 judges. However, this competition was discontinued in 1992.
Croquet is still remembered as the game where only women participated, but the game was limited only to a one-time appearance in 1900, Paris. Mostly there were only a few German women participants and hardly a ticket was purchased for this event.
After Croquet was excluded from the list at the Olympic games, Roque made its place into the games. Roque also invited American participants as the game was not known to anyone other than Americans.
Pistol dueling made an appearance at the Olympics, during the unofficial 1906 Intercalated Games held in Athens. However, this game was not able to create magic at the Olympics and hence was dropped from the list.
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