Originally posted on www.oddastic.com
With Rio 2016 that kicked off last Friday, Oddastic.com takes a look at some of the weirdest olympics sports events that were put to a stop.
1. Live Pigeon Shooting
Believe me, it was only a matter of time before this events was discontinued. This is the worst and last thing any animal rights activist would wish to see. How sad to think that with only its first and only appearance in the Olympics in 1900, almost 300 birds were reportedly killed. What a bloody spectacle!
2. Croquet
Just like the pigeon shooting event, the Croquet sport appeared only once in the 1900 Olympics that took place in Paris. It was notable for being the first Olympics event in which women took part. Why was it discontinued you ask? because only one person showed up.
3. Singlestick
How weird is this event? Singlestick competitiors would attempt to hit each other with a club that is held in one hand. It was played in the Olympics in 1904, held in Missouri USA. It only had two competitors from USA and Cuba, with Cuba taking home the gold medal.
4. Art
Although, artists still submit their work to the Olympic Cultural Programme for mere exposure today, they were actually a sport event in the Olympics for 36 years (1912-1948), where artists, writers, musicians, and more submit their work for consideration and the best were given medals.
5. Tug Of War
Tug of war was one of the events at the 1908 London Olympics. Here, the US team test their strength at the stadium in the White City.
6. Pistol Dueling
No! they didn’t use real bullets – they were made of wax, but great precautions were also taken. Duelers would protect their arms with heavy guard and their faces were hidden behind plate glass. In 1908, Pistol Duels made its debut in the Olympics and was later turned into a public sport by Americans. The sport was particularly exciting and thrilling for people by the thought of ”supposedly fatal results.”
7. Rope Climbing
From a seated start, athletes only use their hands to climb up to 49 feet at the 1896 Olympics held at Athen, and 25 feet at subsequent Olympics. Greece’s Nikolaus Andriakopoulos (pictured) was one of just two people to make it all the way to the top at the inaugural Olympiad. He took home the gold medal.
8. Plunge For Depth
Plunge for Depth was a form of diving in which judges measured how deep you can dive (depth was measured 60 seconds after you hit the water). Because the sport rewarded weight over any other factor, it was vehemently criticized for the lack of skill it required since “the stylish-stout chaps who go in for this strenuous event merely throw themselves heavily into the water and float along like icebergs in the ship lanes.”
9. Ski Ballet
As the name suggests, it is a choreographed form of skiing. Though it is not as graceful as regular ballet, it still super fun to watch.
10. Horse Long Jumping
The only horse long jump event took place in the 1900 Olympics in Paris. Most of the horses could reach at least 14 feet, and the winning jump was 20 feet. That’s still 9 feet and 4 inches less than the world record for a human long jump, however.
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