12 Bizarre Olympic Sports/Events That Did Not Survive the Modern Era

The modern Olympic games first started in 1896 in Athens, Greece. While some of the events are the same, there are plenty of bizarre sports from then that are no longer part of the Olympic games. Over time, many of the track and field events have evolved. Most folks know that one of the main attractions in track and field is the shot put event. People love watching others toss heavy objects as far as they can.

However, one of the early events at the modern Olympics took throwing heavy objects to the extreme. Some contestants trained to throw a 56-pound weight as far as they could. The event only took place at two different Olympics. The committee decided to end the event in 1920. Patrick McDonald won the final toss after throwing his weight more than 11 meters. Anyone who’s ever picked up a weight that heavy knows how challenging it is to hold it, let alone throw it far.

Another fascinating track and field event to go away is tug-of-war. Nearly everyone has played tug-of-war at least once in their life. The goal of tug-of-war is to pull the opposing team beyond the line. Like the 56-pound weight throw, the last time tug-of-war was at the Olympics was in 1920. Great Britain took home the gold that year. (For more Olympic content, click here to read about the athlete who came back from a broken neck to win gold. )

To compile this list of bizarre sports and events that did not survive the modern-era Olympics, 24/7 Tempo consulted Olympic-related sources. These include NBC Sports, Top End Sports, and Olympics.com .

Tug-of-War

For tons of kids growing up, hearing the news that they’d be playing tug-of-war in gym class brought them ultimate joy. The goal of tug-of-war is to pull the other team across the line in the middle using a rope. Typically, the strongest person was put at the back of the line, also known as the anchor. There was once a time when those who constantly found themselves winning tug-of-war battles could have taken their talents to the Olympic games.

However, tug-of-war didn’t make it past the 1920 Olympic Games. This competition dates all the way back to some of the first games in 5000 B.C. The Olympic rules stated that if there wasn’t a winner after five minutes of pulling, the team who had yanked the furthest distance won the match. There’s a chance tug-of-war could be added back to the Olympics soon. The games considered adding e-sports to their lineup, which means any sport should be up to come back.

56lb weight throw

Since the dawn of time, folks have loved watching others throw heavy objects as far as they could. In 2024, the closest thing to throwing heavy objects fans will get is the shot put event. While this competition is still fun to watch, some people feel as though they’re missing out on incredibly heavy objects being thrown. Back in the day, there was an event where participants would throw a 56-pound weight as far as they could.

Anyone who’s ever picked up a 56-pound weight knows how truly heavy it is. The most recent winner, Patrick McDonald, threw his weight more than 11 meters in 1920. There are a myriad of reasons why the Olympics would ban a sport like this. The most obvious reason is because of athletes getting hurt while training or participating. Tearing muscles while working out is one of the most painful and excruciating things someone can go through. This is an event that likely won’t find its way back into the games.

Obstacle race swimming

Throughout time, swimming has become one of the most popular events to watch. Having athletes like Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky dominate the pool draws in eyeballs from all around the world. These days, athletes who participate in swimming events only find themselves in the pool. Had they been around in 1900, there was a chance they’d be participating in the obstacle swimming race.

It sounds just like what it is… an obstacle course that involves swimming. To start, participants needed to climb over a pole. Their next task was to move across a row of boats and finally swim under another row. The part of this competition that made it incredibly challenging is it took place in the River Seine in Paris. The current of the river made it nearly impossible for contestants to finish the course.

Croquet

Many people associate croquet with extreme wealth. In Hollywood, it seems like everyone who has riches has a croquet set in their front or back yard. Their families and friends constantly get together to play the sport. Actors in films typically play croquet while wearing nice clothes. However, wearing nice clothes and having friends over isn’t the only time to play croquet. Back in the day, the sport was part of the Olympics.

There weren’t many people in attendance at the 1900 Olympics — the only year croquet was involved with the games. However, it was then that one of the first sportswomen took part in the Olympics. Since the games were held in Paris, it’s no surprise that the French dominated the event. However, because nobody watched the event live and few have even asked for its return to the games, it’s highly unlikely fans will see croquet return any time soon.

Polo

Another sport that’s oftentimes associated with great wealth is polo. One of the reasons that typically only wealthy folks play polo is because the sport involves horses. Purchasing and training a horse for athletics is quite costly. In polo, most people own more than one horse. The goal of the game is to ride a horse and hit a ball into a net. While this might seem easy, the riders of the horse must be in great shape. They can’t be too heavy for the horse and must withstand constantly being tossed around.

Unlike some sports on this list, polo was around for many years. Between 1900 and 1936, polo was part of five different Olympic games. The most recent winner of the event was Argentina, as they dominated Great Britain in the final by a score of 11 to zero. Since the games were around for such a long time, they were clearly popular. The only problem with bringing them back is there are plenty of people who feel as though it’s cruel to put the horse through training.

Lacrosse

Over the years, lacrosse has become one of the most popular sports in the United States and Canada. The game was originally started by the Native Americans and has taken off on its own. There are now numerous lacrosse leagues around the United States and Canada. The two most popular are the PLL and NLL. The main difference between the two is that the PLL takes place outdoors, while the NLL is indoors and considered box lacrosse.

There were two Olympic games in which lacrosse made an appearance. The last year lacrosse was included was in 1908, which is when Canada beat Great Britain. Since there were only two teams that medaled in 1908, it makes sense that the sport was removed from the list of competitions. While the game is wildly popular in North America, it’s not as frequently played in other parts of the world. That means the sport likely won’t find its way back to the Olympics at any point in the near future.

One-handed weightlifting

Tons of people throughout history have taken a stab at lifting heavy things. The more something weighed, the more everyone around you was impressed. For those who really want to show off, they hold things with one hand. It’s important for those who enjoy lifting heavy things with one hand to do so safely. There was once a time when contestants flocked to the Olympics to showcase their strength.

Those who participated in the one-handed weightlifting event did so by doing a “snatch.” This is when the athlete takes a weight and thrusts it over their head. It was vital for those who did this exercise to make sure that they were not injuring their shoulder. If the weight didn’t stop above the shoulder, the person would be in serious trouble. It’s easy to see why it’s been more than a century since the Olympics had the one-handed weightlift event.

Standing high jump

The current high jump is done in what looks like a semi-circle. The contestant runs around the circle before approaching a bar they have to jump over. Some folks have gotten as high as seven feet off the ground without hitting the bar. However, one of the earliest ways people competed in high jumps was by standing still and then jumping. People don’t jump as high when they don’t get a running start.

The man who dominated this event during the Olympics was Ray Ewry. He was from the United States and took home the gold medal in this event for three straight years. Many Olympic historians consider this the most impressive feat in all of Olympic history. Ewry spent the bulk of his childhood in a wheelchair because of polio. The regular high jump is a popular event to watch, so there’s a chance the Olympics bring back an old-school version of it in the future.

Standing long jump

Much like the high jump, folks around the world love watching the long jump. This is when athletes run and see how far they can jump before touching back down. Back in the day, there was an event where the participants couldn’t take the long run to the sand. Instead, they were forced to stand still before hurdling their bodies forward. Like with the high jump, humans jump further when they get a running start.

Ray Ewry didn’t just dominate the standing high jump during his career. He also took home three additional medals in the standing long jump. In total, Ewry won eight gold medals during his legendary Olympic career. There’s a chance the Olympics will add the standing long jump. NFL teams already do a version of this called the broad jump during the combine. Since the event is already so popular at the NFL Combine, the Olympic Committee already knows fans would tune in.

60-meter dash

One of the must-watch events of every Olympics is the 100-meter dash. For around 10 seconds, fans yell for the athlete representing their country to take home the gold. There’s no doubt that Usain Bolt is the greatest to ever do this. Back in the early 1900s, the 60-meter dash was a staple for the Olympics. Since the distance was shorter, contestants would finish in around seven seconds.

There’s no doubting how exhilarating it was to watch that event. However, a traditional track straightaway is 100 meters long. Tons of fans feel it would be awkward to start the event nearly halfway down the pavement. We likely also wouldn’t have gotten to see Usain Bolt dominate the way he did. Bolt stayed with the pack in the first half of most of his races before pulling away with around 60 meters left. Had he only had 60 meters in total to run, he might not have dominated the same way.

Stone throw

Tons of folks tune into the shot put event during the Olympics. There’s something satisfying about watching an athlete throw a heavy object as far as they can. One of the reasons shot put throws are done the way they are is to keep the athlete safe. If the person tossing the ball throws it any other way, they could easily injure their shoulder. Since a shot put is thrown from the neck, their shoulder and arm are safe.

Prior to the shot put event was the stone throw. It was done with the same weighted ball as a shot put, but athletes could throw it however they wanted. This event only lasted for one edition of the games before being shut down. Given how many injuries took place, it’s no surprise the event didn’t last. This event also likely won’t ever come back in the future. The Olympics only want events that are safe for everyone involved.

Plunge for distance diving

The summer months are filled with kids in pools trying to get as far as they can. The person who jumps the furthest celebrates while the other kids sit there with jealousy. Backyard pools aren’t the only place where jumping for distance was a thing. In the 1906 Olympic games, there was an event in which people would dive as far as they could.

They were measured based on where their head landed in the water. It was somewhat challenging to get the exact distance right, as technology wasn’t where it is today. The reason the event ended is because all of the winners came from the same pool in New York City. This would be a fun event for the Olympics to consider bringing back in the future. Odds are that tons of folks would watch. (Next, click here to read about the surprising amenities athletes get to enjoy in Paris. )

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