The Summer Olympic Games:
what's weird, what's new

In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games contested nine sports. Since then many sports have been added, tripling the number of sports played during the Summer Olympics. While some sports became instant classics, many others were removed because of their unpopularity. Here’s a brief description of some of my favorite strange Olympic events.

Poodle clipping (1900): Featured in the Paris Olympics, a farmer’s wife won the gold by trimming 17 poodles in two hours.

Dueling pistol (1906): In this high-noon event, shooters fired at mannequins wearing frock coats and bull's-eyes on their chests.

Motor boating (1908): This event didn’t last long, as the International Olympics Committee later banned any sport with a motor.

Swimming obstacle race (1900): Racers had to swim through the river, climb up and down a pole, then go over and under several boats.

Live pigeon shooting (1900): Arguably the only extermination event recorded, the birds were released and shooters tried to kill as many as possible. More than 300 pigeons were killed.

Tug-of-war (1900-1920): Two teams of eight tried to pull a rope six feet.

Rope climb (1896, 1904, 1924, 1932): Yup, it was the gym-class classic; using only their hands, competitors tried to reach the top of the rope in the shortest amount of time.

Plain high diving (1912-1924): Divers dove straight into the water. No fancy-schmancy tricks here.

56-pound weight throw (1904, 1920): Similar to the strong-man competitions today, a 56-pound weight affixed to a handle was thrown over a pole-vault bar. Why 56 pounds? Why not?

Solo synchronized swimming (1984-1992): The weird events aren’t all old. Beginning in 1984, swimmers were awarded points based on routines synchronized to music – not to the actions of other swimmers.

Running deer shoot (1906): Participants shot at moving cutouts of animals.

While the Olympics may be more noble or refined without these events, the child in me wishes for the comeback of a few of them; they made the games seem more attainable, as if anyone could compete. Who knows? My rope-climbing skills that were so evident in gym class may have won the gold in years past.

On the other hand, not all Olympic additions and subtractions have dealt with strange or unpopular sports. While you watch the 2008 Olympics, look for BMXers from around the world to take their first turns around an official Olympic track. But baseball fans beware: the next summer Olympics in London will be missing America’s favorite pastime, as baseball and softball were voted out for the 2012 games. They will be eligible for reinstatement in 2016.

Some strange Olympic activity has little to do with the sports but much to do with the spectators. In the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, a man wearing a kilt and green beret ran out on the marathon track and tackled the lead runner. The runner ended up in third place for the event that he easily could have won. During the same Olympics, a Canadian citizen managed to get through security to jump into the Olympic pool. This doesn’t seem very bizarre until you see the picture; he was wearing a tutu and polka-dotted tights.

These stories gave me a great idea for a new Olympic game. I think I’ll name it Ballerina Boat Fight. In this event, two tutu-clad teams sail boats around a harbor and throw 56-pound weights at the team in the other boat. First team to sink the other boat wins!

All about Olympic BMX
A brief history of the Olympics
NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games
Kids’ book review: “Gold Medal for Weird”

About the author:
Larry Brandt is a not-really-retired electrician and Mensan living in Iowa. We don't know for sure, but he may own a tutu; with Larry's sense of humor, anything is possible.

Olympic torch artwork © Yogi Cahya | Dreamstime.com