Sports

Here’s a List of Lost Olympic Sports — Do You Want Any of Them Brought Back?

In the 2012 Olympic Games that kick off Friday in London there will be 26 different sports with more than 300 different events, but there are some events that are no more.

(Related: Check out all stories related to the 2012 Olympic Games by TheBlaze)

Here is a look at some of the lost Olympic events curated by National Geographic:

  • Tug-of-War: From 1900 to 1920, the playground feat of strength was part of the Olympic games. NatGeo reports it was discontinued by the International Olympic Committee when it decided every sport needed a “global governing body.” Tug-of-War didn’t have equal representation on an international scale. There was also some controversy over the British team potentially using illegally spiked shoes in 1908.
A Look at Discontinued Olympic Sports

Tug-of-war at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. (Photo: Wikimedia)

  • Solo Synchronized Swimming: Although team synchronized swimming remains an event in the games, what NatGeo calls a “seemingly oxymoronic” version of doing it solo was a part of the Olympics from 1984 to 1992. NatGeo also points out the “synchronized” part comes from the water dancer coordinating his or her movements to the music.
A Look at Discontinued Olympic Sports

This August 1992 file photo shows Olga Sedakova, of the Unified Team, as she competes in the solo synchronized swimming final of the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. (Photo: AP/Bebeto Matthews, FILE)

  • Hot-Air Ballooning: This event was only performed one year in 1900 in the Games hosted by Paris. Participants were judged on distance traveled, time and landing. NatGeo reports it was removed as an event because of a ban on motorized sports at the Games.
  • Pigeon Shooting: Although shooting events are still apart of the summer Olympics, live pigeon shooting was stopped after one time. It was also only conducted at the 1900 Paris Olympics. NatGeo speculates the mess could have been part of the reason for the event not sticking.

Here’s a bonus lost game: Competitive art. Although not a sport, the Olympics held art competitions in 1912 for the games in Stockholm, Sweden. In fact, the founder of the International Olympic Committee , Pierre de Coubertin, was awarded a gold medal for his poem own Ode au Sport (read it here). GeekOSystem writes art competitions were part of the Olympic Games until 1948. GeekOSystem also points out that at the medals at the time of de Coubertin’s win were solid gold worth $25,000.

A Look at Discontinued Olympic Sports

Pierre de Coubertin (Photo: Wikimedia)

Check out more lost Olympic events reported on by National Geographic here.

And what of sports that were never part of the Olympic games, like bowling. The Associated Press reported Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul, who is part of the U.S. Olympic team and spokesman for the U.S. Bowling Congress, saying he thinks bowling should be an Olympic sport.

“Who should I talk to over here about 2016?” said Paul, whose average is in the high 190s.

Would you want any of these sports brought back? How about instituting any new sports? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Comments (63)

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  • NOTALOTTAYITTAYADDA
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:39pm

    They considered partnership stunts (what college cheerleaders do), and poll dancing, both are competed in Russia. But I say give fat people a chance, Olympic poker, maybe H.O.R.S.E.

    Report Post »  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 2:48pm

      What’s poll dancing? The gathering of public opinion while dancing, or just dance contests voted on by the audience?

      Report Post »  
  • RedManBlueState
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:19pm

    If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do they all drown?

    Report Post » RedManBlueState  
  • Carlinpa
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:18pm

    “Competitive art.”? You know that was a liberal “ sport” They must have been miffed that was eliminated.

    Report Post »  
  • right-wing-waco
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:16pm

    Curling. I watched curling on TV one day. I guess I watched for about an hour but they never seemed to get the ice clean, so I turned the channel.

    Report Post »  
  • Rickfromillinois
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:08pm

    Bring back live pigeon shooting. The competitors could be placed in the back of pickup trucks and driven up and down the streets of large cities shooting pigeons. That could help cities with their pest problems although there would be some collateral damges, windows, roofs, by-standers.

    Report Post » Rickfromillinois  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:29pm

      In recent years, London has been using falconers to reduce the pigeon flocks. It’s had some success and there aren’t that many paid gigs for falconers these days. But you could always take the shooters down to the Thames to kill rats. What the heck, bring the archers and the fencers, too. Spectators could gather on the bridges to watch. It would be a real treat for the average London resident who can’t get tickets to any of the other events.

      Report Post »  
  • seeker9
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:06pm

    Bring ‘em all back! That could fill up msnbc’s schedule with olympics rather than propaganda. It would be a huge public service!

    Report Post » seeker9  
  • MrSunshine
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:03pm

    Thwacko!

    It’s a game that combines frisbee and golf. You throw the frisbee and then see how close you can hit your golf ball to it.

    The game ends when you run out of beer!

    Report Post » MrSunshine  
  • Chet Hempstead
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 12:46pm

    Men’s synchronized swimming, beach curling, javelin catching, Ringolevio, competitive eating, beer pong, miniature golf, bocce, tetherball, cheese rolling, tiddlywinks, pigeon shooting as an archery event.

    Report Post »  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:18pm

      Skeet fencing, hammer shooting.

      Report Post »  
    • ThePostman
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 8:56pm

      Pigeon shooting as an archery event! Awesome! But you will never find me in the stands when they do that!

      Report Post »  
    • JimmyP
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 10:47pm

      Asian Carp Archery
      Zebra Muscle eating

      Report Post » JimmyP  
  • BIgWheeler
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 12:25pm

    With whom do you synchronize with while SOLO Synchronized Swimming?

    Report Post » BIgWheeler  
    • Jim
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 12:36pm

      the music, it is in the story.

      Report Post » Jim  
  • Billca
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 12:18pm

    The Olympics were originally contests of the physical attributes of warriors. The marathon honored the Greek warrior Pheidippides who delivered the news of the Battle of Marathon. Many other sports can trace their inclusion back to “military roots” as well. More modern games, like Tennis, Basketball and ping-pong show the political correctness of modern man. The biathlon combines rifle shooting with cross country skiing or running. Sadly, most shooting sports receive short shrift from politically-correct media coverage of the events. Perhaps this is because the shooting is bullseye shooting from static positions and not very exciting for some to watch.

    So, let’s spice it up a little and include something like combat pistol or rifle shooting where competitors have to shoot & move against multiple targets against the clock, similar to a police rescue operation.

    Report Post »  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 1:14pm

      The marathon was never part of the ancient games, and the modern Olympics were never that martial. They included cycling and tennis form the beginning, though tennis was later dropped and eventually revived after a long absence. The longest race in the ancient Olympics was about three miles, probably because longer would be boring to watch, definitely not because they were squeamish about killing athletes. They did have wrestling matches in which the only rules were against fish-hooking and eye-gouging, grabbing the genitals was legal and death by disembowelment was not uncommon. In boxing, there were no time outs and you could hit a man when he was down. In later years, metal reinforced gloves were legal, making it less like the modern sport of boxing, and more like the modern activity of murder. On the bright side, if you died, you were declared the winner posthumously. The bloodiest sport, however, was chariot racing, which, except for the absence of the knife-blade hubcaps, was otherwise exactly as rough as it looked in Ben-Hur.

      Report Post »  
  • THX-1138
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 12:03pm

    Mudslinging. That way our politicians could get in on the act…

    Report Post » THX-1138  
  • PATRIOTMAMA
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 12:01pm

    I want to see the tug-o-war with randomly picked citizens. Now THAT I would watch.

    Report Post »  
  • pap pap
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:48am

    How about wine guzzling. That way I can compete too.

    Report Post »  
  • T-2
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:23am

    “solo synchronized swimming” how can it be synchronized when it’s a solo?

    Report Post »  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:19am

    All sports are fine with me. Just go back to all amateurs. Even when the other countries cheated and used pros we still ruled.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • Ron Staiger
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:18am

    I’d like to see Mixed Martial Arts added for both men and women- no holds barred, fight ’till you knock ‘em out. What a pleasure it would be to see a Frenchie or some towel-head get their bell rung!

    Report Post »  
  • SquidVetOhio
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:12am

    Rugby. I love watching that stuff even though I only understand half of it.

    Jiu-Jitsu – Like wrestling, only a 1,000x better.

    I like MRBUTCHER’s idea of dwarf tossing. (Depending on if the dwarf is being tossed or is the one tossing) lol

    Report Post » SquidVetOhio  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:17am

      I played in college Squid. It’s not real hard to understand. Offsides is basically the same as in hockey. That confused me at first anyway.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
  • yohannbiimu
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:10am

    I wouldn’t be surprised if “competitive art” made a comeback. The winners would end up being leftist propaganda posters.

    Report Post » yohannbiimu  
  • watashbuddyfriend
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:10am

    How about NONE!

    Report Post »  
  • MiCurmudgeon
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:08am

    Id like to see President retiring……every four years, especially needed this 2012.

    Report Post »  
  • Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:07am

    Beer pong would be fun. Also, bike jumping where each competitor has to build his own ramp with 2 cinder blocks a 2×4 and a sheet of plywood and jump it with a 1983 Huffy dirt bike.

    I’d watch those.

    Report Post » Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve  
  • seeker9
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:06am

    Just think how the Olympics would be if the BHO/Warren philosophy was applied. The gold medal winners would have to divide up their medals and give it to the govt who would then “invest” in the people that built the stadiums and arenas (and cronies). EXCITING!

    Report Post » seeker9  
  • right-wing-waco
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 10:58am

    Pigeon shooting…? LOL That’s hard to believe.

    Report Post »  
  • KickinBack
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 10:58am

    How about Dodgeball. My favorite PE sport from high school…Until the liberals banned it.

    Report Post » KickinBack  
    • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:05am

      I still watch that on ESPN8-the Ocho :-)

      Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
    • whatthecrazy
      Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:41am

      Yes dodgeball was fun but who knew that those really bouncy soft balls could be so dangerous or maby it was the whiney babies who were hit first thing that are the ones that got it shut down so no one else would get thier feelings hurt.awwwww. I say bring dodgeball back…………….

      Report Post »  
  • MrButcher
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 10:57am

    I wouldn’t mind seeing dwarf tossing, naked female mud wrestling and pigeon shooting make a comeback.

    Roller derby too!

    Report Post » MrButcher  
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