Is there any chance that sprint kayaking will be an Olympic event in the future? Are you wondering, “Whatever happened to the Olympic tug-of-war event?” frequently? Since the inaugural modern Olympic Games in 1896, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been responsible for selecting which sports will be held at the Olympic Games and which will not. Sports events are added, removed, and occasionally brought back depending on how well-liked they are around the world. The following is a brief history of the seven sports that were temporarily or permanently removed from the Olympic program.

 

7;Golf

Golf had only appeared in two Olympics, the 1900 and 1904 Games, before to 2016. There were two events in the 1900 Paris Olympics: one for men and one for women. The women’s event was replaced in 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri, by a team golf competition. The sport made a comeback to the Games for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics, following a 112-year absence.

 

6;Skeleton Sledding

 

Skeleton sledding, dubbed the spookiest Olympic sport, was revived in 2002 at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. It had previously made an appearance in the 1928 Olympics and again in 1948. What makes these strange years? The two Olympics took place at St. Moritz, Switzerland, home of the famed Cresta Run bob run that opened in 1884 for skeleton aficionados.Skeleton sledding was disqualified from the Olympics until artificial bob courses could be constructed and the sport had an opportunity to gain more traction, as it was virtually restricted to Cresta Run in the eyes of the general public. It happened quickly because many thrill-seekers enjoy plunging headfirst down winding ice slopes, sliding at speeds of up to 93 miles per hour (150 km/h), and controlling with only the smallest motions of their knees and shoulders.

5;Rugby

Rugby has long been one of the top sports in Europe, despite the fact that during the 20th century it lacked international appeal. During some of the earliest modern Olympics (1900, 1908, 1920, and 1924), rugby union—a team sport consisting of 15 players per team—was an approved Olympic event. This was made possible by Pierre, Baron de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic movement and a devoted rugby player. Rugby disappeared from the Olympic stage after he left the IOC, and it didn’t return until the IOC decided to add rugby sevens back to the Summer Olympics, starting with the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. Due to the sport’s fast-paced and dynamic character, the IOC decided on sevens instead of union (15s). Each half lasts only seven minutes, and seven players must cover the same field area as fifteen in union. The IOC’s resounding support for rugby’s return to the Olympics was sparked by the sport’s growing global appeal. Between 2011 and 2016, the number of international rugby players climbed by 2.6 million, to 7.2 million across 120 countries.

 

4;Tug-of-War

 

From 1900 until 1920, this beloved field day and youth activity was an Olympic competition. Five-person teams competed in tug-of-war, a component of the track-and-field program, to see who could use more strength to win.

 

Over these years, the teams with the most victories were Sweden, Great Britain, and the united country teams. Notably, a British squad from the City of London Police Club won in 1908, and an American squad from the Milwaukee Athletic Club took home the gold in 1904. Regretfully, the game was dropped following the Antwerp, Belgium, Olympics in 1920.

 

3;Baseball & Softball

 

Throughout the 20th century, baseball made several appearances at the Summer Games as a demonstration sport. In 1992, baseball was officially included as an Olympic sport, and its sister sport, softball, followed four years later. However, baseball and softball were removed off the Olympic schedule in 2012—the first time the IOC had done so since 1936.

 

Although they were permitted to partake, professional baseball players tended to avoid the Olympics because they coincide with the Major League Baseball (MLB) season. The MLB’s resistance to changing its schedule was one of the main reasons given by the IOC for eliminating both sports. Still, the slight was short-lived. In 2016, it was declared that softball and baseball would be reinstated as Olympic sports for the 2020 Tokyo Games (because the COVID-19 epidemic forced the 2021 games to be held in 2021). Following that, the two sports were removed from the Paris Games in 2024 but added back for the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

 

2;Curling

Lawn bowls on ice is what curling is compared to, and we promise it’s just as strange. Four players on each side alternately slide 44-pound (20-kg) stones across ice to a target (the tee) that is roughly 40 meters (130 ft) away. Two players frantically brush the ice in front of the stone’s path as it travels. This causes the ice to warm up and produces a layer of water that slows the stone’s descent. Despite its unusual name, the sport has a long history—it originated in Scotland in the early 16th century.

Curling made its debut at the first Winter Olympics in 1924, held in Chamonix, France. In 1988 and 1992, it made its appearance as a demonstration sport. At the 1998 Nagano, Japan, Games, it won a medal. In 2018, mixed doubles became a part of the men’s and women’s competitions.

 

1;Solo Synchronized Swimming

Olympic synchronized swimming made its debut at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, making it a latecomer to the games. The two primary competitions in the sport were solo and duet synchronized swimming. Yes, individual synchronized swimming.

 

It appears that the synchronization was intended to be with the music instead of another swimmer, which sounds a little contradictory.

 

These events returned in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics before a team synchronized swimming event took their place in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The solo event was never revived, but the duet was brought back for the 2000 Olympics.

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *