The Olympics is the world’s greatest sporting event. Participating in an Olympic event is a dream for every passionate athlete. There are 408 events in the Olympic games. Do you know how a sport is included in the Olympics? The Olympic committee follows certain rules and laws to include a game in the Olympics. A sport should be played by men in at least 75 countries on four continents and it should be played by women in no less than 40 countries on three continents. However, there are a few weird and quirky sports in the Olympics. Here we have mentioned a few unusual Olympic sports of all time. Get to know more about Unusual Olympic Sports below .
List of Weird Olympic Sports
Synchronized Swimming
Synchronized swimming, also known as artistic swimming, is one of the unusual Olympic sports in which the swimmers perform synchronized movements accompanied by music. In short, synchronized swimming is dancing in the water. It became an official Olympic sport at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. This sport is categorized into two categories – duet synchronized swimming and solo synchronized swimming.
Racewalking
Racewalking stands second in our weird Olympic sports list. To win, the racer has to walk as fastas possible to reach the finishing line. This weirdest Olympic sport made its debut at the Olympics in 1904 at St Louis, USA and it has evolved over the years. This event has two categories – 20 kilometers for both men and women and 50 kilometers for men only.
When Did Race Walking Become an Olympic Sport?
- A. 1901
- B. 1902
- C. 1903
- D. 1904
Sport Climbing
Sport climbing is one of the unusual Olympic sports. It was recently included in the Olympics. Nearly 40 international men and women participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Two participants fight against each other to climb a wall 12 meters high and the first person to climb becomes the winner. There are three types of sport climbing – speed, bouldering, and lead. The climbers should take different routes and should undergo different strategies to win the competition.
Live Pigeon Shooting
Live pigeon shooting is one of the weirdest Olympic sports in history which was held only once in 1900. In live pigeon shooting,six birds are released in front of participants in about 27 meters, and the player should shoot and kill as many birds as possible. This is also the only Olympic sport that killed animals on purpose.Nearly 300 birds were killed at the end of the event.
Tug of War
Tug of war was held at the Olympics games from 1900 to 1920 and was part of the Olympic athletic program. This sport was removed from the Olympics games to reduce the number of competitors. The last tug of war in the Olympics was won by Great Britain.