Discontinued Olympic Events
#14 56 Pound Toss
If you've ever had the pleasure of attending Scottish Games, you might have seen this event. In the Olympics? Not so much. The 56-pound toss was held twice: 1904 and 1920 and was part of the track and field athletics series of events. Unlike in the Highland Games, competitors in the 56 lb weight toss are allowed to use two hands. The 1920 winner was Patrick McDonald, was 6-foot-5-inch, 325-pound Times Square traffic cop.
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15:
Club Swinging
No. No. No. This isn't about what used to go on at Plato's Retreat. Club Swinging has appeared twice as an Olympic Sport, in 1904 and 1932. This type of Club Swinging involves competitors standing with a club in each hand. The clubs never leave the hands and they (the clubs) look like bowling pins. They are whirled or swung very quickly around the body and head in a variety of patterns in a complicated routine. Judges award points based on the routine. --There's another one I'd watch.
14:
56 Pound Toss
If you've ever had the pleasure of attending Scottish Games, you might have seen this event. In the Olympics? Not so much. The 56-pound toss was held twice: 1904 and 1920 and was part of the track and field athletics series of events. Unlike in the Highland Games, competitors in the 56 lb weight toss are allowed to use two hands. The 1920 winner was Patrick McDonald, was 6-foot-5-inch, 325-pound Times Square traffic cop.
13:
2000m Tandem Cycling
The 2000m Tandem cycling event was a longstanding Olympic event but has now faded almost out of our memory. The format was a sprint of 2000 meters. Tandem cycling was held for men in 1906, 1908, 1920, then at all following Olympics including 1972. --After that? Gone.
12:
Rope Climb
Rope climbing was part of the Olympic gymnastics program in 1896, 1904, 1906, 1924 and 1932. Here's how the competition was staged: a person climbed a rope, using only their hands as quickly as possible. They started in a seated position on the floor and used only the hands and arms. --You know? We'd watch that.
11:
One-Handed Weightlifting
The one-hand lift was part of the Olympics in 1896, 1904 and 1906. The event was for men only and similar to the snatch. Only one hand was allowed in lifting the weights, of course, and competitors had to perform lifts with each hand. Winners were determined from the combined score of both hands.
10:
Live Pigeon Shooting
Gross. Gross. And gross. The goal here was to shoot and kill as many birds as possible. The birds were released in front of the competitor who aims and fire. Miss two birds, and you're out of the competition. It was the only time in Olympic history animals were intentionally harmed. The event was held only once, 1900, and nearly 300 birds were killed. According to witnesses, the event was quite "messy" with dead and injured birds piled up everywhere. Members of the audience were literally choking on stray feathers.
9:
Duelling Pistols
Okay, this isn't quite as bad as it sounds. Here's how it goes: The event required competitors to shoot at mannequins that were dressed in frock coats. A bull's eye was painted on the dummy's throat. The event was held over 20 meters and 30 meters. --Rather took the fun out of the event even though it competed in the 1906 and 1912,
8:
Underwater Swimming
The year is 1900. The Olympic venue: Paris. The sport: Underwater swimming. Imagine the rapt crowd watching the calm surface of the water while the event took place out of sight below. Can you see it? Neither could anyone else. And no one ever got the chance again.
7:
Plunge for Distance
Here's an event that only appeared in the 1904 Olympics, the Olympics in St. Louis. Curious about how it works? Here's the description from the 1920 Official Swimming Guide: "A dive from a stationary take-off which is free from spring from a height of 18 inches above the water. Upon reaching the water the plunger glides face downward for a period of 60 seconds without imparting any propulsion to the body from the arms and legs." Then the person who goes the deepest wins. Given the fact the sport as absolutely zero visual appeal, it's pretty easy to understand why the sport didn't survive.
6:
Lacrosse
This one surprised us given the popularity of the sport on the West and East coasts of the US. Lacrosse was an event only in the 1904 and 1908 Olympics. There have been attempts to get it back on the roster since then, but they have come to naught.
5:
Tug of War
Yes, you read that right, tug of war. Tug of War was an Olympic event from 1900 to 1920. The peak year for the event was in the 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri. Legend has it that the Sun and Moon used to play tug of war over the light and the dark. The game goes back so far no one really knows where and when it began.
4:
Polo
Paris was the hot bed of discontinued Olympic events. The 1924 Paris Olympics was the first Olympics that featured Polo. The 1936 Berlin Olympics was the last. The fact that Polo is such an expensive sport and that teams are usually made up of players from several different countries led to why it was discontinued.
3:
Jeu de Paume
Guess where Jeu de Paume originated. Yes. That's right. France. Jeu de Paume eventually evolved into tennis. Before it became tennis, it looked just like tennis except there weren't any rackets. Even though the event originated in France, the first, and only, person to win a gold medal was Jay Gould II, scion to the Gould family fortune.
2:
Cricket
The 1900 Paris Olympics was the only Olympics where cricket was competed. As we already know, cricket isn't the most speedy game to watch. Also, the game is mostly popular in British Commonwealth countries. So, its pace and lack of appeal probably lead to its demise.
1:
Croquet
Croquet was an event in the 1900 Olympics in Paris. France won the gold medal for the event. Seven men and three women participated.
