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LESSON 12
Olympic Sports Come and Go
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing were added as official sports events. Since the modern Olympics started in 1896, many sports have come and gone in the Olympics. Let’s look back on some of the Olympic sports that have been removed from the official programs.
Tug of war, which is still seen in many sports events today, was actually a part of the Olympic Games from 1900 until 1920. It is said that the British team, most of whose members were City of London Police officers, was particularly strong. This sport didn’t survive as an Olympic event because the International Olympic Committee decided that each Olympic sport needed to have a global governing body, which tug of war lacked.
Rope climbing is another sport which is not in the official Olympic Games anymore. In this event, competitors climbed a vertical rope, using only their hands. You may be astonished to know that such a simple sport was an Olympic event for 36 years. The competitors were judged on form, speed, and height, in case they did not reach the top of the rope. The most impressive winner of this event was U.S. gymnast George Eyser. This legendary athlete won the gold medal in the 1904 St. Louis Olympics. In the 1932 Olympics, this event had only five participants, and that was the last time rope climbing was seen in the Olympics.
Perhaps the most criticized event in Olympic history was live pigeon shooting, which was held only once in Paris in 1900. The competitor who shot down the largest number of birds was declared the winner. Reportedly, nearly 300 birds were shot and killed. It was the only time animals were killed on purpose in the Olympics.
Thus, some Olympic sports have been dropped and forgotten, while others have been added. The Olympic Games have been, and will always be, changing with the times.