Outside the Beltway

Discontinued Olympic Sports

Doug Mataconis
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The Economist published this handy chart of sports that used to be in the Olympics but aren’t any more:

Added to this list should be Softball, which was an Olympic sport from 1996-2008 and interestingly one of the only Olympic sports that was exclusively played by women, and Baseball, which was an Olympic sport from 1992-2008. Both sports were eliminated because the IOC said they weren’t allegedly “universal” enough.

Of the older sports, though, wouldn’t it be cool to see Tug-Of-War again? Heck how about the Live Pigeon Shoot, the Running Deer Shoot, and the Dueling?

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8 responses to “Discontinued Olympic Sports”

  1. James H Avatar
    James H

    I’d like to see the 500 Yard Lawyer Tackle.

  2. Contracts Avatar
    Contracts

    “Javelin freestyle”? I think I’d pass on being a spectator for that one.

  3. john personna Avatar
    john personna

    The duelling pistol event was held twice, in 1906 (at the Intercallated Games – not officially recognized by the IOC) and 1912. This event required competitors to shoot at manniquins dressed in frock coats. There was a Bull’s eye were on the dummy’s throat.

    Harsh.

  4. Jenos Idanian #13 Avatar
    Jenos Idanian #13

    “Motorboating.”

    Team USA sweeps. Christina Hendricks for the gold, Kat Dennings gets the silver, and Jennifer Love Hewitt scores the bronze.

  5. Hal 10000 Avatar
    Hal 10000

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    Man, I was thinking the same thing. We would sweep the medal in that event.

  6. Jeremy Avatar
    Jeremy

    You’re forgetting “Solo Synchronized Swimming.”

    http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/9-peculiar-summer-olympic-sports-that-have-been-discontinued

  7. Franklin Avatar
    Franklin

    @john personna: The event? Or the spelling and grammar in that quote?

  8. jfoobar Avatar
    jfoobar

    There was a shooting event called “Running Target” that was in the Olympics until 2004, the target being paper targets. Both of those events were dropped in the events contraction that occurred then. Also dropped was women’s double trap, which was an event originally created exclusively for women before the 1996 Atlanta games and the event in which the amazing Kim Rhode won the first three of her five Olympic medals.

    The story about how double trap was created and then later removed from the games (but still exists as an event for men) is an amazing example of overt sexism, but it is too long to type out here.

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