Which sports are not part of the Olympics?
Several sports were part of the Summer Olympic Games before they were removed. Here are the 10 sports that won't be part of the Tokyo Games programme.
Published : Jul 14, 2021 19:01 IST
1) Cricket
A two-day Test featuring Great Britain and France, cricket made its presence felt only in the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. Great Britain was represented by the Devon and Somerset Wanderers club and its opponent was All Paris, whose playing members were largely British. Great Britain's captain Charles Beachcroft and Alfred Bowerman scored half-centuries while Frederick Christian took a seven-wicket haul. Great Britain won the match by 158 runs.
A team sport, Tug of War was last played at the 1920 Summer Games that was held in Antwerp, Belgium. An Olympic sport from 1900 to 1920, Great Britain and the United States were the most successful teams. However, the sport disappeared from the Olympics list after 1920.
3) Water Motorsports
Water motorsports was given a full medal status in 1908 Games in London but the International Olympic Committee discontinued it soon after. In the only year when motorised power boats were part of the Olympics, there were three water motorsport races that were held. Great Britain and France were the only nations who took part with the former winning two races.
4) Distance Plunging
In the list of the odd sports that were once played at the Olympics, Distance Plunging was one such sport. It featured only once at the 1904 Games and five men participated in the event, all from the United States. The sport requires the athlete to dive inside a pool and needs to propel himself without the movement of legs and arms. William Dickey won the gold medal with a distance of 19.2 metres!
5) Basque Pelota
The sport, similar to tennis featured only once at the 1900 Games in Paris but failed to remain popular as an Olympic sport. However, there were demonstrations in 1924 (Paris), 1968 (Mexico City) and 1992 Games in Barcelona.
6) Rope Climbing
The sport was part of the Summer Olympics from 1896 to 1932 Games. A part of the Olympics gymnastics program, the participants have to climb a suspended rope using only their hands. An athlete who reaches the top in a short span of time was declared the winner. In the 1986 Games, the rope was 14 metres long but the rope length was reduced to 7.62-8 metres.
7) Croquet
It was the first Olympic event in which women participated and it featured only once during the 1900 Olympics in Paris. For both individual and for doubles medals were awarded and all six medals were won by the French. The sport didn't feature in any of the further editions.
8) Lacrosse
Lacrosse was designated as a medal sport in the 1904 Games in St. Louis and at the 1908 Games in London. It was a demonstration sport in the 1928, 1932 and 1948 Games. Canada's Shamrock Lacrosse team won the gold medal while the USA's St. Louis Amateur Athletic Association won the silver medal. Meanwhile, Canada's Mohawk Indians settled for the bronze.
9) Polo
Polo was first introduced in the 1900 Games and was played in another four Olympics in 1908 (London), 1920 (Belgium), 1924 (Paris) and 1936 (Berlin). During World War II, due to the heavy cost of shipping of horses, the sport was not included further in the Olympic schedule list of sports. Argentina was the most successful country, winning the gold twice in 1924 and 1936.
10) Solo Synchronised Swimming
The sport made its first splash at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and although there were some doubts regarding the sustainability of the sport, the sport did make its presence felt at the 1988 Games in Seoul. However, with the difficulty of staying in sync just with oneself, the game made its final appearance in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympics. It only makes sense that solo synchronised swimming was made into a team event!