And people say ballroom dancing isn't a real sport

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Feb 25, 2002 | by Stephen Goode

Did you know that there were non-traditional events held at one time during the Olympic Games, then discontinued, probably because they were just too odd? For the people didn't know that until Brassey's Inc. of Dulles, Va., sent along a copy of The Olympics' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Gold Medal Gaffes, Improbable Triumphs and Other Oddities. The amazing thing is that some of these strange competitions ever were held in the first place. Consider these examples:

* Live pigeon shooting (1900 Paris Olympics). "The object of the competition was to shoot and kill as many pigeons as possible. A contestant was eliminated when he missed two birds. Nearly 300 pigeons were dispatched in this manner."

* Underwater swimming (1900 Paris Olympics). "Swimmers were awarded two points for each meter swam underwater and one point for each second they were able to remain submerged." Peder Lykkeberg of Denmark would have won the event, having stayed underwater longer than anyone else, but lost "because he swam in a circle."

* Croquet (Pads Olympics 1900). It was "the least-popular event in the annals of the Olympics. Only one spectator, an Englishman, paid to watch the croquet matches at the 1900 Paris Olympics." Nonetheless, the "French swept the medals in both the men's and women's competitions."

* Plunge-for-distance contest (1904 St. Louis Olympics). "The idea was to dive into the water and swim as far as possible without taking a breath in one minute. The contestant who traveled the farthest in the pool was the winner."

* Dueling-pistols competition (1896 Athens Olympics). "Competitors shot at mannequins dressed in frock coats. A bull's-eye was painted on the dummy's throat."

STEPHEN GOODE IS A SENIOR WRITER FOR Insight MAGAZINE.