Weird Olympic sports: An all-time list of the most weird sports in the history of the Olympics

For around 3000 years, the Olympics have been taking place, and over 40 games have participated and continue to take center stage in the tournament. With athletics, cycling, fencing, swimming, and gymnastics as the main sports, other unknown sports have been given a stage to shine and have given impressive performances since the first Olympic games in 1896. This listicle features an all-time list of the weirdest sports in the history of the Olympics.

The Olympics is an international athletics festival from Greece in the 19th century. Some of the weird Olympic sports that have been present are highlighted below.

List of weird Olympic sports

10. American football

• Duration: 1904, 1932
• Country of origin: United States of America
• Most gold medals: None

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American football is a team game played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end with the objective of advancing the ball to the opposing team's end zone. Also known as gridiron, it was featured in the Summer Olympic games demonstration programme in 1904 and 1932. However, it hasn't been recognized since 1932 due to eligibility rules, as NFL players aren't eligible for IFAF representation.

9. Roller hockey

• Duration: 1992
• Country of origin: England
• Most gold medals: Argentina - 1

Roller hockey is a team sport that resembles hockey but is played on a dry surface using wheeled skates. It was more popular in the 1990s, among the three demonstration sports in the 1992 Summer games, held in Barcelona.

8. Korfball

• Duration: 1920, 1928
• Country of origin: Netherlands
• Most gold medals: None

Korfball is a ball game similar to basketball and netball, with four men and four women on each team. The game aims to throw a ball into a netless basket mounted on a 3.5-metre-high pole.

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Korfball was featured as a demonstration sport in the 1920 and 1928 Summer Olympics but is no longer present since it doesn't meet one of the criteria for being considered an Olympic sport. The rule states that a game must have 75 national federations and four continents for the men (40/3 for women), as korfball has only 54 members.

7. Kaatsen

• Duration: 1928
• Country of origin: Netherlands
• Most gold medals: None

Kaatsen is an ancient game similar to handball, with three players per team, using a leather ball and a scoring system similar to tennis. It featured as a demonstration event at the 1928 games.

6. Gliding

• Duration: 1936
• Country of origin: Germany
• Most gold medals: Hungary (1)

Gliding is a recreational and competitive air sport in which a pilot uses an unpowered aircraft that moves by rising air. It began in the 1920s in Germany and was once approved for the Olympics in 1940 until it was cancelled due to World War ll. However, it is also dangerous and was banned by the International Olympic Committee after Australian glider Ignaz Stiefsohn died in a crash during practice just days before the main event began.

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5. Glima

• Duration: 1912
• Country of origin: Iceland
• Most gold medals: None

Glima is a traditional form of Martial Arts that evolved from Viking settlers in Iceland. It was a demonstration game in the 1912 Stockholm games. However, after securing a spot in the festival, they cancelled their participation and have not shown interest in returning.

4. Surf lifesaving

• Duration: 1900
• Country of origin: England
• Most gold medals: None

Surf Lifesaving is a competitive surf sport and a multifaceted movement consisting of competitions to perform various tasks performed by lifeguards on the beach. It originated in the early 20th century in Australia and is considered by the IOC but not yet in Olympic programmes after participating only once in the 1900 Olympics.

3. Ballooning

• Duration: 1900
• Country of origin: France
• Most gold medals: None

Ballooning is an adventurous sport that involves flying hot-air balloons. It is considered the safest air sport in aviation, invented in the 16th century but gained popularity in the 1960s. The game was featured in the 1900 games in St. Louis, paired with the World Fair.

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2. Live Pigeon shooting

• Duration: 1900
• Country of origin: United Kingdom
• Most gold medals: Great Britain (1), Belgium (1)

As the name suggests, the game aims to shoot and kill as many birds as possible. The game occurred only once in the 1900 Olympics, though it is not listed in official IOC medal records.

1. Tug of war

• Duration: 1900-1920
• Country of origin: China/Greece
• Most gold medals: Great Britain (2)

It involves pitting two teams against each other at the end of a rope with the aim of dragging the other across the centre line. The game was removed from the tournament along with 33 others after the 1920 Olympics because of the congestion of games in the competition.

Weird Olympic sports 2022

Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympic games have featured seven new sports in the competition. They include women's mono bob, men's and women's freestyle skiing, Big Air events, mixed team events in short track, ski jumping, snowboard cross and freestyle skiing aerials. All are set to make their debut at the event.

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What are some of the weirdest sports in the Olympics?

The Olympics has featured some of the weirdest sports to give them a platform to show how good they may be. Some of the most bizarre include the Plunge for Distance, Obstacle Swim, Rogue, Live Pigeon Shooting and Running deer shooting.

What is the least favourite Olympic sport?

In as much as the Olympics is fun as they feature the most exciting games in the world, some aren't liked by many. According to a survey, equestrian events are the least favourite, with 13% of respondents citing them as such.

The Olympics have featured some of the most weird Olympic sports, but the event is still one of the most fruitful tournaments in history. It has led to increased jobs supporting the event, tourism and trade, which can yield growth in foreign investment.

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