Do you know ...

these odd Olympic sports?

TUG-OF-WAR

A battle between two teams at opposite ends of a rope with each team trying to drag the other over a line. The sport was featured in six editions – from Paris 1900 to Antwerp 1920. Great Britain was the most successful side with two victories.

LIVE PIGEON SHOOTING

A contest where shooters outscored each other by killing as many live pigeons as possible. Nearly 300 birds were reportedly slain when the event was held as part of the shooting competition at the 1900 Olympics in Paris. Australian Donald Mackintosh took the gold by bringing down 22 pigeons. Thankfully, it was the only time live pigeon shooting was contested as it wasas followed by strong public back cklash.

LA CANNECAN

A French martia rtial art similar to fencing,g La Canne was different in that a cane was used as the weapon. It was featured only once at the 1924 Games in Paris as a demonstration sport.

OBSTACLE SWIMMING

An unusual event featuring a combination of swimming and an obstacle race. The competitors had to climb over a pole, then scramble over a row of boats, and then swim under another row of boats. No surprises then that this was only held once in 1900!

BALLOONING

Hot air balloons made the 1900 Paris Games as a demonstration event. A total of 64 hot air balloon enthusiasts participated. The contestants were judged on several aspects including distance, duration and elevation.