Even the weird ones. But here are some weird Olympic sports that no longer exist.
You’ve heard about the most challenging sports for the Olympics. We can’t even imagine the effort and discipline required for these sports, whether gymnastics or swimming.
Yet some sports came to the Olympics but couldn’t make themselves stay. That’s what we are going to talk about today.
We present the top 15 weirdest Olympic sports that are not in the books anymore.
Let’s get right into it.
Weird Olympic Sports That No Longer Exist
| Name of Sports | Year it Got Removed |
| Lacrosse | 1908 |
| Tug of War | 1920 |
| Polo | 1936 |
| Croquet | 1900 |
| Cricket | 1904 |
| Rackets | 1924 |
| Bandy | 1924 |
| Cannon Shooting | 1900 |
| American Football | 1932 |
| Ski Ballet | 1994 |
| Powerboating | 1920 |
| Korfball | 1928 |
| Pistol Duelling | 1908 |
| Dog Sled Racing | 1994 |
| Pentathlon | 2024 |
1. Lacrosse
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1904
- Year it Went Extinct from the Olympics: 1908
Such entertaining sports got removed from the Olympics because of the game’s policy. Lacrosse was not widely recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a proper sport. Lacrosse is a popular sport in the States and has been Canada’s National Sport since 1859.
Lacrosse was seen last in the Summer Olympics in 1908 and in London in 1948. It’s unfortunate to see such a good game removed from the Olympics.
2. Tug of War
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1900
- Year it went Extinct from the Olympics: 1920
Hearing the name, the first thought that should come to your mind is, how is this an Olympic sport? You probably played the game at one point in your life; we all did. However, this was an Olympic sport back in the early 20th century.
Tug of war took its entry in 1900 at first in the modern Olympics. Unfortunately, the IOC removed the sport along with 33 others after two decades. The committee thought there were too many sports for the Olympics and other controversial talks.
3. Polo
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1900
- Year it Went extinct From the Olympics: 1936
You’ve probably seen this sport in movies or shows made in the 90s. It’s golf, but you hit the ball from horseback, which unfortunately couldn’t keep its name in the game.
Polo is a very sophisticated sport that took a lot of time and effort to organize, not to mention the crazy expenses. As the Olympic games took place in different countries each game, many host countries couldn’t bear the costs or have fields to play Polo.
4. Croquet
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1900
- Year it Went Extinct from the Olympics: 1900
Similar to golf, but you play it with a mallet. The game was popular in the 20th century but not at the Olympics level. It was first introduced to the Olympics in 1900, where there were ten players, most of them French.
Due to a lack of players, the sport was removed from the globally recognized tournament. Because of this, Croquet was played only once in the game.
5. Cricket
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1900
- Year it Went extinct From the Olympics: 1904
If you’re from the Asian region, you’ll know how big of a deal Cricket is. The game is most prevalent in countries like Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, where millions of fans tune in to watch their favorite players play.
Sadly, the game couldn’t keep its place even with a current market value of 0.58 billion. Cricket appeared once in the 1900 Olympics held in Paris. It was also supposed to appear at the 1904 Olympics but was canceled due to a lack of participants.
6. Rackets
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1908
- Year it Went Extinct from the Olympics: 1924
Rackets or you could say the ancient game of squash, and you’ll understand when you see the pictures. The game was dismissed from the Olympics due to a lack of players, and the sport was expensive to set up. Not to mention, Rackets were not that recognized back in the day.
7. Bandy
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1896
- Year it Went Extinct from the Olympics: 1924
Bandy is exactly like Hockey, except it’s played with a ball instead of a puck. Bandy is a winter sport played mainly in the Scandinavian region. Bandy was first played in England.
Bandy was removed from the Olympics because of a rivalry between two parties. Weirdly enough, the IOC had problems with Sweden, therefore, banning the sport from the tournament. The good news is that the committee acknowledged the sport later in 2001.
Another reason for the sport’s dismissal is its analogous partake with ice hockey.
8. Cannon Shooting
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1900
- Year it Went Extinct from the Olympics: 1900
Although we see only a handful of shooting events in the Olympics now, they were popular back in the day. Especially cannon shooting.
It took place in the 1900s at first in the Paris Olympics, consisting of seventeen French players. It never got recognized by the IOC afterward, hence the withdrawal from the tournament.
9. American Football
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1932
- Year it Went extinct from the Olympics: 1932
The NFL is a heartthrob for many in the US. People are fighting for a seat to see their players shine on the field. Unfortunately, the sport never made an official name in the Olympics and was only played for demonstration in 1932.
Besides, American Football is prone to injuries, and NFL club owners will not risk their players without any unique guarantees of no harm. A player is an asset to any club.
10. Ski Ballet
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1988
- Year it Went Extinct from the Olympics: 1994
Another popular winter sport from the 90s, but it lost its popularity in that time too. Basically, Ski ballet was there for a good time but not for a long time.
Ski ballet is similar to figure skating; the players have 90 seconds to play. Where they did dances and tricks. Ski ballet was played twice as a demonstration sport and never made it to the Olympics.
11. Powerboating
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1900
- Year it Went extinct from the Olympics: 1920
Powerboating, also known as water motorsports, was a big deal in the 20th century. It first entered the Olympics in Paris in 1900 as a demonstration sport but made it to the books later on.
Unfortunately, the sport was discontinued due to many mechanical issues, where boats’ engines were faulty, the rivers weren’t up to the game’s rules, etc. Britain had two medals, and France had one from powerboating.
12. Korfball
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1920
- Year it Went Extinct from the Olympics: 1928
Korfball is what you could call old-school basketball with a twist to it. It’s like basketball, but there’s no hoop. Instead, you put the ball inside a pole.
Korfball was removed because the IOC didn’t recognize it and didn’t meet the Olympics’ many criteria. It had 54 members when they needed at least 75 to be acknowledged.
13. Pistol Duelling
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1908
- Year it Went Extinct from the Olympics: 1908
Man, the 90s were a wild era. Pistol Dueling was considered a sport; how cool is that? The bad news is the ray of sunshine didn’t last long. Players shot at dummies instead of shooting at each other.
Because it’s the Olympics, not a fight, a participant badly hurt themself during the tournament due to the pistol resulting in the whole sport being withdrawn. It was fun while it lasted. This was one of the weirdest Olympic sports that no longer exist, and honestly, for good.
14. Dog Sled Racing
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1932
- Year it Went extinct From the Olympics: 1994
Dog Sled Racing is basically dogs “racing” or being pulled by a person in frosty regions. This winter sport was initially invented as a way of transportation. Crazy, we know. Dog Sled racing is also called Mushing.
Dog Sled racing was played thrice as a demonstration sport. They first appeared in the 1932 winter Olympics, in 1952 at Oslo, and made their last appearance at the 1994 Olympics. It never was an Olympic event.
15. Pentathlon
- Year of Entry in the Olympics: 1912
- Year it Went Extinct from the Olympics: 2024
Modern pentathlon, also known as horse jumping, has been removed from the Olympics. It’s the only event that included animals.
Modern Pentathlon will not be there in the 2024 Olympics.
Honorable Mentions: Sports that have been Reintroduced or to be Extinct
Eliminating some sports broke the audience’s hearts; here is a quick list of the weird Olympic sports that no longer exist in the event itself or have been reintroduced:
| Sport Name | Year of Removal | Year of Re-Entry | Is it Still Being Played Outside the Olympics? |
| Golf | 1921 | 2009 | Yes |
| Boxing | 2028 | Yet to be known | Yes |
| Weightlifting | 2028 | Yet to be known | Yes |
| Rugby | 1924 | 2014 | Yes |
1. Golf
- Removal From the Olympics: 1921
- Re-Entry in the Olympics: 2009
Such sophisticated sports like golf got removed from the Olympics in 1921 because of some controversies. There wasn’t any single reason, and it took a few disagreements and problems between the players to get removed.
Besides, golf fields were expensive to set up back in the day. The good news is the sport re-entered the Olympics in 2009.
2. Boxing
- Removal From the Olympics: 2028
Being played for over a century was honestly heartbreaking. Boxing will not be included in the 2028 Olympics because of some internal governance issues. At the same time, the proper reasoning is yet to be known.
There have yet to be any announcements on whether it will be on the 2024 games or reintroduced.
3. Weightlifting
- Removal From the Olympics: 2028
Weightlifting has been an Olympic sport since the dawn of time. But likewise Boxing, it will not make it to the 2028 Olympics because of the same reason as Boxing.
The IOC has warned the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to strict drug tests for athletes.
4. Rugby
- Removal From the Olympics: 1924
- Re-Entry in the Olympics: 2014
Rugby is a popular sport in the European region, but it wasn’t this famous in the 20th century. Being played first in the 1900 Olympics as an official sport with an 80-minute match, it was removed from the Olympics due to its lack of recognition.
Rugby was more vital than ever in the 2014 Olympics and will continue until further dismissal.
Final Thoughts
While some of the removals of sports were questionable in the Olympics, you can’t deny the massive number of events added to each Olympic game over the years.
The Olympics have been a worldwide sensation since it started, but not following the rules or lacking players will remove you from the game. We, personally, were saddened by weightlifting and Boxing being removed.
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