The world of sports is full of stories, and when we talk about the Olympics, sports such as athletics, swimming, volleyball, basketball, canoeing, and others come to mind. What few people know is that in a very distant past, sports that were completely unknown:
Tug-of-war
Very common as a school recreational activity, tug-of-war was present in the Olympic Games between the Paris 1900 and Antwerp 1920 editions. The event was part of the athletics program. Of Greek origin, the sport was played with eight people on each side, and whoever dragged their opponents by 2 meters won. If this did not happen within five minutes, the team that had pulled the longest was the winner.
Pigeon shooting
This unusual and controversial modality was disputed in the 1900 Paris Olympics when 300 pigeons were killed during the competition, and only the three first-place winners shot almost 80 birds. As the sport was much criticized at the time, only four of the 55 entries took part in the competition. In the 1908, 1912, 1920, and 1924 Olympic Games the sport would still be disputed, but with clay pigeons.
Dueling with pistols
At the Olympic Games in Athens 1906 and Stockholm 1912, the unusual sport was pistol dueling. Yes, that’s right, pistol dueling! Only instead of facing each other, the competitors had to shoot at mannequins. Dressed in elegant clothes, the competitors took turns shooting at distances ranging from 20 to 30 meters. The winner was the one who got the most hits.
It is not known if we will see these sports again in the Olympics, but here is one last tip for you: Check out the best free betting platform to find the best limits and odds!