Today, the conventions of the Olympics are fairly completely plotted out. Each host metropolis provides its own native taste, after all, but it surely does so inside the scope of the overarching guidelines and bylaws laid out in the Olympic Charter. For probably the most half, the audience knows what to count on from one games to the subsequent. Whether it is the giddy fanfare that surrounds the Opening Ceremonies, the stirring efficiency of the winners’ national anthems, the glistening tears so frequent during the medal ceremonies, or the kaleidoscope of Olympic sports activities themselves giving the world’s best of the most effective their probability to shine. Occasionally, you would possibly see a new sport added or an outdated one dropped (the 1998 introduction of these rowdy snowboarders involves thoughts). But, by this level in Olympic history, it’s rare to see an array of latest occasions get tried out in a single video games. But during the somewhat haphazard 1900 Olympic Games, that’s just what happened. The video games, which came about in France and accompanied the World’s Fair, bore little resemblance to the Olympics of right this moment.

In truth, a number of the sports activities (many of them unofficial) that debuted there weren’t ever attempted as Olympic sports activities once more — because, boy, have been they bizarre. Poodle grooming and van driving have been in the combo. Remember being in the schoolyard, viciously yanking a rope with no regard to blisters, all so as to make sure your opposing classmates ate dirt? Good occasions. But now think about grown males doing it. Scary stuff. Starting on the 1900 Summer Games, nevertheless, tug-of-struggle was a minor yet hotly contested Olympic occasion. Teams have been generally composed of individuals from completely different nations and the rules had been considerably haphazard. During the 1900 video games, opponents from Sweden and Denmark teamed up in an try to squash the French, and the Scandinavians had been successful. The destiny of the American staff within the event’s debut is even more bizarre: Some sources say they never competed, while others say they had been disqualified. Teams have been tugging their hearts out till the 1920 Olympics.


After that, the sport was discontinued. What’s in a reputation? Some sports activities historians question whether or not the athletic exhibition that happened over the summer time of 1900 in Paris must be thought of a real trendy Olympiad in any respect. It was so under-promoted as the Olympic Games, that some victors left not even understanding they have been Olympians. But most view these Games because the true successor to the primary trendy Olympics in Athens in 1896, regardless of the strangeness. Considered to have been a demonstration sport — a sporting event held in the course of the Olympics, but not technically considered an official sport of the games — hot air ballooning lovers noticed their hopes of changing into official rise and fall all throughout the 1900 Olympic Games. All in all, sixty one males and three ladies competed in ballooning, which consisted of 18 occasions. Judges marked contestants on varied factors, like distance, duration and elevation. Hot air ballooning hasn’t been the only odd aerial sport of be aware on the games.

Kite flying debuted in 1900, whereas canon shooting and pigeon capturing were given a shot in the same year. Spectators would have done properly to hunt cowl when these guys acquired going. Because the Olympic torch takes its 70-day trek across the United Kingdom earlier than arriving at the 2012 Opening Ceremony, it will be touring by some fairly unconventional modes of transportation, among them, a sizzling air balloon. Others include zip wire, bike sidecar, cable car and horseback. Firefighting and lifesaving may be essential skills for public servants, but compared to sports like canoeing, gymnastics and cycling, they appear slightly out-of-place at the Games. Although neither was ever added officially to the record of Olympic sports, that doesn’t suggest practitioners haven’t any place on the video games. For example, Australian surf lifesavers — who patrol Australia’s intensive beaches as their day job — have a long historical past of creating strong showings in several related aquatic sports, including swimming, water polo, kayaking and rowing.