From the Tug-Of-War to Tandem Bicycling: Defunct Sports of the Summer Olympics

For the next two weeks, over 10,000 athletes from around the world will compete in 302 events in 26 sports. From synchronized swimming, to taekwondo, to weightlifting, each competitor will strive to exemplify the Olympic motto: "Faster, Stronger, Higher."  The Games were not always restricted to physical competitions, however. As Ashley Fetters details in her article for The Atlantic, Olympic medals used to be awarded for achievements in the arts. In 1936, the hosting Germans won five of nine gold medals for their paintings and sculptures.  As times change and new sports develop, the lineup of Olympic competitions is constantly seeing events come and go. Tug-of-war, which had a place in the Games from 1900 to 1920, is just one example.  "Probably, what contributed to it being booted from the Olympic program is just how dangerous it is," Fetters says. Hands and arms can be torn off in the schoolyard favorite. Mixed martial arts, which has enjoyed growing popularity in the United States, is not likely to become part of the Olympics anytime soon for the same reason.  In her research, one of the stranger events that Fetters found was solo synchronized swimming, an event that lasted from 1984 to 1992. "That's kind of the go-to weird sport," she says. Other past events include motor boating, cricket, rope climbing, and even horse long jumping in 1900. The world record was set in Paris by a horse named Extra Dry, who leapt 20 feet and a quarter of an inch. More mainstream sports like rugby, golf, and lacrosse all enjoyed time as Olympic competitions. Whether or not sports stay is up to the governing body, the International Olympic Committee.  "It's actually not a terrifically mysterious process," Fetters says. "Seven years in advance, the Olympic committee gets together, takes the slate from the [previous] Olympics, and votes on every event individually. Whichever sports receive a majority vote stay on the program."