Weirdest Olympic Sports
The world is in the height of Olympic fever! Rio de Janeiro is packed with athletes, coaches, families, friends, and well wishers — all cheering for their nation’s representatives. Stars rise, dreams crumble, and the world is delighted by thrill of victory and moved by the agony of defeat.
Everyone knows who Michael Phelps is and after 2016, everyone is sure to remember Simone Biles. But there are hundreds of other athletes and seemingly limitless events to watch and pour over. Especially the USA, several sports enjoy the lion’s share of the attention. Our swimmers, gymnasts, and our sometimes confusingly tested Basketball stars, are amongst the most publicized and scrutinized. And of course, there are the Olympics darlings — the sports that everyone remembers are great entertainment every four years. Part of the magic of the games is that for a few weeks in the summer, America loves beach volleyball or synchronized diving.
But beyond that, there are dozens of other events and hundreds of medals to be competed for. Let’s take a look at some of the more obscure sports to enjoy during the Summer Olympic games!
Race Walking
Forget about the fastest man alive, Usain Bolt. Sprinting 100 meters is nothing compared to… walking 50 kilometers?? Race walking, or speed walking, has been in Olympic sports since 1904. The rules are relatively simple. The events, in both the 20km and 50km distances, function like any other race, except for the fact that each competitor must keep one foot on the ground at all times. Or at least appear to do so, as judged by the race judges.
In 1992, Bob Costas dryly mused that race walking is similar to seeing who can whisper the loudest.
Modern Pentathlon
You may have a good idea of what goes on during a decathlon; traditional track and field events. The origins of Modern Pentathlon, an Olympic event since 1912, must have involved either sports being drawn out of a hat or darts thrown at a board, because it really seems like a random combination of events.
The five events are:
- fencing
- swimming
- equestrian
- shooting
- cross country running (the last two are combined in one event).
So over the course of the competition, athletes will fence épée, swim a 200m freestyle, complete a show jumping course on horseback, and run a long distance, with every so often stopping to shoot targets with a pistol. That’s a lot.
The event originally would happen over the course of several days, but in 1996 it moved to a one day format to make it more accessible for viewers. Idea for the 2020 Olympics: have all events happen at once. Nothing could be more exciting than sword fighting while astride a horse with pistols firing, all while in a swimming pool!
Part of what makes the Olympics so fun is getting familiar with less popular sports for a short amount of time. Not only that, but we get to watch these sports competed at the highest possible caliber. Each of the athletes have poured so much of their time and energy into honing their skills. So even if we aren’t familiar with the sport, or even if it seems silly, there is still some magic to watching people compete for their dreams.
