Every Olympic hosting is a combination of cheer, excitement, thrill, and anxiety. At one time or another, we see some of the weirdest Olympic sports that are new to our eyes.
We often stick to the Olympics' staples, such as swimming, basketball, and athletics. But have you looked at other sports which is weird when seen for the first time?
Top five weirdest Olympic sports
5. Solo synchronized swimming
Way back its debut in 1984, with Tracie Ruiz as the winner, solo synchronized swimming is as good as water dancing. Others used to call it 'water ballet.' It feels good to be an audience while witnessing an elegant dance made by an underwater performer.
Just imagine how hard it is to dance with both hands in the air. Sometimes, it is the reverse. The legs are outside the water while the upper body is underwater. Just remember that synchronized swimmers cannot make contact with the tiles at the bottom of the pool.
If you want to join the fifth weirdest Olympic sport, make sure you are ready to breathe steadily. Don't forget to learn underwater dance steps and to sync your body to the chosen musical piece.
Here is a short clip of Greta Hampson, who performs solo synchronized swimming.
4. Tandem Bicycle Sprint
We can understand cycling. But how about two riders in one bike? The uniqueness of the tandem bicycle sprint as an Olympic sport is what makes it one of the weirdest sports to play.
How fast can two people sprint as they bike using a single bicycle? Anyway, the beauty of duality is admired in this sport. The tandem bicycle sprint requires a lot of focus and coordination. If the other one stops pedaling, more likely, the other one will also be forced to stop.
The tandem bicycle sprint was removed as an Olympic sport after 1972. Two is better than one, but can you kick the pedal once again for a 2,000-meter race?
3. Club swinging
A foreign sport to our ears, club swinging, entered the Olympics in 1904 and 1932. The first gold winner of the sport is George Roth of the United States, who won it in 1932 in the 'Great Depression.'
According to The Guardian, Roth hit unemployment at that time, and he was hungry even before the match started. Surprisingly, he won the game, only to head home by hitchhiking.
If you are a fan of rhythmic gymnastics, you will enjoy a set of routines while holding clubs shaped like bowling pins. They are not that heavy, but keep your movements in sync with your head and body. Weirdest Olympic Sport? Not yet.
Below is an old video of an Indian club swinger.
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2. Plunge for Distance diving
Plunge then dive? How about a trip to memory lane of just diving alone? I guarantee that the level of mental gymnastics on this one will hit you like a truck. Indeed, it is the penultimate weirdest Olympic sport.
This sport is one of the most boring events in the Olympics. Desert Sun wrote it as the lamest Olympic sport of all time. At the start of the competition, the swimmers will dive. After diving, they should not wade or move in the water. After one minute, the player who travels the farthest distance without moving will be declared the winner.
In 1904, the sport bid goodbye to the Olympics. Imagine if this will be played in the Tokyo Olympics.
1. Live Pigeon Shooting
For animal lovers, this is not a sport for you. Live pigeon shooting, from its name, is literally shooting live pigeons.
Live pigeon shooting began in the 1900 Paris Summer games. It was the only time the sport took place in Olympics history. Leon de Lunden of Belgium was the first and last gold medalist in the sport. He gunned down 21 birds for his win. After the competition, 300 birds were shot, and animal activists were extremely disappointed.
Now, the shooters switched to clay pigeons from the live ones to avoid animal cruelty. Due to the sensitive video of live pigeon shooting, watch this old video about clay pigeon shooting instead.
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