Weird Sports in Olympics

Don't look now, but the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea are nearly upon us, meaning once again, eyeballs all over the planet will be feasting on some of the most elite-level athletic competition in human history. But it's worth remembering that the modern Olympic Games are in so many ways different from those in decades past. So, in the spirit, here are nine weird Olympic sports that don't even exist anymore, lost to the sands of time.
For some of these, it'll be pretty obvious why they're not played anymore. For others, maybe you'll feel some regret ― "why can't I watch Olympic tug of war anymore!?" But in all cases, these nixed Olympic sports are an interesting glimpse into the past, to help provide context and appreciation for what the games have now become, and maybe a little humor, too.
Here are nine prime examples of some long-forgotten Olympic sports that you may never see again. Needless to say, it might seem a little sad in some cases, but in others, you'll probably agree it's for the best. After all, the idea of gunning down pigeons in an internationally televised event is more than a little grisly.
If humans can long jump, why not horses? This is a definite weird entry, because it's not really about the athleticism of the rider as much as the steed, and the Olympics are traditionally pretty human-oriented. Equestrian long jumping reportedly took place at the 1900 Olympics, and never again.
2. Dueling Pistols
Needless to say, as far as guns are concerned, old-fashioned dueling pistols are a thing of the past, replaced by far more destructive and harrowing weapons. Back in the early 1900s, however, dueling pistols made an appearance, and by accounts it was a rather bizarre event; rather than fire upon actual living duelers, which would've obviously been dangerous and objectionable in the extreme, competitors reportedly fired pistols at dummies.
Odds are you know what a tug of war is ― two big scrums of people grabbing either side of a long rope, and pulling as hard as they can to pull the other side towards them. You might not have known, however, that tug-of-war was an Olympic event for two decades, from 1900 through to 1920. It was reportedly considered for re-inclusion in 2012, but it didn't end up happening.
4. Pigeon Shooting
You may have heard of clay pigeon shooting, which is a decidedly more humane and bloodless version of what went down at the 1900 Olympics. Rather than make due with lifeless facsimiles, the Olympic organizers opted for real, live pigeons, and hundreds were reportedly slain.
5. Solo Synchronized Swimming
Wait, you might ask, how can this be? What on Earth is solo synchronized swimming? The event, last held in 1992, crucially tweaked the meaning of "synchronized," grading performers on how well they synced their physical movements to music, rather than how well a team of swimmers synced their movements to each other.

By: Prerana Sharma