Sports Then and Now

The Olympics is known for its world-class athletes and diverse sports. Throughout the years, this quadrennial event has undergone many changes including the elimination of certain sports. Some of these sports were dropped due to a lack of popularity or qualified athletes or just seemed to no longer fit the Olympic program. Here are some sports that were once part of the Olympic Games but have since been discontinued.

Jeu de Paume

This game was played only once as a medal event at the 1908 Olympics in London, but a version of the game was featured at the 1900 Paris Olympics as an exhibition sport. Played with balls and racquets on an indoor court, jeu de paume is considered to be the original form of tennis and sometimes referred to as “royal” or “real” tennis. Although the scoring for this event was much more complicated, some of the overall objectives of the game are similar to today’s version of tennis.

Live Pigeon Shooting

Making its only appearance at the 1900 Olympics, the objective of this event was to shoot as many live pigeons as possible from a 27-meter distance. Six birds were released at a time, and any shooter who missed two or more birds was eliminated from the competition. Many dead and injured birds and a gruesome mess were left in the wake of this event, and it was fortunately discontinued after these Olympics. Clay targets are used instead of live pigeons in today’s shooting events. Read the rest of this entry →