10 Strangest Olympic Sports

12 Hour Bicycle Race (Played 1896):

The men’s 12 hour race was one of five track cycling events at the 1896 Athens Olympics. It was the first international games held in the modern era. The track cycling events were held at the newly built Neo Phaliron Velodrome, a race from Athens to Marathon and back (87 kilometers).The 12-hour race was won by an Austrian, Adolf Schmal. Only two cyclists completed the race. He won the race because he had lapped the other racers early on, so he was ahead of one lap. Now the sport is no longer recognized in modern Olympic Games.

Tug of War (Played 1900-1920):

This feat of strength worked like the classic playground game: two teams pulled a rope in opposite directions until the midpoint of the rope passed into the winning team’s territory. This may seem as the basic gym class sport more than an Olympic event, but Tug of War was actually the first sport played at the Olympic Games. Originally the competition was entered by clubs, which meant that one country would win several medals. In 1904, United States won all the three medals and in 1908, Sweden was among the top countries with two medals, one as the member of the mixed team. In 1912, the Tug of War contest consisted of a single match, as only two teams entered the competition. Sweden was represented by Stockholm Police, while Great Britain’s team was represented by the City of London Police. During its time as the Olympic sport, it was considered to be part of the Olympic athletics programme, although the sport Tug of War is now considered extinct in Olympics.