10 Strangest Olympic Sports

Rope Climbing (Played in 1896, 1904, 1906, 1924 and 1932):

It is a sport in which competitors, usually men, attempt to climb up a suspended vertical rope using only their hands. This was an Olympic Gymnastic event at one time, but was removed after the 1932 games. Starting in a seated position, competitors raced to the top of a roughly eight- meter rope and were judged both by their time and style. At the top of the climb, there was a circular tambourine with lampblack on its undersurface, which the climber touched. Several timers with stop watches would time the climb, and an acceptable official time was then agreed upon. How quick an athlete can climb a rope sounds like a great test of upper body strength, and it has been part of the Olympic gymnastic program on several occasions. In 1896, the rope was 14 or 15 meters long, and style was also incorporated in the scoring. Later, at all other Olympics till 1932, the rope size came down to 8 meters. Now this sport is considered extinct in Olympics.

Dueling Pistols (Played in 1906 and 1912):

The dueling pistol event was held twice, in 1906 and 1912. This event requires the competitors to shoot at mannequins dressed in frock coats. There was a Bulls eye on the dummy’s throat. The event was held over 20 meters and 30 meters. Leon Moreaux of France bagged gold in the 20 meters while Konstantinos Skarlatos of Greece won gold in the 30 meters competition. The event however consisted of no actual dueling as individual merely shot at plaster dummies. It may sound bizarre, but an Australian poll before Sydney 2000 found that 32 percent wanted to see the sport revived. This strange sport is sixth on the list and is considered extinct in Olympic Games.