The Olympic Games occur every four years, although now they are staggered, with the summer and winter games taking place on alternating two-year cycles. The well-known Olympic sports that capture the majority of attention include track and field, gymnastics, swimming, and, more recently, beach volleyball in the summer games. In the winter games, the spotlight shines on figure skating, skiing, hockey, and, thanks in part to the Jamaican team's inspiring story, bobsledding.
Plunge Diving
Plunge for distance this was part of aquatics, which encompasses water disciplines such as swimming, diving and water polo. Its only appearance was at the 1904 Summer Games in St Louis. Plunge for distance was a diving long jump. Competitors dove into the pool from a standing position and their attained distance was measured after either 60 seconds passed or their head broke the surface, whichever came first.
Motorboat Racing
This was another one hit wonder in the Summer Games. The 1908 Summer Games in London was the only time that any kind of motorized sport has taken place in the Olympic games although it was a demonstration sport in the 1900 games. There were three separate events each for its own class of motorboat. Each race consisted of five laps around an eight nautical mile course.
Skeleton (Cresta)
This may seem like a surprising entry to those out there who follow the Winter Games. Skeleton has been a regular sport in the Winter Olympics since 2002. For those not familiar Skeleton is similar to the luge except that the competitors ride face first and on their stomachs instead of feet first and on their backs.
Live Pigeon Shooting
This is disgusting event is exactly what it sounds like. Live pigeons were released one at a time and competitors tried to shoot as many in a row as possible. As soon as a competitor missed two birds, they were eliminated. Nearly 300 birds were shot and killed. As one might expect this event turned quite messy as the field soon became littered with dead and wounded birds, feathers and blood.
Ice Hockey and Figure Skating
Before anyone starts calling foul and stating the obvious; that ice hockey and figure skating can hardly be considered unusual or surprising Olympic events, certainly both of these sports have been the cornerstone sports of the Winter Olympic Games from the very beginning. Who can forget the incredible figure skating of people like Sonja Henie, Peggy Fleming, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano and Scott Hamilton? They don’t still get shivers of national pride.
