The Strangest Olympic Sports in History

I don't mind admitting it. I love the Olympic Games. Winter games, summer games, it doesn't matter, I enjoy it all. I know the games have their critics, but I still get a thrill watching our athletes ascend the platform to receive their medals while The Star Spangled Banner plays.

A lot of these sports seemingly disappear into a black hole for four years. How often are you scanning the sports pages for the latest Skeleton results? Got your fantasy biathlon league organized? Checking the Las Vegas line on bobsleighing? That's what I thought.

If those sports aren't quite obscure enough for you, Forbes takes a look at some Olympic sports weirdness. Things like:

Bandy
(Winter, Oslo, 1952)

The sport is essentially a combination of soccer and hockey. It’s played on an ice rink the size of a soccer field, with 11 players per side and 45-minute halves. The players wear skates and use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team’s goal.

I can see that a sport called "Bandy" might not capture people's imaginations. How about bringing it back and calling it "Shockey?" You'd probably sell a lot of those foam hands. Moving right along, we come to:

Gliding
(Summer, Berlin, 1936)

The non-powered, high-flying sport garnered enough attention and excitement to be slated for a slot in the 1940 games in an official capacity, but those Olympics were canceled due to World War II. Gliding was never again included in the Olympics, for demonstration or otherwise.

It did prove popular enough however, to be included on D-Day. This next one is really weird:

Kabaddi
(Summer, Berlin, 1936)

This team-sport-meets-wrestling is extremely popular in South Asia. The object is for one member of a team to enter the opposing side’s half of the field, and score points by tagging or wrestling the opponents. The attacker then must return to his half of the field–but has to have been holding his breath the entire time.

I figure the only people who pass out faster than the players are those viewing the contest. There has been a movement to introduce Kabaddi again, but I wouldn't...hold my breath (sorry).

Love baseball? Then you'll probably be wholly confused by:

Pesäpallo
(Summer, Helsinki, 1952)

Also known as Finnish baseball, the sport has some parallels to American baseball. The pattern of the bases is different in that it zigzags, and the inning structure is more like that of cricket. Furthermore, the object is to place the ball strategically on the ground rather than hit it far.

The fans really love the Designated Strategic Placer, but base-stealers often vomit after all that zig-zagging.

I'd love to discuss this more, but I'm running late for my Skijoring class.