7 Weirdest Olympic Sports
1. Synchronized Swimming
Is there anything more pure and beautiful than dancing in unison with a few of your closest friends, in a large body of chlorine, while sporting shower caps?
This Olympic event is the perfect fusion of swimming and contemporary dance.
2. Curling
Of all the weird Olympic sports, curling is by far the weirdest. Competitors help guide a 42-pound granite stone towards a target — on a giant sheet of ice — using brooms.
Some of the world’s finest janitors have gone on to successful curling careers.
See it with your own eyes:
3. Racewalking
This Olympic event is exactly what it sounds like. A bunch of competitors speed walk to the finish line. If you break into a jog, you are immediately disqualified.
Racewalking is actively practiced by more people on a regular basis than any other Olympic sport. Let’s just say Young Urban Professionals dominate.
4. Pommel Horse
What happens when you take break dancing out of the streets and into the suburbs?
The Pommel Horse event.
5. Biathlon
Like Oreos and milk and Romeo and Juliet, cross country skiing and rifle shooting simply belong together… or so the Olympic Committee seems to think.
In this event, competitors ski race along a flat, snowy surface with a rifle attached to their backs. They must periodically stop and fire their rifles at targets.
Sounds like funny business to me.
6. Fencing
In the good old days, petty arguments were settled with the sword. Modern day duels however, take place on the Olympic stage and end with award ceremonies instead of death.
If you have a score to settle, pick up fencing. You may even win a medal or two.
7. Bobsledding
What’s a roller coaster enthusiast living in the arctic to do? Take up bobsledding of course.
Eskimos all over the world come together during the Winter Olympics to see whose sled packs the meanest punch.
If you’re interested in bobsledding but don’t fancy the cold, check out the 1993 classic, Cool Runnings, which tells the inspirational story of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team.
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August 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Several of these ARE strange. To me, racewalking is the weirdest.
August 15th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Ha Ha - that was funny!
My Mum said to me - why do the beach volleyball girls wear such brief outfits when the guys don’t? Um… good point - can we add this to the list of curios?
August 15th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Racewalking…. that joke writes itself.
August 15th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
flyingllamafish-
that was hysterical- The best- the synchronized swimmers!!
August 15th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Vered: They are strange indeed. Racewalking is weird and yet something people do in the real world all the time.
Robin: Thank you! We can add that to the list of curios for sure.
Writer Dad: Good point.
Patti: Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
If I was to compete in any one of these events, it would be fencing.
Weird, pretty much. But still a cool sport.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Pretty strange. I’d like to see a variation of synchronized swimming… how about synchronized gymnastic floor routines…
August 15th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
The fact this was written by a person(?) calling him/herself Flying Llamafish makes this all the more funny!
You should check out George Carlin’s old routine about the stupidity of golf.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Cool post dude. Sychronized swimming is definitely a funny one. It does involve skill (and I guess athleticism), but when I think about the summer Olympics, I think track & field, swimming, and basketball.
Keep up the good stuff man.
August 16th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Curling is odd, syncronized swimming bizzare, and race walking just plain dumb. I have an idea, let’s have a race but you have to try not to run fast! Get it? Makes sense, right? Doh!
peace,
mike
livelife365
I Miss My Hair
August 16th, 2008 at 4:11 am
Indeed.
These sporting activities do, however, require intensive pre-training of Herculean proportions.
A medal winning athlete must learn:
1. Synchronized swimming
How to apply 70s-style waterproof cosmetics while grinning ear to ear
2. Curling
How to balance the nerve-jangling act of frozen water travel with the cleaning manoeuvre
3. Racewalking
How to curb natural enthusiasm so as to not risk disqualification by “Walkracing”
4. Pommel horse
How to avoid injury in a way that is uniquely male (ouch)
5. Biathlon
How to escape disgruntled bears on skidus
6. Fencing
How to properly translate “En garde!” into “On Guard!! (touche)
7. Bobsledding
How to find a guy called Robert to be part of your team
Oh, and in any Olympic Crazy Countdown one mustn’t overlook the inclusion of BMX riding events.
Grown up adults doing skids and wheelies for gold medals?
Now that IS rad, dude…
August 16th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Yeah I don’t get how race walking is an Olympic sport, but I used to love synchronised swimming as a kid. I used to copy their moves, but on the carpet in front of the tv. I was a little strange.
Kelly@SHE-POWER
August 16th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Curling is very strange, how is that even an athletic event? Maybe they should add “staring contest” to the Olympics (hey, I could qualify).
August 16th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
DON’T YOU DARE DIS CURLING! My hubby grew up in Wisconsin, and he loves it. Funny-looking, yes, (curling, not my husband) but there is finesse to it … uh … somewhere …
August 16th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Owww….my sides hurt from laughing! The hands of the synchronized swimmers in your photograph look like the orchid flowers in my very first blog post, LOL…just strange: http://tabbiesgarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/l-elegance-et-la-fragilite-d-unkai/
I see a lot of racewalkers around these parts…I’m always tempted to set up a taut fishline across a popular route…fear of reprisal inhibits these urges, roflmao.
August 17th, 2008 at 12:10 am
racewalking didn’t even know that was an event. I guess they don’t televise this event
August 17th, 2008 at 4:59 am
Hi FlyingLlamaFish,
I’ve never heard of race walking. What’s that all about?
I love your description of each of the sports. Funny!
August 17th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Bamboo: Fencing does look fun.
Davina: I think you should definitely propose that idea to the Olympics Committee!
Ari Herzog: Thank you! My parents gave me a great name. I will check out that routine.
Phillip Hines: Thanks man!
Mike Foster: I challenge you to a friendly racewalk.
Scott McIntyre: Those are hilarious wisdoms for aspiring Olympians!
Kelly: I expect to see you competing in 2012.
Marelisa: Staring contests would be a great addition to the Olympics!
SpaceAgeSage: I actually think curling is awesomely weird! I would love to learn the game.
Tabbie: Thank you! You are right, the synchronized swimmers and the orchid flowers share a resemblance.
technokid: Racewalking does not get the love it deserves.
Barbara Swafford: Thank you! Racewalking is basically a foot race in which you can not jog or run. You must walk as fast as you can.
August 18th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
You’ve actually named some of my favorite events!
August 19th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Curling is chess on ice. Very serious stuff. I was a champion curler in highschool. Curling is also the largest participation sport in Canada. Now, why was it I left Canada 20+ years ago??? I can’t seem to recall exactly …
August 20th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Just wait until they put the hot dog eating contest in the Olympics. I guarantee it will be in the event lineup no later than 2020.
August 24th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Also weird - olympic trampolining.
Let’s start training our 6 year olds.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
racewalking may be an odd sport but it requires alot of effort ans focus. the rules are basically on foot always has to be on the ground and the leg infront of you has to be locked until it passes under your hip