Pigeons shed blood at Olympics

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Tug of war is more popular these days as a recreational activity. It is usually an event for teachers in school meets.

Tug of war generates more fun than fierce competition. But the sport was more than a laughing stock in the early twentieth century: it had a pride of place in the Olympics from 1900 to 1920.

If not for the International Olympic Committee’s flexibility in chopping and adding events for its quadrennial gala, we would still have hefty fellows — divided into two teams of eight each — pulling a rope at the 2012 Games. Great Britain wouldn’t have complaints about having tug of war, though, as they scooped all the three medals in the event at the 1908 London Games.

More bizarre sports had been part of the Olympic programme. Live pigeon shooting was an event at the 1900 Paris Olympics. Pigeons were released in front of the shooters and the marksman with the most kills was decided champion. Nearly 300 birds perished for three people to be feted as medal winners. The IOC saw the bloody side of the sport and put an end to it with one edition much to the relief of the winged targets.

The target of another shooting competition from 1908 to 1956 was a running deer. Thankfully the event is grisly only in its name as deer-shaped targets were used instead of live animals. Oscar Swahn of Sweden became a staple in Olympic quizzes as he, at 72, became the oldest medal winner in the Games’ history by shooting down silver in the 100m team running deer double shot event in 1920.
With eight gold medals, Ray Ewry of USA is one of the most decorated athletes of all time.

But his feats don’t ring a bell now because he excelled in standing jumps that were discontinued after the 1912 Stockholm Games. Polio had confined Ewry to a wheelchair in his childhood, but the American overcame heavy odds to become a champion in the standing long jump, high jump and triple jump. These events probably suited him because they didn’t require a run-up.

Staying on in athletics, two hands javelin, shot put and discus were on the schedule at the 1912 Games. The contestants in the field events had to use right and left hands separately for the throws. The best distance of each hand was added up for the final result. The IOC had enough of ambidextrous athletes at Stockholm and made the two-hand experiment a one-Games wonder.

Tandem cycling— doubles in Indian parlance — made its Olympic debut in 1908. After being discontinued for the next edition, the two-kilometre race was a fixture from 1920 to 1972. It would be strange to see two guys riding one cycle in a competition now, but tandem cycling remains on the schedule of the Paralympics.

Rope climbing in gymnastics (1896, 1904, 1924, 1932) and an obstacle race in swimming (1900) added intrigue to the Games before being done away with. India’s beloved sport — cricket — had its tryst with the Olympics in 1900. Great Britain defeated France by 158 runs in a 12-a-side final.

The losing side was also full of British players as the staff at the British embassy in Paris took leave en masse and played for the French team!