Top 10 Weirdest Events In Olympic Games History - In Pics

At the 1984 Olympics, the paradoxical event of solo synchronised swimming made its debut. Despite being "synchronised," competitors performed alone, synchronising only with themselves, which led to its eventual discontinuation.

In the 1900 Paris Olympics, horses were tasked with long and high jumps, similar to human track events. The spectacle was short-lived, and these equestrian oddities have not returned since.

This unusual event, featured in the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, involved diving into a pool and seeing how far you could glide underwater without surfacing. It tested more patience than athletic skill.

The 1900 Paris Olympics also witnessed the controversial live pigeon shooting event, where competitors aimed to kill as many pigeons as possible. This disturbing event was quickly abandoned.

Yes, you read that right. The 1900 Paris Olympics trialed poodle clipping, where participants had two hours to trim as many poodles as possible. Thankfully, it didn’t make the cut for future Games.

In 1900, swimmers faced a 200m obstacle race in the Seine, climbing over and under boats while battling the current. This bizarre event never saw the Olympic light of day again.

During the 1908 Stockholm Olympics, participants engaged in pistol duelling—thankfully, not with each other but with mannequins dressed in frock coats. It was a peculiar nod to old-world gentlemanly combat.

Still an Olympic event today, the 3,000m steeplechase blends track and field with an obstacle course, including hurdles and a water jump. The mix makes it one of the sport's oddest endurance tests.

The Modern Pentathlon, still contested today, is a quirky combination of swimming, fencing, show jumping, running, and pistol shooting—activities that supposedly mimic the skill set of a 19th-century cavalry officer.

Race walking, a longstanding Olympic event, requires athletes to keep one foot on the ground at all times, resulting in a unique, often comical, gait. It’s a challenging yet peculiar test of speed and technique.