Demonstration Sports at the Summer Olympic Games
This is a list of unofficial or demonstration sports from past Olympic Games, sorted by year (there is also another list with these sports sorted by alphabetical order). Not all of these events have been confirmed as there is often conflicting information about which events were officially sanctioned by the Olympic Committee, and which were simply held at the same time as the Olympic Games.
I have listed all that I have found from a range of different sources, some of them are "unofficial" unofficial sports at the Olympics, particularly before 1912, and any more information is welcome. If you have details of a demonstration sport that is not on this list, or have any other feedback, please comment below.
| Year | Sport | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1896 | Football | there is evidence of a football game played at the 1896 Olympics, but it is not officially reported. |
| Cricket | cricket may also have been played on the same day as the football game | |
| more | possibly equestrian and boxing | |
| 1900 | Angling | held on the River Seine, with about 600 fisherman |
| Ballooning | There were prizes in distance, duration, elevation, and target with and without stopping | |
| Boules | Two versions were played, Jeu Lyonnaise and Partie de Berges | |
| Cannon Shooting | It is not clear what the competition involved, maybe shooting for distance and accuracy | |
| Equestrian | Hacks and hunter combined (Chevaux de Selle) and the Mail coach, Four-in-Hand. | |
| Fire Fighting | Competitions were held for both professional and volunteer firefighters. | |
| Kite Flying | competitons for small, medium and large kites | |
| Pigeon Racing | In total, 7,721 pigeons were released from 48 teams | |
| Pigeon Shooting | The object of this event was to shoot and kill as many birds as possible | |
| Longue Paume | the outdoor version of jeu de paume | |
| Lifesaving | rescue event in the River Seine | |
| Motor Racing | Sixteen events were contested in conjunction with the 1900 World's Fair | |
| Motorcycling | there were two motorcycling demonstration 1-mile races as part of the cycling program | |
| Water Motorsports | motorboating was also an official sport at the 1908 Olympic Games | |
| 1904 | American football | A college football tournament. There was also a demonstration game played in 1932 |
| Basketball | Basketball was also demonstrated in 1924, and has been an official sport from 1936 onwards | |
| Gaelic football | Gaelic Football was also set to become a demonstration sport at the 1900 Olympic Games | |
| Hurling | It was described as a "lacrosse-type" event | |
| Water Polo | the tournament between only US teams is considered an unoffical event | |
| Baseball | an amateur baseball tournament was scheduled, but no records of it have been found | |
| Boxing | there may have been a women's boxing demonstration | |
| 1906 | Water Polo | an exhibition match was played between two Swedish teams |
| Aquatics | a nautical exhibition by a swedish team diving, figure swimming, underwater swimming, life-saving | |
| Gymnastics | demonstration of Danish and Swedish gymnastics at the opening ceremony | |
| 1908 | Bicycle Polo | Bicycle Polo is similar to traditional polo, except that bicycles are used instead of horses |
| Dueling | wax bullets are fired betwen two heavily protected competitors. | |
| 1912 | Glima Wrestling | traditional Scandinavian wrestling |
| Baseball | One of many demonstrations of baseball before it became an official sport in 1992. | |
| Gymnastics | women's group gymnastics event | |
| Gotland Games | demonstration of traditional sports of Gotland, plus more demos | |
| 1920 | Korfball | There was also a demonstration of Korfball in 1928 |
| Gymnastics | In addition to the official competitions,the three competing Belgian gymnastics federations gave a collective demonstration in the Olympic Stadium. | |
| 1924 | Basque Pelota | A men only tournament. It was also played as a demonstration sport in 1968 (men only) and 1992 (men and women). |
| Canadian Canoeing | The canoeing program was incorporated into the Olympic rowing regatta | |
| La Canne | French form of martial arts using a cane | |
| Savate | a form of French kickboxing. | |
| Real Tennis | Real Tennis is the what 'jeu de paume' is called in the UK | |
| Children's Games | The sports included baseball, basketball, volleyball and other playground games | |
| 1928 | Korfball | Korfball was also a demonstration sport in 1920 |
| Lacrosse | Lacrosse games were played between teams from Canada, Great Britain, and the USA | |
| Kaatsen | Also called Frisian Handball, a form of handball commonly played in Holland | |
| 1932 | American Football | Only one demonstration game was played, between seniors from three Western universities (Cal, Stanford, and USC) versus those from the East Coast's "Big Three" (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton). |
| Lacrosse | Lacrosee games were played between teams from Canada and the USA | |
| 1936 | Gliding | No competition was held, just a demonstration of the sport by 14 pilots from seven countries |
| Baseball | One of many demonstrations of baseball before it became an official sport in 1992. | |
| Kabaddi? | followers of Kabaddi are definite that it was part of that Olympic Program in 1936, but it does not make any lists of demonstration sports. | |
| Tenpin Bowling | an international tenpin tournament was held in Berlin around the same time as the Olympics | |
| Golf | an international golf tournament was held in Berlin around the same time as the Olympics | |
| 1948 | Lacrosse | Just one game of lacrosse was played between Great Britain and the United States |
| Swedish (Ling) gymnastics | A demonstration by 200 female and 200 male gymnasts | |
| 1952 | Pesäpallo | a Finnish version of baseball was played |
| Field Handball | An exhibition match was played between teams from Denmark and Sweden | |
| Synchronized Swimming | There are many other references to an exhibition a team from USA and Canada, but no mention in the official report. | |
| 1956 | Australian Rules Football | A game was played between a side representing the VAFA, and a side from the combined VFL and VFA. |
| Baseball | One of many demonstrations of baseball before it became an official sport in 1992. | |
| Synchronized Swimming | Olympic gala demonstrations of synchronized swimming, including swimmers from the Athens Club of Oakland, California. | |
| 1960 | Synchronized Swimming | Gala demonstrations |
| Historical Sports | There were demonstrations of historical sports in taking place mostly in Circus Maximus | |
| 1964 | Baseball | One of many demonstrations of baseball before it became an official sport in 1992. |
| Synchronized Swimming | Olympic gala demonstrations, with swimmers from the teams St. Louis Shaw Park, Lansing Sea Sprites, and New York Community College | |
| Budō | archery (kyūdō), wrestling (sumo) and fencing (kendo) events | |
| 1968 | Basque Pelota | A men only tournament. It was also played as a demonstration sport in 1924 (men only), and 1992 (men and women) |
| Synchronized Swimming | details unknown | |
| Baseball | One of many demonstrations of baseball before it became an official sport in 1992. | |
| Tennis | both a demonstration and exhibition tournament were played | |
| 1972 | Badminton | Badminton was also a demonstration sport in 1988 |
| Water Skiing | winners: Figures - Ricky McCormick USA 5340 & Willy Stähle NED 3140, Jump - Ricky McCormick USA 43.75 & Sylvie Maurial FRA 27.40, Slalom - Roby Zucchi ITA 44.0 & Liz Allen-Shetter USA 35.0 | |
| 1976 | none | |
| 1980 | Sambo | youth Sambo was only demonstrated in the Games' opening ceremony - it was not formally recognized as a demonstration sport. |
| 1984 | Baseball | One of many demonstrations of baseball before it became an official sport in 1992. |
| Windsurfing | a demonstration was held alongside the official medal sport using a differemnt board and different events | |
| Tennis | the first time professional athletes were officially allowed to compete in any Olympic sport. Tennis became an official sport in 1988. | |
| Wheelchair racing | demonstration of a Paralympic event | |
| 1988 | Baseball | One of many demonstrations of baseball before it became an official sport in 1992. |
| Judo | Judo demonstration for women only before they were officially on the program in 1992. | |
| Taekwondo | there was a mass demonstration of taekwondo at the opening ceremony, and a competition was also held | |
| Wheelchair racing | 800m race (women) and a 1500m (men), as an exhibition sport showcasing the Paralympics event. | |
| Badminton | became an official sport in 1992 | |
| Tenpin Bowling | 20 nations competed in the tenpin bowling exhibition | |
| 1992 | Basque Pelota | A competition for men and women. It was also played as demonstration sport in the 1924 (men only), and 1968 (men only). |
| Beach Volleyball | a tournament apprently took place, but it was not listed as an official demonstration sport | |
| Roller Hockey (Rink-hockey) | A competition was held for men with 12 nations represented. | |
| Taekwondo | a total of 64 men and 64 women competed in eight different weight classes | |
| Wheelchair racing | 800m race (women) and a 1500m (men), as an exhibition sport showcasing the Paralympics event. | |
| 1996 | Wheelchair racing | 800m race (women) and a 1500m (men), as an exhibition sport showcasing the Paralympics event. |
| 2000 | Wheelchair racing | 800m race (women) and a 1500m (men), as an exhibition sport showcasing the Paralympics event. |
| 2004 | Wheelchair racing | 800m race (women) and a 1500m (men), as an exhibition sport showcasing the Paralympics event. |
| Reining? | I have received unconfirmed reports that reining was an exhibition sport at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and maybe even in Sydney 2000 and Atlanta 1996 | |
| 2008 | Wushu | The IOC allowed a special tournament of wushu to be played at the same time as the Beijing Games |
| 2012 | none | |
| 2016 | eSports | The IOC permitted a parallel eSports competition to be run, though it was not an official demonstration sport. |
| Footvolley | Brazil's most popular beach sport was apparently played as a demonstration sport | |
| Bossaball | ||
| 2021 | Sumo | Though not explicitly listed as an demonstration sport, the Japan Sumo Association will hold a special two-day exhibition tournament after the Olympics as part of the official Olympics cultural festival. |
| eSports | The IOC permitted a parallel eSports competition to be run, though it was not an official demonstration sport. | |
| Kite foil racing | a demonstratin of this sailing kiteboarding sport which will be on the program for Paris 2024. |
Related Pages
- Another Discontinued Sports List sorted by alphabetical order.
- Demonstration Sports at the Olympic Games in 1896, 1906, 1912, 1924, 1928, 1952, 1992
- Demonstration Sports at the Winter Olympics
- About demonstration sports
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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