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When you think of the OIympic Games, what sports come to mind?

Athletics? Cycling? Rowing?

How about cricket?

It’s a sport many of us associate with a glorious sunny day but not one that is a part of the spectacular summer of Olympic sport every four years.

But it hasn’t always been that way. Cricket is just one of a number of different sports that used to be a part of the Olympics - ����ý Bitesize takes a look at some of those events no longer a part of the greatest sporting show on Earth.

1 – Cricket

It’s strange to think that the only time cricket was played in the Olympics was in a country not really known today for its love of the sport.

At the second-ever modern Olympiad, held in Paris, cricket was one of 19 different sports that took place.

After Netherlands and Belgium withdrew, Great Britain and France were the only nations set to take part and played a one-off final – but with some slightly strange rules. Each team had 12 players, rather than the traditional 11 and played a Test format, but over just two days instead of five.

Great Britain was represented by a touring club side, the Devon and Somerset Wanderers, while the French team was made up mostly of British expatriates living in Paris.

Great Britain beat their opponents by 158 runs in a very low-scoring match, getting the winning wicket with just minutes to spare. The British players were awarded silver medals, with the French receiving bronze. Both teams were given miniature Eiffel Tower statues as well.

None of the players realised they were competing in the Olympics at the time – they believed the event was part of the 1900 World’s Fair taking place concurrently. The match was only officially included as an Olympic sport 12 years later, with the medals upgraded to gold and silver respectively.

Cricket was due to be a part of the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, but was dropped due to a lack of interest and facilities. The sport was, however, featured during the village scene as part of the opening ceremony to the 2012 Olympics in London.

Cricket will return to the Olympic stage in 2028 in Los Angeles, US, as one of five new sports. The four other sports are squash, lacrosse, flag football and baseball-softball.

2 – Obstacle swimming

If you think of obstacle courses today, TV shows such as Total Wipeout and Ninja Warrior might come to mind.

But the Olympics?

Again in Paris in 1900, competitors had to take on a 200m course in the River Seine with three obstacles to get past – climbing over a pole and then a row of boats before swimming underneath another set of boats.

Of the 12 entrants, only two were eliminated at the semi-final stage – with Australia’s Frederick Lane going on to win the 10-man final in a time of two minutes and 38 seconds.

3 – Water motorsport

We’re all used to seeing sailing in the Olympics, with Sir Ben Ainslie a four-time gold medal winner on the water.

But his efforts came on dinghies such as the Finn or Laser and not thanks to the power of an engine.

At the 1908 London Games, water motorsport races took place for the only time as an Olympic event, having been held unofficially in Paris eight years earlier.

Three different races were held in the Southampton Water estuary, each taking in five laps of an eight nautical mile course.

Each was won by the only crew that finished the course, with boats suffering from mechanical problems or the poor weather.

The British crew of John Field-Richards, Bernard Boverton Redwood and Isaac Thomas Thornycroft won two gold medals, while France’s Emile Thubron – a British born competitor better known as Ernest, said to have represented France to give the event a more international flavour – won the open class race.

4 – Tug of war

This pure test of team strength appeared at five separate Olympic Games from 1900 to 1920.

A familiar playground game, tug of war sees two teams holding onto a rope, trying to pull their opponents over a line around six feet from their starting point. Each match had a five minute time limit and if nobody crossed the line, then whichever team had gone furthest won.

Teams varied in number throughout Games appearances, with five, six or eight per country. It was a sport that Britain did well at – winning two golds, two silvers and one bronze.

The sport was discontinued after the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp after a series of controversies – in 1908, the American team complained that the British, represented by Liverpool Police, had used illegal shoes to gain an advantage. However, when the police side offered a barefoot rematch, the US squad quietly dropped their protest.

5 – Heralds and trumpets

Croquet, polo and basque pelota are also former sports to have appeared at the Olympic Games – but what about the precursor to the modern Games, the ancient Olympics?

While some of the sports that took place at these events have made it to today’s Olympic programmes – such as various running events, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing and equestrian competitions – we’re unlikely to see a herald and trumpet contest in Tokyo, Paris or Los Angeles in the coming years.

Music had played a big part in ancient Games and was added to the competition for the 96th Olympiad in 396 BC. The best heralds and trumpeters were given the honour of performing all subsequent announcements for the rest of the Games.

The tradition of a non-sporting, cultural element for Olympics was revived for the 1912 Games in Stockholm as art competitions were introduced. Medals were awarded for architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture.

The Olympic art events took place for seven consecutive Games but were abandoned after London 1948 as the artists were professionals - rules at the time stated that all Olympic competitors should be amateurs in order to compete.

This article was published in August 2021 and updated in August 2024