The strangest sports ever played at the Winter Olympics

"For many viewers, the 2026 Olympic Games have showcased just how peculiar some winter sports can be, from the flight of ski jumping to the rigor of ski mountaineering, a new event this year. As unfamiliar as the current lineup of winter Olympic sports might be for some, Olympic Games history reveals even more unusual showcases, like skiers riding behind horses or performing their ballet moves on the snow."

"Prior to the 1992 Games, the events featured what were known as "demonstration events" where athletes showed off their abilities in a discipline without being awarded official Olympic medals - often to celebrate regionally popular sports in the host country or to test the appeal of more experimental disciplines. These eight sports were among the most unusual demonstrations ever held at the Winter Olympics, with some serving as official medal events while others remained only as demonstration sports."

"Years: 1924 as an official medal event; 1928, 1936, and 1948 as a demonstration sport. Military patrol combined cross-country skiing with rifle shooting in a team event modeled after alpine military exercises. Four-man units, typically active-duty soldiers from each country, skied long distances over mountainous terrain, stopping periodically for rifle shooting tests that could add time penalties. As the Games moved toward standardized international competition, military patrol was gradually refined into the modern biathlon sport, which debuted as an official Olympic sport in 1960."

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics have renewed attention on lesser-known winter sports by showcasing events from curling and bobsled to ski jumping and the newly added ski mountaineering. Historically, non-medal demonstration events appeared regularly until 1992 to celebrate regionally popular sports or test experimental disciplines without awarding official Olympic medals. Past demonstrations included highly unusual activities, such as skiers pulled by horses and ski ballet. Some demonstration sports later became official medal events, while others remained demonstration-only. Military patrol combined cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, was contested as both an official and demonstration event, and evolved into the biathlon by 1960.

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