All the Sports You Won't See at the 2026 Winter Olympics

"A mix of field hockey and soccer, bandy-also known as "banty" or Russian hockey-was a demonstration sport at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. Unlike a hockey stick, the bandy stick is curved; instead of a puck, the game is played with a ball. Also, goalies can only defend the goal with their hands. Each team has 11 players and compete in two 45-minute halves. The Oslo Games were the only time bandy was part of the official Winter Olympics lineup."

"Not very different from figure skating, this event was essentially dancing on skis. Integrated into the Olympic program during the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Canada and in Albertville, France in 1992, ski ballet was a form a freestyle skiing that evolved out of the counterculture movement of the mid 20th century. It was meant as a response to the other more rigid forms of competitive skiing. Each event involved skiers doing choreographed jumps and steps to a music soundtrack."

Over a century of Winter Olympic history has included many events that later disappeared from the program. Bandy, a mix of field hockey and soccer played with a ball and 11-player teams, appeared as a demonstration sport in 1952 and was its only Olympic occurrence. Ski ballet, a choreographed, music-driven form of freestyle skiing influenced by mid-20th-century counterculture, featured in 1988 and 1992 without medals but influenced modern freestyle disciplines. Equestrian skijoring involved skiers pulled by galloping horses and appeared as a 1928 demonstration. Sled dog racing was showcased in 1932 as a demonstration with teams of six dogs.

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