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During the last Summer Olympic Games, Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn’s performance caught the world off guard. After watching the event, many Americans wondered why breaking was added to the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is responsible for choosing the events, and they consider a wide range of criteria when considering adding or removing events. They look at how long the sport has existed, its popularity within the host country, the cost to broadcast the events, and whether an international federation governs the sport. Breaking was a hit at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics and was added to the 2024 Paris Games to drive engagement with a younger audience. The IOC has already announced that breaking will not return for the 2028 games in Los Angeles, joining a list of other sports dropped from the Olympic stage. Think breaking was a little outside the box? Then you won’t believe some of the events from past Olympics. Plunge for Distance (1904): Plunging was a sport in which participants dove into the water from a spring 18 inches above the surface. They floated for 60 seconds without propelling themselves forward, and whoever went the farthest won. Only five individuals competed in the event, and all were American. Not Your Average Olympic Sport Strange Events You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
After we built our first washers, it didn’t take long to see that drying was the next big hurdle. Most rental companies at the time were improvising. They’d hang tents from the ceiling, drape them over forklifts, or lay them on the floor and point fans at them. We did it, too. But it took forever, tied up our crew, and created a lot of guesswork. Eventually, we started experimenting. We found that draping a clean tent over a tarp and rotating it with airflow and heat helped. Rack drying with fans also worked, but those methods had limits.
So, we built a dryer.
We couldn’t use high heat like you would with linens. Tent vinyl can melt or break down if temperatures exceed 100 degrees F. So, we had to think differently. We built a massive drum,
Ballooning (1900): Technically an unofficial event at the 1900 games, ballooning consisted of various hot-air balloon-related activities. They held competitions for the farthest distance traveled, longest time traveled, greatest height achieved, and landing closest to a target.
Motor Boat Racing (1908): Competitors got in their boats to travel five laps around an 8-nautical- mile course in the Southampton waters of England. This event was a complete disaster. Multiple boats would start each race, but in almost every instance, only one would cross the finish line, as strong winds heavily affected the others.
Ski Ballet (1988 and 1992): While never an official Olympic event, ski ballet was demonstrated at two Olympic Games, anticipating its potential as a real event. Imagine figure skating on skis instead of skates. Competitions required participants to complete a choreographed routine in 90 seconds on a smooth slope. 2
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