AS I SEE IT COLUMN: The crazy Paris Olympics of 1900

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2024 (294 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the 2024 Paris games only a few weeks away, it might be fun to turn back the clock 124 years and see what the Olympics were like the first time Paris hosted the games.

This summer’s Olympics run from July 24 to August 11 and if you thought that is too long, the 1900 Paris Olympics took place from May 14 to October 28, a whopping five-month event.

When the 2024 games begin nearly 11,000 thousand athletes from 196 nations will descend on Paris to show the world the limits of the human body. By contrast, in 1900 only 26 nations participated in the second Olympics of the modern era (the first being in Athens in 1896) and only 1,226 athletes took part in the games.

Where things get really crazy is the list of sports the 1900 games had on its roster. Here’s a brief overview of some bizarre but actual Olympic events in Paris.

Equestrian long jump

Think human long jump, but with horses. The 1900 Paris games is the only time this event was offered. Belgium’s Constant van Langhendonck won – or, more accurately, his horse won – with a long jump of 6.1 metres.

Equestrian high jump

Same as above, think human high jump but with horses. France’s Dominique Garderes must have thrilled the home-town fans when he and his horse won gold with a high jump of 1.85 metres.

Live pigeon shooting

Yes, you read that correctly. The 1900 games had an official Olympic event where you could win a gold medal for killing live birds. Australia’s Donald Mackintosh won gold after killing 22 pigeons. Sources say the field where the event took place quickly turned into a gruesome killing ground, with over 300 dead birds. Unsurprisingly this grisly event was never again offered in the Olympics.

Tug of War

Imagine a Sunday School picnic tug of war but with an actual Olympic gold medal on the line. The 1900 Paris Olympics featured two teams, one comprised of Danes and Swedes and another of five Frenchman and one athlete from Colombia. The gold medal went to the Swedish/Danish team after they won the best of three event.

Plunge for distance

In this event swimmers would dive into the pool and remained still for one minute or until their head went above the surface of the water. Whoever glided the furthest without using their hands or legs, won. America’s William Dickey won the gold with a plunge of 62.5 feet.

Obstacle swim

Another oddity from the 1900 Paris Olympics was an event where swimmers had to climb over poles and boats and then swim under other boats in a 200-metre course.

The event took place in the Seine River and Frederick Lane from Australia won the gold.

As much as we may want to laugh at these strange-but-true Olympic events from 124 years ago, imagine what sports fans in 2148 will think 124 years from now when they see that the 2024 Paris Olympics had breakdancing and dressage (which is kind of like ballet for horses) as official events.

They will be laughing at us.