Every four years the best athletes of the world gather to compete for the title of “World Champion” of this or that. This year the Olympics are being held in Paris, France, the City of Light and the home of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and sweat.
Summer temperatures in Paris average in the 80s, and this year has been the hottest on record.
Luckily, many of the events like Gymnastics, Swimming, Basketball, Weightlifting and Alpine Skiing will be held in air-conditioned arenas. Just checking to see if you were paying attention. Alpine Skiing is a winter sport.
However, prior to 1924, when the Winter Games were introduced, Figure Skating was a Summer Olympic sport. You’re probably wondering how they kept the ice frozen. Surprisingly, artificial ice was invented in 1876. Unfortunately, the Zamboni machine used to refresh ice today wasn’t invented until 1953, so refreshing the ice was a labor-intensive job. Do you think ice brushing, later known as curling, was invented at the Olympics? Probably not.
I do know that Canoe Slalom is an Olympic sport this year. I’m not sure what that is, but I assume someone rides a canoe, around poles, down a steep hill. Maybe not. Speaking of water sports, Surfing returns. The competition isn’t being held on the River Seine but a few miles away in Tahiti, French Polynesia!
The 1900 Paris Games spanned five months to complete when 24 countries competed. The hotel bills must have been enormous.
Synchronized Swimming is back under a new name, Artistic Swimming. Apparently, someone realized that no one could tell if the swimmers were actually synchronized because most of the action took place underwater. In the 1900 Games, Solo Synchronized swimming was an Olympic sport. It didn’t stay afloat long for obvious reasons, though surprisingly it returned in 1984, 1988 and 1992 when no one was apparently paying attention.
Several other sports disappeared in the 1900 Games, including Obstacle Swimming where the athletes had to swim around … well, obstacles. Swimmers had to climb greased poles (don’t ask, I don’t know) and maneuver around rows of boats strategically placed in the River Seine. We have a harbor full of boats that never seem to move. Maybe next year Harbor Days could add this to their event schedule.
Tug-O-War was once an Olympic sport but is no more, and the famous pigeons of Paris can breathe easy this year. Live Pigeon Shooting was banned after the 1900 Games when 300 pigeons were sacrificed for sport.
Beach Volleyball is one of my favorite Olympic sports. The only sport I ever won a trophy in was beach volleyball at our own town beach. I guess I missed my athletic calling.
Of the 32 different sports in Paris, there is a number the average person can play. Flag Football is one. If you can play it without running, I’d be game. Golf, of course, is another, but I gave that up years ago. Backyard sports of Badminton, Tennis and Archery are there. I walk a lot, maybe I might qualify for Race Walking at the next Summer Games in Los Angeles.
To end today’s lesson, you should know that between 1921 and 1948, artists competed by creating works of art like stamps and posters. Had I been born earlier, I might have a gold medal hanging on my bedpost today. Oh, well.
Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and happily retired writer. His newspaper columns appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.
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By Dick Morgado