Basque Pelota is played at high speed with a hard ball and a basket-shaped racquet, and was once featured in the Olympic Games. Pelota originated on the border of France and Spain, in the region of Basque eight centuries ago, before gaining...; Basque Pelota; Forgotten Olympic Games; olympic games; The History Channel; Croquet was a featured event in the Paris Olympic Games of 1900. The sport originated in French health spas in the 17th century before hopping over to England to become a hobby of the aristocracy.; Croquet; Forgotten Olympic Games; olympic games; The History Channel; The strange sport of Club Swinging features athletes spinning clubs over their head, and was featured in the Olympic Games in 1904-1932. The clubs themselves originated as weapons in ancient Indian battles. Later, club swinging caught on in Europe...; Club Swinging; Forgotten Olympic Games; olympic games; The History Channel; Featured at the Paris Games in 1900, this Olympic event featured horses clearing single jumps of up to two and a half meters. Horse jumping originated in the 18th century when English lords were forced to erect fences on their land...; Forgotten Olympic Games; horse; Horse High Jumping; Horse Jumping; olympic games; The History Channel; Live Pigeon Shooting was featured in only one Olympic Games--Paris 1900--before live pigeons were replaced with clay pigeons. Competitors lined up to shoot the birds out of the sky--a sporting tradition straight out of nineteenth century Britain.; Forgotten Olympic Games; olympic games; pigeon; Shooting. Live Pigeon Shooting; The History Channel; Swimming wasn't always freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly. The Olympics once featured an obstacle course where swimmers had to swim under boats and over poles to get to the finish line.; Forgotten Olympic Games; Obstacle Swin Plunge Dive; olympic games; The History Channel; This glamorous and expensive sport featured in five Olympics from 1900 to 1936. Top teams included Argentina, Britain and Mexico. Polo had an unlikely start--it was first played with a goat carcass instead of a ball, on the steppes of Central Asia. ; Forgotten Olympic Games; olympic games; polo; The History Channel; The Rope Climb, in which men race to the top of a vertical rope, was featured at the Olympic Games from 1896 to 1936. Rope climbing was first practiced by the Ancient Greeks, but was popularized by German gymnasiums of the 19th century.; Today's synchronized swimmers compete in groups of two and eight. But from 1984 to 1992, Solo Synchronized Swimming was an Olympic event. This surreal sport began as a form of underwater entertainment before becoming a competitive sport.; Forgotten Olympic Games; olympic games; Solo Synchronized Swimming; swimming; synchronized swimming; The History Channel; The Tug of War was featured in the Olympic Games from 1900-1920. The rope-pulling contest originated on 18th century warships and then became a top event at British military and police athletic tournaments before causing a sensation at the Olympics.; Forgotten Olympic Games; olympic games; rope; The History Channel; Photos for the Future