While croquet was given the heave-ho after the Paris Games in 1900, its American cousin “roque” found its way onto the 1904 Olympic roster in St. Louis. And this time around it was the Americans who were the only entrants, which is hardly surprising, as the game wasn’t well known outside the host nation. The game helped pad the U.S.’s medal count but, in the end, roque followed in the footsteps of croquet and was dropped before the London Games in 1908.
9 Really Strange Sports That Are No Longer in the Olympics
From the earliest variations of existing events to competitions that can hardly be considered athletic, some former Olympic sports left us scratching our heads.