Demonstration sport

Last updated September 26, 2024

A demonstration sport, or exhibition sport, is a sport which is played to promote it, rather than as part of standard medal competition. This occurs commonly during the Olympic Games, but may also occur at other sporting events.

Demonstration sports were officially introduced in the 1924 Summer Olympics,^[1] though some scholars consider unofficial sports prior to 1924 to also be demonstrations.^[2] Most organizing committees then decided to include at least one demonstration sport at each edition of the Games, usually some typical or popular sport in the host country, like baseball at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and taekwondo at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. From 1924 to 1992, only two Summer Olympics Games did not have demonstration sports on their program. Some demonstration sports eventually gained enough popularity to become an official sport in a subsequent edition of the Games. Traditionally, the medals awarded for the demonstration events followed the same design as the Olympic medals, but of a smaller size. They are never included in the medal count.

Demonstration sports were suspended after the 1992 Summer Olympics, as the Olympic program grew bigger and it became more difficult for the organizing committees to give them the appropriate attention, since the IOC required the same treatment to be dispensed for official and demonstration sports.^[3] It is unlikely that they will be reintroduced as a requirement for future Olympic organizing committees. However, the Beijing Olympic Committee received permission from the IOC to run a wushu (martial arts) competition parallel to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008.^[4]^[5]^[6]

From the 1984 Summer Olympics until the 2004 Summer Olympics, two Paralympic events (a men's and a women's wheelchair racing event) were included in the athletics programme of each Games. These events are considered by many as a demonstration sport, but were, in fact, used to promote the Paralympic Games. Disabled events in alpine and Nordic skiing (1988 only) were also held as demonstration sports at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics.

Summer Olympics

Below is the list of demonstration sports at the Summer Olympic Games. Italic denotes not officially recognized as a demonstration sport by the IOC.

Games	Demonstration sports	Entered the Olympic program (where applicable)
1908 London ¹	• cycle polo (men) • dueling (men)
1912 Stockholm	• baseball (men) • glima (men)	• 1992²
1920 Antwerp	• korfball (mixed)
1924 Paris	• Basque pelota (men) • la canne (men) • canoeing and kayaking (men) • savate (men) • volleyball	• 1936 • 1964
1928 Amsterdam	• kaatsen (men) • korfball (mixed) • lacrosse (men)
1932 Los Angeles	• American football (men) • lacrosse (men)
1936 Berlin	• baseball (men) • gliding (men) • Indian sports: • kabaddi (men) • kho-kho ^[7] • mallakhamb ^[7]	• 1992²
1948 London	• lacrosse (men) • Swedish (Ling) gymnastics (men and women)
1952 Helsinki	• Finnish baseball (men) • handball (men)	• 1972³
1956 Melbourne	• Australian rules football (men) • baseball (men)	• 1992²
1960 Rome	none
1964 Tokyo	• baseball (men) • budō (men)	• 1992²
1968 Mexico City	• Basque pelota (men) • tennis (men and women)	• 1988⁴
1972 Munich	• badminton (men and women) • water skiing (men and women)	• 1992
1976 Montreal	none
1980 Moscow	none
1984 Los Angeles	• baseball (men) • tennis (men and women)	• 1992² • 1988⁴
1988 Seoul	• badminton (men and women) • baseball (men) • bowling (men and women) • judo (women) • taekwondo (men and women)	• 1992 • 1992² • 1992 • 2000
1992 Barcelona	• Basque pelota (men and women) • roller hockey (men) • taekwondo (men and women)	• 2000
1996 Atlanta	none
2000 Sydney	none
2004 Athens	none
2008 Beijing	none⁵
2012 London	none
2016 Rio de Janeiro	none⁶
2020 Tokyo	none⁷
2024 Paris	none⁸

Under the event-based program that began with the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, the host organizing committees added the following optional sports to the program with full medal status:

Games	Optional sports
2020 Tokyo	• baseball (men)² / softball (women)⁹ • karate (men and women)⁹ • sport climbing (men and women)⁹ • surfing (men and women)⁹ • skateboarding (men and women)⁹
2024 Paris	• breaking (men and women)¹⁰ • sport climbing (men and women)¹⁰ • surfing (men and women)¹⁰ • skateboarding (men and women)¹⁰
2028 Los Angeles	• baseball (men) / softball (women) • cricket • flag football • lacrosse • squash
2032 Brisbane	TBC

¹ Although demonstration sports were introduced only in 1912, at the 1908 Olympics some sports competitions were held simultaneously to the games.^[8]
² Baseball was officially removed from the Olympic program after the 2008 Beijing Games. (See also ⁹)
³ Was part of the program as field handball in 1936.
⁴ Was part of the program between 1896 and 1924.
⁵ The IOC permitted a parallel wushu competition to be run (2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament), but this was not an official demonstration sport.
⁶ The IOC permitted a parallel esports competition to be run (known as the eGames), but this was not an official demonstration sport.
⁷ Though not explicitly listed as a demonstration sport, the Japan Sumo Association originally planned to hold a special two-day exhibition sumo tournament between the Olympics and Paralympics as part of a larger official Olympics cultural festival; this was cancelled due to rescheduling of the 2020 Olympics to 2021.^[9]^[10]^[11]
⁸ The organising committee permitted a dragon boat racing demonstration in Vaires-sur-Marne by the International Canoe Federation.^[12]
⁹ On 3 August 2016, the 129th IOC Session was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At this conference, the IOC agreed on a new policy to shift the Games to use an "event-based" program rather than a "sport-based" program. Under this new policy, the host organizing committee can propose the addition of sports to the program. Baseball/softball were added back to the program for 2020 only in this way, along with karate, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding.^[13]^[14]
¹⁰ On 24 June 2019, the 134th IOC Session was held in Lausanne, Switzerland. At this conference, the Paris Organising Committee proposed that surfing, sport climbing, and skateboarding all return, along with the addition of breaking. On 7 December 2020, the IOC confirmed all four sports.^[15]

Winter Olympics

Below is the list of demonstration sports at the Winter Olympic Games. Italic denotes not officially recognized as a demonstration sport by the IOC.

Games	Demonstration sports	Entered the Olympic program (where applicable)
1924 Chamonix	none¹
1928 St. Moritz	• military patrol (men) • skijoring (men)
1932 Lake Placid	• curling (men) • sled dog racing (men) • speed skating (women)	• 1998¹ • 1960
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen	• military patrol (men) • ice stock sport (men)
1948 St. Moritz	• military patrol (men) • winter pentathlon (men)
1952 Oslo	• bandy (men)
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo	none
1960 Squaw Valley	none
1964 Innsbruck	• ice stock sport (men)
1968 Grenoble	• ice dancing, then known as "rhythmic skating"	• 1976
1972 Sapporo	none
1976 Innsbruck	none
1980 Lake Placid	none
1984 Sarajevo	• disabled alpine skiing (men)
1988 Calgary	• curling (men and women) • freestyle skiing (men and women) • short track speed skating (men and women) • disabled alpine and Nordic skiing (men and women)	• 1998 • 1992 (moguls only) • 1992
1992 Albertville	• curling (men and women) • speed skiing (men and women) • freestyle skiing – aerials (men and women) • freestyle skiing – ski ballet (men and women)	• 1998 • 1994
1994 Lillehammer	none
1998 Nagano	none
2002 Salt Lake City	none
2006 Turin	none
2010 Vancouver	none
2014 Sochi	none
2018 Pyeongchang	none²
2022 Beijing	none
2026 Milano Cortina	none
2030 French Alps	TBD
2034 Salt Lake City	TBD

¹ Curling was part of the program in 1924, which in 2002 the IOC retroactively decided would be considered an official Olympic event.
² Though not listed as a demonstration sport, the Intel Extreme Masters held an esports tournament for two games ( StarCraft II and Steep ) with support from the IOC.^[16]

Commonwealth Games

Demonstration sports have also been held during the Commonwealth Games, sometimes under the heading of exhibition sports.^[17]^[18]^[19]

Games	Demonstration sports	Entered the Commonwealth Games program (where applicable)
1958 Cardiff	• polo • show jumping
1962 Perth	none
1966 Kingston	none
1970 Edinburgh	none
1974 Christchurch	• artist gymnastics	• 1978
1978 Edmonton	• lacrosse
1982 Brisbane	• Australian rules football • table tennis	• 2002
1986 Edinburgh	• judo	• 1990
1990 Auckland	• netball • triathlon	• 1998 • 2002
1994 Victoria	• para-athletics • para-swimming • para-lawn bowls	• 2002 • 2002 • 2002
1998 Kuala Lumpur	• sepak takraw • silambam • silat • wushu
2002 Manchester	none
2006 Melbourne	none
2010 Delhi	none
2014 Glasgow	none¹
2018 Gold Coast	none²
2022 Birmingham	none³

¹ The CGF endorsed a rugby league nines competition (2014 Rugby League Commonwealth Championship) to be held preceding the games, but this was not listed an official demonstration sport.^[20]
² The CGF endorsed a rugby league nines competition (2018 Rugby League Commonwealth Championship) to be held preceding the games, but this was not listed an official demonstration sport.^[21]
³ The CGF endorsed an esports competition (Commonwealth Esports Championships) to be held during the games, but this was not listed an official demonstration sport.^[22]

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References

↑ "Demonstration sports : history at the Olympic Summer Games / The Olympic Studies Centre". Olympic World Library. 2024-01-19. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
↑ Yttergren, Leif (2018-11-16). "Baseball, glima and Gotlandic sport : An analysis of the demonstration sports in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics". Diagoras: International Academic Journal on Olympic Studies. 2: 103–122. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
↑ "Olympic Games Medals, Results, Sports, Athletes | Medailles, Resultats, Sports et Athletes des Jeux Olympiques". Olympic.org. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
↑ "Wushu to be part of Beijing Olympic Games - Culture News - News Brief". Newsgd. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
↑ "Xinhua - English". News.xinhuanet.com. 2005-10-16. Archived from the original on November 4, 2005. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
↑ "Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008 to begin August 21". Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. 2008-08-05. Archived from the original on 2008-08-08.
1 2 Nag, Utathya (24 June 2022). "Kho Kho, a kabaddi-like sport linked with Indian epic Mahabharata - know all about it". Olympics.com
↑ "Olympic Games Medallists - Other Sports". Gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
↑ "Sumo wrestling coming -- sort of -- to the Tokyo Olympics | AP News". Associated Press . 4 February 2020.
↑ "Grand Sumo Tournament rooting for the Tokyo 2020 Games".
↑ "Sumo wrestlers throw considerable weight behind Tokyo 2020 Games". Reuters .
↑ "Dragon boat race listed as demonstration sport at Paris Olympics". Bastille Post. Singtao Daily group. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
↑ "IOC approves five new sports for Olympic Games Tokyo 2020". Olympic.org. IOC. 3 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
↑ "You're in! Baseball/softball, 4 other sports make Tokyo cut". USA Today. 3 August 2016. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
↑ "Gender equality and youth at the heart of the Paris 2024 Olympic Sports Programme". International Olympic Committee. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
↑ Zaccardi, Nick (3 November 2017). "Esports event in PyeongChang before Olympics supported by IOC". NBC News . Retrieved 5 November 2017.
↑ "Sports included in the Commonwealth Games". Topend Sports Website. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
↑ "Aussie Rules Football at the Commonwealth Games". commonwealthgames.com.au. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
↑ "Sepaktakraw Makes Its Debut At Games". thecgf.com. 7 April 1998. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
↑ "Kumuls beat Roos to win Commonwealth gold". nrl.com. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
↑ "Wales looking for volunteers to support team at 2018 Rugby League Commonwealth Championship". insidethegames.biz. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
↑ "About CGF - Commonwealth Esports Championships" . Retrieved 28 July 2022.

External links

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[Summer_Demonstration-1] "Demonstration sports : history at the Olympic Summer Games / The Olympic Studies Centre". Olympic World Library. 2024-01-19. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-27.

[Yttergren_2018-2] Yttergren, Leif (2018-11-16). "Baseball, glima and Gotlandic sport : An analysis of the demonstration sports in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics". Diagoras: International Academic Journal on Olympic Studies. 2: 103–122. Retrieved 2024-01-27.

[3] "Olympic Games Medals, Results, Sports, Athletes | Medailles, Resultats, Sports et Athletes des Jeux Olympiques". Olympic.org. Retrieved 2014-02-10.

[4] "Wushu to be part of Beijing Olympic Games - Culture News - News Brief". Newsgd. Retrieved 2014-02-10.

[5] "Xinhua - English". News.xinhuanet.com. 2005-10-16. Archived from the original on November 4, 2005. Retrieved 2014-02-10.

[6] "Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008 to begin August 21". Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. 2008-08-05. Archived from the original on 2008-08-08.

[:0-7] 1 2 Nag, Utathya (24 June 2022). "Kho Kho, a kabaddi-like sport linked with Indian epic Mahabharata - know all about it". Olympics.com

[8] "Olympic Games Medallists - Other Sports". Gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 2014-02-10.

[9] "Sumo wrestling coming -- sort of -- to the Tokyo Olympics | AP News". Associated Press . 4 February 2020.

[10] "Grand Sumo Tournament rooting for the Tokyo 2020 Games".

[11] "Sumo wrestlers throw considerable weight behind Tokyo 2020 Games". Reuters .

[12] "Dragon boat race listed as demonstration sport at Paris Olympics". Bastille Post. Singtao Daily group. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.

[13] "IOC approves five new sports for Olympic Games Tokyo 2020". Olympic.org. IOC. 3 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.

[14] "You're in! Baseball/softball, 4 other sports make Tokyo cut". USA Today. 3 August 2016. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2016.

[IOCConfirm-15] "Gender equality and youth at the heart of the Paris 2024 Olympic Sports Programme". International Olympic Committee. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2021.

[16] Zaccardi, Nick (3 November 2017). "Esports event in PyeongChang before Olympics supported by IOC". NBC News . Retrieved 5 November 2017.

[17] "Sports included in the Commonwealth Games". Topend Sports Website. Retrieved 2021-09-12.

[18] "Aussie Rules Football at the Commonwealth Games". commonwealthgames.com.au. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2021.

[19] "Sepaktakraw Makes Its Debut At Games". thecgf.com. 7 April 1998. Retrieved 14 September 2021.

[20] "Kumuls beat Roos to win Commonwealth gold". nrl.com. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2021.

[21] "Wales looking for volunteers to support team at 2018 Rugby League Commonwealth Championship". insidethegames.biz. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2021.

[22] "About CGF - Commonwealth Esports Championships" . Retrieved 28 July 2022.

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