New sports take a bow
A total of 20 sports were on the programme at Paris 1900, 11 more than at the inaugural Olympic Games of the modern era in Athens four years earlier.
Since Athens 1896, the number of sports on the Olympic programme has grown steadily over the years. By Beijing 2008, the programme featured 28 in all, a figure that rose to a record 33 at Tokyo 2020. There will be one fewer sport at Paris 2024.
The reason why the figure more than doubled between Athens 1896 and Paris 1900 was that the organisers of the International Universal Exhibition were keen to welcome as many sports and recreational pursuits as possible to their event. The criteria for the inclusion of these new sports was that they had to be restricted to amateurs, international in nature and open to all, with no handicapping allowed.
Included on the programme at Athens 1896, weightlifting and wrestling both came off it in Paris, while athletics, cycling (track), fencing, gymnastics (artistic), shooting, swimming and tennis all stayed on. The newcomers at Paris 1900 were archery, Basque pelota, cricket, croquet, equestrian (jumping), football, golf, polo, rugby (union), rowing, sailing (known as yachting at the time), tug of war and water polo.
Rowing and water polo have retained their Olympic status ever since, while equestrian and sailing have only missed St. Louis 1904 since their introduction and football only Los Angeles 1932. Basque pelota has reappeared only as a demonstration sport, on three occasions, while cricket and croquet have never been seen again. Polo made its Olympic farewell at Berlin 1936 and tug of war was discontinued after Antwerp 1920, when archery also disappeared from the programme, remaining absent until Munich 1972, since when it has been an ever present.
Fifteen-a-side rugby union was last played at Paris 1924 but the sport made a successful return to the Olympic programme in the sevens format at Rio 2016, when golf also returned after a 112-year absence.