Cannon-shooting, pigeon racing and ballooning – yes, these really were events in the Paris Olympic Games of the past! In 2024, 15,000 of the world’s finest athletes will gather in Paris for the ultimate sporting test: the Olympic Games. The City of Light has already hosted two Games, in 1900 and 1924, and with a century between its last and next Olympics, it’s no surprise that plenty has changed. Paris Olympic Events – Then The Olympic Games in 1900 saw a number of events run for the first – and only – time. One of these was the ball game Basque Pelota, which saw only two teams participate – unsurprisingly, these were France and Spain. The 1900 shooting events involved live pigeons as the target, while yet more birds took part in pigeon racing as a demonstration sport – none of the 7,721 feathered participants in the latter were killed, however. Other unusual events in 1900 included kite-flying, ballooning and cannon-shooting! Paris Olympic Events – Now Break-dancin...