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A demonstration sport is a sport which is played in order to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also on other sporting events.
Demonstration sports were officially introduced in the Olympics in 1912, when Sweden decided to include glima, a traditional Scandinavian wrestling, in the Olympic programme, but with its medals not counting as "official". Most organizing committees then decided to include at least one demonstration sport at each edition of the Games, usually some typical or very popular sport in the host country, like Baseball at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and Taekwondo at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. From 1912 to 1992, only two editions of the Summer Olympics did not have demonstration sports on their programme. Some demonstration sports, like the ones above, eventually gained enough popularity to become an official sport in a subsequent edition of the Games. Traditionally, the medals of demonstration sports followed the same design as the Olympic medals, but with a smaller size / diameter. These medals are never included in the medal count.
Demonstration sports were suspended in 1992, as the Olympic programme 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. It is unlikely that they will be reintroduced, although there is a movement to include wushu, the Chinese national sport, as a demonstration sport at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
From 1984 on, at each edition of the Games, two paralympic events (wheelchair racing, men and women) are disputed in a day reserved for the athletics. These events are considered by many as a demonstration sport, but are, in fact, used to promote the Paralympic Games.
Demonstration Sports at the Summer Olympics
Here is the list of demonstration sports played at the Summer Olympic Games:
Demonstration Sports at the Winter Olympics
Here is the list of demonstration sports played at the Winter Olympic Games:
| Games | Demonstration Sports |
|---|---|
| 1928 St. Moritz | • military patrol (men) • skijoring (men) |
| 1932 Lake Placid | • curling (men) • sled-dog racing (men) • speed skating (women) |
| 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | • military patrol (men) • ice stock sport (men) |
| 1948 St. Moritz | • military patrol (men) • winter pentathlon (men) |
| 1952 Oslo | • bandy (men) |
| 1964 Innsbruck | • ice stock sport (men) |
| 1988 Calgary | • curling (men and women) • freestyle skiing – aerials, mogul and ski ballet (men and women) • short track speed skating (men and women) • disabled skiing (men and women) |
| 1992 Albertville | • curling (men and women) • speed skiing (men and women) • freestyle skiing – ski ballet (men and women) • freestyle skiing – aerials (men and women) |
| 1994 Lillehammer | • snowshoeing (men) |
| 2002 Salt Lake City | • synchronized skating (mixed) |
Sources
"Demonstration sport"