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, though some scholars consider unofficial sports prior to 1924 to also be demonstrations. 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. 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.
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 and additional sports at the Summer Olympic Games. Bold indicates a sport that was experimented with full metal status (under the event-based program that began with the 2020 Summer Olympics), while italics denote a sport that is not officially recognized as a demonstration sport by the IOC.
| Games | Demonstration sports (1908–1992) Additional sports (2020–present) | Entered the Olympic program (where applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| 1908 London | • cycle polo (men) • dueling (men) | |
| 1912 Stockholm | • baseball (men) • glima (men) | • 1992 |
| 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:
| • 1992 |
| 1948 London | • lacrosse (men) • Swedish (Ling) gymnastics (men and women) | |
| 1952 Helsinki | • Finnish baseball (men) • handball (men) | • 1972 |
| 1956 Melbourne | • Australian rules football (men) • baseball (men) | • 1992 |
| 1960 Rome | (none) | |
| 1964 Tokyo | • baseball (men) • budō (men) | • 1992 |
| 1968 Mexico City | • Basque pelota (men) • tennis (men and women) | • 1988 |
| 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) | • 1992 • 1988 |
| 1988 Seoul | • badminton (men and women) • baseball (men) • bowling (men and women) • judo (women) • taekwondo (men and women) | • 1992 • 1992 • 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 | (none) | |
| 2012 London | (none) | |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | (none) | |
| 2020 Tokyo | • baseball (men) • softball (women) • karate (men and women) • sport climbing (men and women) • surfing (men and women) • skateboarding (men and women) | • 2028 • 2028 • 2028 |
| 2024 Paris | • breaking (men and women) • sport climbing (men and women) • surfing (men and women) • skateboarding (men and women) | • 2028 • 2028 • 2028 |
| 2028 Los Angeles | • baseball (men) / softball (women) • cricket • flag football • lacrosse • squash | |
| 2032 Brisbane | TBC | |
Winter Olympics
Below is the list of demonstration sports at the Winter Olympic Games. Bold indicates a sport that was experimented with full medal status (under the event-based program that began with the 2022 Winter Olympics), while italics denote a sport that is not officially recognized as a demonstration sport by the IOC.
| Games | Demonstration sports (1924–1992) Additional sports (2022–present) | Entered the Olympic program (where applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 Chamonix | (none) | |
| 1928 St. Moritz | • military patrol (men) • skijoring (men) | |
| 1932 Lake Placid | • curling (men) • sled dog racing (men) • speed skating (women) | • 1998 • 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 | (none) | |
| 2022 Beijing | (none) | |
| 2026 Milano Cortina | • ski mountaineering (men, women, and mixed team) | |
| 2030 French Alps | TBD | |
| 2034 Salt Lake City | TBD | |
Commonwealth Games
Demonstration sports have also been held during the Commonwealth Games, sometimes under the heading of exhibition sports.
| 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 | (none) | |
| 2018 Gold Coast | (none) | |
| 2022 Birmingham | (none) | |
| 2026 Glasgow | (none) | |
| 2030 Ahmedabad | TBD | |
See also
- Commonwealth Games sports
- Olympic sports
- World Games sports