Skijoring
Skijoring (pronounced ) (Skijouring in British English) is a winter sport in which a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog (or dogs), another animal, or a motor vehicle. The name is derived from the Norwegian word ''skikjøring'', meaning ...
(also Skijoering) was a
demonstration sport
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 spor ...
at the
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (french: IIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; german: II. Olympische Winterspiele; it, II Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, II Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. M ...
, held in
St. Moritz,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
from February 11 through 19, 1928. The sole skijoring event of the Games was held on February 12, the second day of the Games. The sport of skijoring is one in which a person on skis is pulled by dogs, horses, or a form of mechanized transportation such as a snowmobile. In the 1928 Olympics, athletes were towed behind horses.
Skijoring's roots are in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
, where the sport was considered a military competition, being a method of transportation for military dispatches. It was included on the program of the
Nordic Games
The Nordic Games were the first international multi-sport event that focused primarily on winter sports, and were held at varying intervals between 1901 and 1926. It was organized by Sweden's Swedish Central Association for the Promotion of ...
in 1901, 1905, and 1909.
, founder of the modern Olympic Games, and media outlets like ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
'' admired the sport after its inclusion in the Nordic Games, and contributed to the brief popularization which led to its inclusion as a demonstration sport in the Games.
Coubertin in particular, in his report on the 1901 Nordic Games in the publication ''Revue Olympique'', expressed interest in incorporating such winter sports into the Olympic Games, and mentioned skijoring in particular as being of interest.
Thus, it was included in the 1928 Winter Olympics as a demonstration sport.
The competition in St. Moritz was held on a frozen lake. Unlike modern equestrian skijoring in North America, there were no riders on the horses, there were no jumps on the course, and athletes competed simultaneously.
The event was swept by three Swiss athletes. Although the sport was included as a demonstration sport in 1928, the ''Official Report'' of those Olympic Games does not list results of the contest.
This would be the last time the sport was included at the Games; it would never again appear as either a demonstration or medal sport.
Results
References
{{Sports at the Olympics
Discontinued sports at the Winter Olympics
1928 Winter Olympics events
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...