These underrated sports deserve all the hype! Welcome to WatchMojo.world, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most awesome under-the-radar sports played at the Summer and Winter Olympics that certainly deserve a lot more attention. Our countdown of underrated Olympic sports includes Rugby Sevens, Archery, Badminton, and more! Let us know in the comments which of these Olympic sports you’re most interested in watching!
### Top 10 Underrated Olympic Sports
1. **Rugby Sevens**
- Why it’s awesome: Fast-paced and thrilling, Rugby Sevens condenses the traditional game into shorter, more intense matches, showcasing incredible athleticism and teamwork.
2. **Archery**
- Why it’s awesome: Combining precision, focus, and skill, archery is a mesmerizing sport that tests both mental and physical prowess.
3. **Badminton**
- Why it’s awesome: Known for its lightning-fast pace and high-flying shuttlecock, badminton is a sport that demands agility, speed, and strategy.
4. **Skeleton**
- Why it’s awesome: This Winter Olympic sport involves athletes hurtling head-first down an icy track at incredible speeds, offering a thrilling and adrenaline-pumping experience.
5. **Handball**
- Why it’s awesome: A dynamic and fast-paced team sport, handball combines elements of basketball, soccer, and water polo, making it exciting to watch.
6. **Modern Pentathlon**
- Why it’s awesome: Featuring five diverse events – fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, and a combined event of pistol shooting and cross-country running – this sport tests all-around athletic ability.
7. **Table Tennis**
- Why it’s awesome: Table tennis showcases incredible reflexes, precision, and strategy, with players often engaging in lightning-fast rallies.
8. **Canoe Slalom**
- Why it’s awesome: This sport involves navigating a canoe or kayak through a challenging whitewater course, requiring strength, skill, and precision.
9. **Biathlon**
- Why it’s awesome: Combining cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, the biathlon is a unique Winter Olympic sport that tests both endurance and accuracy.
10. **Water Polo**
- Why it’s awesome: A physically demanding and strategic team sport, water polo combines elements of swimming, soccer, and basketball, making it an intense and engaging watch.
These sports may not always be in the spotlight, but they bring excitement, skill, and entertainment to the Olympic Games. Which of these underrated Olympic sports are you most interested in watching? Let us know in the comments below!
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SportsTranscript
00:00Her accuracy saw her take the lead at the second-last station.
00:04She charged home to take gold.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most awesome under-the-radar
00:10sports played at the Summer and Winter Olympics that certainly deserve a lot more attention.
00:15He is the Olympic champion for men's individual archery.
00:21What a moment for him.
00:24Number 10.
00:25Rugby sevens.
00:26One of those hairs standing up on the back of the neck moments.
00:31The Olympic final.
00:33A gold medal at stake.
00:36There was quite a lengthy hiatus for rugby at the Summer Olympics.
00:39Fifteen aside matches were discontinued after the 1924 games.
00:43It then took nearly a century, 92 years more precisely, for rugby to make its return at
00:47the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
00:50And again it's a Fiji try, and it's Leone Nakaroa.
00:54But it wasn't the original setup.
00:56Rather, this would mark the start of the discipline known as rugby sevens, in which each team
01:00trots out seven players for a game involving physicality, endurance, speed, agility, and
01:05teamwork.
01:06Fiji won the first men's gold medal in the sport, while Australia came out on top for
01:09women.
01:10World Series champions, and now history makers.
01:12The Aussie women, the first team to win gold in Olympic sevens.
01:16For those who dread sitting down for hours to watch a sporting event, rugby sevens' fast-paced
01:2114-minute games may be an attractive element.
01:23Number nine.
01:24Canoe, slalom, and sprint.
01:26Canoeing has been a staple at the Summer Olympic Games since 1936.
01:28Both disciplines, sprint and slalom, the latter of which joined the party in 1972, are intriguing
01:33races along the water that warrant more public attention.
01:36Canoe sprint, which takes place on flat water, is the way to go for those looking for sheer
01:40speed.
01:41This is poetry, this is passion, this is power from the Brazilian.
01:45Whereas canoe slalom, which occurs on an artificial whitewater course, may be preferred by others
01:50due to its element of tactical navigation.
01:52He now has to pedal with freedom.
01:55He's going to have to take some risks.
01:57That's because there are 18 to 25 gates through which the athletes must, well, slalom.
02:02Either way, when it comes to both canoeing events, what's impressive and potentially
02:04appealing for the public is the combination of technique, concentration, and speed.
02:09It's unbelievable just how much water is flowing down this course, which is, in theory or thereabouts,
02:16400 meters.
02:17Number eight.
02:18Skeleton, extreme sliding.
02:19That's one way to characterize the electrifying winter sport that is skeleton.
02:23Skeleton's due course set the fastest time in practice for this event and built up a
02:27push-off speed of 51.3 kilometers per hour on the way to reaching a higher speed of 130.3
02:34kilometers per hour in his ride.
02:37It first appeared at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics in 1928, made a brief comeback at
02:41the 1948 Games, before missing out on the next 13 events.
02:45Since its return in 2002, skeleton has become a consistent winter event.
02:49The Russian building a fastest time of over 131 kilometers per hour, that being over a
02:54second faster than his nearest rival.
02:57The sport involves the competitor starting with a sprint before hopping on their sled
03:00in plank position, and then zooming headfirst along an ice track.
03:03Gravity and kinetic energy are integral factors of skeleton.
03:06Also, focus, stillness, and tiny movements of the head, shoulders, and feet to steer
03:10are key.
03:11Precision is everything here, as races are often won by milliseconds.
03:14Beside all that, the cool helmets are a plus.
03:24Number 7.
03:25Trampoline.
03:26The incredible acrobatics involved in trampolining make for a captivating spectacle.
03:30Looking very strong through all her twisting parts.
03:34The event first appeared at the Olympics in the 2000 Games in Sydney.
03:37Men and women alike soar over 25 feet in the air while performing a series of twists, bounces,
03:42and somersaults.
03:43While this sport has certainly become popular, the elaborate body movements, superb body
03:46control, and overall exceptional technique necessary, in addition to the high-flying
03:50nature of it, still make it underrated.
04:01Plus, for many of us who have fun childhood memories of bouncing on a trampoline, these
04:05athletes show us all the amazing aerial maneuvers that we ourselves could never do.
04:13It's not too serious.
04:18Good hide on the last skill.
04:20Number 6.
04:21Table tennis.
04:22It can be riveting watching two skilled table tennis players whack a ball back and forth
04:26over the net.
04:31Table tennis has been a sport at the Summer Olympics since 1988, and has been dominated
04:35by China.
04:36At the Olympics, the intensity level during an epic rally can be through the roof.
04:39The speed, spin, accuracy, and body movements utilized by players is amazing.
04:44They however have to stand somewhat far away from the table compared to the typical friendly
04:48amateur match in your buddy's basement.
04:55Sure, most people are familiar with this sport, whether they refer to it as table tennis or
04:58ping pong, but the real question is, do they watch it during the Olympics?
05:01Well, they should.
05:10Number 5.
05:11Modern pentathlon.
05:12Fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross-country
05:16running.
05:17Yeah, that's five different sports, but they mold into one Olympic event known as modern
05:21pentathlon.
05:22First, athletes had to swim 200 meters.
05:25Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, was fond of the ancient
05:29games version of the pentathlon, which consisted of running, jumping, javelin, discus, and
05:33wrestling.
05:34He wanted to incorporate an updated version that would test a complete athlete, and so
05:37he proposed the modern pentathlon.
05:39This was riding, where athletes navigated 15 jumps on horses drawn at random.
05:441912 marked the first edition of the competition, while a women's event was introduced in 2000.
05:50Modern pentathlon doesn't get the public attention it deserves relative to other Olympic
05:54sports, particularly given its lengthy history and the way it tests athletes' versatility.
05:58Four shooting stations were spread throughout the 3.2 kilometer run.
06:02Number 4.
06:03Archery.
06:04Focus, precision, and consistency are vital in archery, a sport that debuted at the Olympics
06:07in Paris in 1900.
06:09South Korea has dominated the category, winning 13 more gold medals and 10 more total medals
06:13than the second most successful nation.
06:15If Ansan can finish this off with a perfect set, then the Dutch, well you just have to
06:22say you're beaten by the better side.
06:24Taking into account the size of the targets and the distance from which the archers shoot
06:28their arrows, this unique competition is pretty awesome.
06:31Targets measure 122 centimeters in diameter, and archers stand 70 meters or about 230 feet
06:36away.
06:37Can you believe how far that is?
06:38So next time you watch Olympic competitors launch arrows through the summer sky, remember
06:49the extraordinary concentration it takes to hit those distant bull's eyes.
06:53If this 22-year-old from Turkey scores a 10, he is the Olympic champion.
07:00Number 3.
07:01Artistic Swimming.
07:08Once known as water ballet, this sport now commonly goes by artistic or synchronized
07:12swimming.
07:13At the Olympics, the event is presented as both duet and team competitions.
07:16The pool-based sports require water aerobics, flexibility, attention to detail, choreography,
07:21and synchronization among teammates.
07:22All of this, along with the incorporation of music, results in an unparalleled spectacle.
07:38Artistic Swimming first made its way to the Olympics in 1984 and has provided numerous
07:47entertaining moments since.
07:48Obviously, the athletes compete for the highest-scoring routines, but for viewers, the unique artistry
07:52of the sport allows it to be interpreted not only as a competition, but as a performance
07:56or show as well.
08:06Number 2.
08:07Badminton.
08:08Hitting the birdie back and forth over the net is considered a fun, casual outdoor activity
08:11by many.
08:12But there's nothing casual about Olympic badminton.
08:19These athletes engage in intense, fast-paced rallies that demand ultra-quick reflexes,
08:23sharp decision-making, and superb hand-eye coordination.
08:26Badminton became an official event at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona.
08:30The competition includes single and double events for men and women separately, as well
08:34as mixed double events.
08:39Matches are best-of-three series, with each individual game played to at least 21 points.
08:43This racket sport is wildly popular, especially in Asia, yet it's a bit of an unsung hero
08:47at the Olympics.
08:48Its skillful and entertaining nature definitely warrants a much larger global audience.
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09:16Number 1.
09:17Handball.
09:18Although it first appeared at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, handball wouldn't become a mainstay
09:22at the Games until 1972.
09:27It's a fairly popular team sport in Europe, but hasn't caught on nearly as much in other
09:36places, such as the U.S.
09:37According to the International Olympic Committee, handball sits in the fourth out of six tiers
09:41of popularity among Summer Olympic sports.
09:43That takes into account TV viewership, internet popularity, public surveys, ticket requests,
09:48press coverage, and the number of national federations.
09:57Clearly handball doesn't draw quite the same attention as some other Olympic sports, but
10:01it should.
10:07The sport, which requires teamwork, strategic positioning, throwing accuracy, deception,
10:12and agility, among other qualities, is certainly worth a watch.
10:15Let us know in the comments which of these Olympic sports you're most interested in watching.
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