30 greatest one-time sports in Summer Olympics history

17. Gaelic Football
1904 St. Louis Olympics

Gaelic football is a sport that has the look and feel of rugby, but there are small differences between the two. Like rugby, Gaelic football calls for the offensive team to rush the ball up the field to try and get the ball over the end line, which is worth three points. But instead of it being like an endzone, it’s more like a goal in soccer. They can also kick or punch the ball through the uprights for one point. 

Being that this was 1904, the records for this sport is a little spotty at the St. Louis Olympics, but we do know the gold medal match was disputed between Fenians and Innisfáils, with the former taking home gold. They scored 10 points and managed to shut out Innisfáils. Both teams were relatively local, which was a theme of these early Games. 

The sport is rooted in Irish heritage, and there are committees hoping to get Gaelic football back on the Olympic schedule, but there hasn’t seemed to be much interest outside those very focuses parties. However, they just started their efforts to be recognized by the IOC this year. It’s a long process, but there could be a future for Gaelic football at the Olympics.

Unlike other sports, Gaelic football is still somewhat popular worldwide, or at least for some versions of the sport. They could assemble some teams if they had to, and it would be a fun sport to watch. We could see this one coming back.