<p>Skijoring, in which a skiier is pulled by a horse or dog, appeared only once at the Winter Olympics in 1928. Today, it remains a popular sport in Europe and North America.</p>

Skijoring, in which a skiier is pulled by a horse or dog, appeared only once at the Winter Olympics in 1928. Today, it remains a popular sport in Europe and North America.

Photograph by Dmitry Feoktistov, TASS, Getty Images

The Weirdest Winter Olympic Events We No Longer Play

Horse-drawn skiing and ski "ballet" are among the unusual sports from past Olympic games.

The Winter Olympics: Nothing beats the thrill of alpine skiing, the intrigue of figure skating scandals, and the excitement of … being dragged over a lake by a horse?

Up until the 1990s, countries that hosted the Winter (or Summer) Games could add “demonstration sports” to to their lineup of activities. These weren’t official medal events, and they often showcased niche, regional pastimes. Some of them went on to become official events, but a lot of them (like skijoring, the one with the horse) didn’t.

So, in anticipation of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, here are some of the most unusual demonstration events from past Winter Games.

Skijoring is still practiced today with both horses and dogs in

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