Sports the Olympics Forgot – The Hula Hoop Games in Buenos Aires

Another throwing event is the Wrist Snap Retrieve where entrants throw the hoop high into the air, but with reverse spin so that when the hoop hits the ground on its rim it returns in the direction of the thrower. The person who throws the hoop the furthest away from them and yet still makes it come back to them is declared the winner. The longest retrieve throw ever was 89 feet 7 inches by Basil Workman from Chipping Sodbury in the UK.

The accuracy events involve both throwing and rolling. The basic idea is that the hoop should land over one of three 2-foot long armadillos that are placed at distances of 100, 200, and 300 feet from the thrower. Since 1963, pottery armadillos have been used instead of real ones in order to save the animals from the mental cruelty of having objects thrown at them. The contestant receives five points for completely circling the 100-foot armadillo, 10 points for circling the 200-foot armadillo, and 20 points for circling the 300-foot armadillo. If the hoop balances on the animal then no points are awarded, but the hoop counts as a ‘toucher.’ If two people are level on points after the six rounds of competition then the number of touchers is taken into account to try and break the tie.

Extract from “Sports the Olympics Forgot” by Julian Worker