Did you know that Pigeon Racing was featured in the unofficial programme of the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris? Seven events were contested in the schedule, but unfortunately no results are known.
So how would our feathered friends rate up against the Olympic athletes of the ground? Obviously pigeons can’t qualify for the Olympics, but they would provide fierce competition against their human athletic rivals, based on the following facts:
100m Sprint: The world’s fas
test man, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, is aiming to break his own world record of 9.58 seconds in the 100m sprint final this summer. He averages a speed of 23.35 mph, which is incredibly fast. However, it would not be enough to beat a racing pigeon which during 100 mile races can reach up to 110 mph – meaning it would take a mere 2.03 seconds for the pigeon to fly 100m. Unlucky Usain!
Long Jump: In 1991, USA’s Mike Powell broke the world record for the long jump with a leap of 8.95m – five centimetres further than the previous record. While it might have looked like he was flying through the air, it was nothing compared to how far a pigeon can fly. From take off to touch down, pigeon have been known to fly distances of more than 1,000 miles. Better luck next time Mike!
Pole Vault: Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka broke the pole vault world record 35 times during his career and still holds it with his 6.15m indoor leap in 1993. Unfortunately for Bubka, the pigeon has him beat. Most birds will fly higher than 500 feet in the air during migration and can reach up to 20,000 feet. They don’t need a pole to get up there either Sergey!
If racing pigeons were in the Olympics, no one would travel to watch them. People like Usain Bolt get watched world-wide, but for pigeons the only people at the destination would be cameramen.
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In reply to Callum – I think this is because the media never produce a decent view on our sport of pigeon racing and it is about time they did! The Olympics would have been the perfect starting platform. Joe Public only ever see the so called unfairly named ‘flying rat’ I believe if the media started talking about the athletes of the sky in a more appropriate and true way the public would open their ears and listen. Most people I talk to have not got a clue about the number of lives they saved during the wars, and what a help they have been to stranded people.
Pigeon racing is such a technical sport, and it would go a long way if it was taught as part of a maths lesson in schools, as it covers most aspects of application of number especially if taught long hand calculations.
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I think what you say is true as it could be used in schools as maths. It could also be in the Olympics, because you have the racing pigeon and you have the fancier – the pigeon is the athlete, the fancier is the coach. The pigeon gets trained about 2 times a week, maybe more.
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The problem with Pigeon Racing is that it is not recognised as a sport. The RPRA tried to get it recognised and failed; the ‘hobby’ was not declared a sport due to the lack of physical input from the trainer. To qualify as a sport you have to be in direct competition with other people, and not the birds doing all the work. Personally I would argue that the trainer waiting at home is competing as they have to coax the bird and then clock it in as well as all the science behind it all. So there is some physical input. Unfortunately ETS has taken this away … good thing / bad thing ? Not got any opinions, however any sport funding is now consigned to the past. Regarding publicity and the Olympics, not being categorised as a sport does not help, but a one loft race may have been a good idea, as well as a properly organised Olympic event. Most people don’t understand pigeon sport and associate it with working class … say no more. If you look at the number of professionals that keep birds – chemists, doctors, royalty – this could be a misconception!
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