Remembering: Rodeo Competition in the Olympic Games

The Olympics give athletes the opportunity to display patriotism for their county at the highest level. While rodeo did not find its way to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Calgary and Salt Lake City Winter Olympics hosted exhibition competitions. Team USA took home gold both times.

The American equivalent of watching the equestrian events at the 2024 Paris Olympics in front of the Palace of Versailles would be having the White House host a rodeo. Although rodeo has been absent from the Olympics since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City; it was not a single occurrence. Rodeo's first introduction to the Olympic Games took place at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede produced the "Calgary Stampede Rodeo '88 Challenge Cup." The rodeo showcase included three competitors each from the United States and Canada in six events: saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, and barrel racing.

The "Challenge Cup" in Calgary took place over seven performances at the Stampede Corral in Stampede Park. Because the city of Calgary hosts the Stampede each year, the culture readily accepted rodeo into the Olympic Arts Festival. The exhibition competition paid out almost $100,000 in prize money. Points determined the recipients of the gold, silver, and bronze medals for each individual event. Event winners also received buckles.

The rosters from each country purely consisted of the crème de la crème. The No. 1 and No. 2 cowboys/cowgirls from the world standings and NFR average was the criteria for Team USA. The selection for the Canadian Team came from the Canadian Finals Rodeo rankings. Members of Team USA and Canada received gold and silver medals for the team portion of the competition. Team USA won gold for the Challenge Cup.

The format of the Olympic Command Performance Rodeo resembled that of Calgary. Three performances determined the medalists at the Davis Legacy Center in Farmington, Utah. Since the Calgary showcase, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee not only added team roping to the lineup but also more money—$160,000 total! Points determined the individual event winners and team competition. Team USA won gold for a second time at the Salt Lake City Olympic rodeo with 1,363 points to Canada's 377.