HAMMER HURLING AND CABER TOSSING

Reputedly inspiring the modern Olympics, Highland Games are strenuous, centuries-old sporting celebrations of Scottish culture

- Pat Kinsella

Like an annual Olympiad for sporran-wearing sportsfolk, Highland Games have been held for centuries around the north of Scotland. The most famous is the Braemar Gathering, where you can witness feats of strength (caber tossing, stone putting, weight throwing), fitness contests (hill running) and competitive displays of Celtic culture such as Highland dancing and bagpipe playing.

It's believed that some sports now included in track-and-field athletic competitions worldwide, such as hammer throwing, originated with the Highland Games. The revival and popularisation of these events from the 1830s reputedly influenced the development of the modern Olympic Games. It’s claimed that Baron Pierre de Coubertin - co-founder of the International Olympic Committee - watched a Highland Games display at the 1889 Paris Exposition, and included some of its sports in the new competition.

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