Excerpt from the book Sports the Olympics Forgot This book describes 40 sports that ought to be played but aren’t, because I made them up.

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The idea of Bull Pulling is that a contestant will pull a bull a certain distance by grabbing hold of its horns and not letting go until both bull and puller have completely crossed the finishing line. The pulls take place over 250, 500, and 1000 metres. There are three categories of bull that can be pulled: 150kg and under, 151 – 250kg, and 251 – 325kg.

17 is the minimum age to take part in the pulls. They start off with the lighter bulls and progress to heavier categories as they get older. Brute strength especially in the arms and shoulders is essential as is an iron grip and a mean stare to transfix the bull with.

The rules are straightforward. Lots are drawn to decide which puller gets which bull in the contest. If the bull tosses the puller then the bull pull must recommence at the place where the tossing occurred. At least one of the puller’s feet must be in contact with the ground at all times – this is to prevent the puller taking advantage of a charging bull and hitching a ride by holding on to its horns. The only parts of the bull that the puller can hold are the horns; pulling the bull’s tail results in instant disqualification.