Pigeon racing – a history

Pigeon Postage Stamp 1899

Pigeons are ancient creatures.  Images of them have been seen on all sorts of historic artefacts, from pictograms on temple walls dated back to 3000BC, terracotta models from 700BC, on coins of the Roman Empire and in books from Medieval Europe. They have also been religious icons, as pets of Greek gods and significant symbols in Christianity.

Racing pigeons also had their use in the First and Second World Wars, but not for competition, for helping transport messages quickly and secretly.  Their speed and small size made them difficult targets and many pigeons were awarded Dickin Medals for their brave efforts. In the First World War, Cher Ami was given the Croix de Guerre Medal for delivering a message that saved nearly 200 American soldiers and returning home, even though he was shot through the breast and leg. Getting an important message from A to B as fast as possible was something for which pigeons could be relied upon. (Read More…. WHAT PRICE OUR HERITAGE – May 2013 

Racing Homer Pigeon

Pigeon racing first became popular in Belgium during the 19th century, when the modern racing pigeon, the Homer, started to be bred for its speed and ability to fly long distances. As the popularity of the sport grew, other nations became interested in racing pigeons, including the United States and Great Britain.

Back then, however, pigeon racing was quite different. Without the advanced timing equipment now used it was more difficult to determine race distances and times. The pigeons would be released by railway guardsmen at train stations and when they reached home, their race rings removed and rushed to the nearest post office for the race time to be registered officially by the post master.  Soon after this, people started to use their own racing clocks and remove the pigeon’s race leg ring at the end of races to record their own times.

Cher Ami

The relatively recent advances in technology have helped the sport to grow and become easier for newcomers to get involved. The introduction of the Electronic Timing System has simplified recording the speed of a pigeon and made it more accurate too.

Flying pigeons

Today, pigeon racing is enjoyed all over the world, from where it all started in Belgium, to South Africa, where the Million Dollar Pigeon Race is held. From Taiwan, which has more racing events than any other country, to the UK, where its tradition continues to be enjoyed, the sport has come a very long way and continues to fly.