So there you have it. There's a tradition of athletic events in Ireland and Scotland that goes back to hundreds of years of the Pre-Christian era...probably the Bronze age. There are documented athletic events that were associated with the Saints Days that replaced the Celtic Fire Festivals when Christianity took hold in Scotland. There's a tradition of "wappinshaws"' that existed in Scotland from at least the 1500's, which certainly included athletic events. There's a documented "Games"...the Cotswold event, and another, un-named event which is compared to the Cotswolds event that date from the early 1600's. There are literary references for the "tossing ye barre" event which most likely evolved into the caber throw from at least the early 1600's.

In other words, this stuff has been around for a while, eh?