Some Popular Olympic Sports

1. Weightlifting

Weightlifting is a sport as old as mankind. You need a combination of power and strength, speed and concentration as well as timing. Women were allowed to lift weights for the first time at the 2000 Olympics.

Lidia Valentín from Spain at the 2012 Olympics
Image: Simon Q, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

2. Athletics

Athletics is about running faster, jumping higher and throwing further than other athletes. It is the heart of the games. Today , the most popular events are athletic: the 100 m dash, the long jump or the marathon.

Robert Harting throwing a discus
Image: Robert_Harting_von_der_Sportfördergruppe_Potsdam_der_Bundeswehr.jpg: Bundeswehr-Fotosderivative work: César, CC BY 2.0,
via Wikimedia Commons 

3. Swimming

In today’s Olympics, men and women compete in 16 events each. The fastest swimmers compete in the freestyle race. There are also relay races for 4 swimmers.

400 meter relay race at the 2008 Olympics
Image: Jmex60, CC BY-SA 3.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

4. Ice Skating

The Dutch were the first to skate across frozen rivers and canals. Very quickly the sport spread to other parts of Europe and North America. Today there are two main skating events : speed skating and figure skating.

Speed Skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz
Image: Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-05456 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE,
via Wikimedia Commons

5. Equestrian Events

Equestrian events were held for the first time in 1900. In the past only military officers could take part. Today there are three disciplines: Jumping, dressage and eventing.

Equestrian sports at the 2012 Olympics
Image: Ian Patterson, CC BY 2.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

6. Gymnastics

Gymnastics have a long and proud history. The sport goes back to the ancient games , where young men were prepared for war.

Today athletes compete on the floor, pommel horse, balance beam, rings etc..

Gymnast on parallel bars
Image: Pavel Ryčl, Attribution,
via Wikimedia Commons