Sports Involved in the Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are considered by many athletes to be the pinnacle of their sports. While there are some professional athletes who compete in the Olympics, most of the competitors are amateurs. The Olympic Games feature several well-known, high-profile sports, while also including many lesser-known sports that do not receive much attention.

  1. Curling

    • Curling is a winter Olympics sport that features four competitors on a team. One person slides a stone across the ice while the other three athletes glide along the ice with the stone. They hold brooms and try to make a smooth path for the stone. The stone should stop as close as possible to the bull's eye on the other side of the ice.

    Basketball

    • Basketball is a summer Olympics sport that features some of the world's greatest basketball players. Until 1992, Team USA featured college players in the Olympics. The 1992 Olympic Games saw NBA superstars such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird compete in basketball.

    Short-Track Speed Skating

    • Short-track speed skating is sometimes compared to a NASCAR race. Skaters go around a short rink as fast as they can. These races last only a few minutes, whereas long distance speed skating competitions last for quite a bit longer. Because short track skaters are so close to one another and travel at high speeds, there are a lot of crashes among skaters.

    100-Meter Dash

    • The 100-meter dash is one of the most popular events in the summer Olympics. The dash consists of eight runners lined up on the track, waiting for the starter's pistol to sound. Then athletes run as fast as they can to the finish line, which is 100 meters away. Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt are among some of the most successful 100-meter dash competitors of all time.

    Skeleton

    • A skeleton competition takes place on a bobsled track. However, instead of including a two-person or four-person team, skeleton includes only one racer who lies on a small, aerodynamic sled. There is nothing between the competitor and the ice except for this small sled.