(the number of events to be contested in each sport is indicated in brackets)
- Aquatics (46): Diving (8), Swimming (34), Synchronised swimming (2), Water polo (2)
- Archery (4)
- Athletics (track and field) (47)
- Badminton (5)
- Baseball (1)
- Basketball (2)
- Boxing (11)
- Canoeing (16) (Whitewater Canoeing and Kayaking, Flat Water Canoeing and Kayaking)
- Cycling (18) (Road Cycling, Track Cycling, Mountain Biking, BMX Cycling)
- Equestrian (6) (Show Jumping, Military Equestrian, Dressage)
- Fencing (10)
- Football (Soccer) (2)
- Gymnastics (18) (Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline)
- Handball (2)
- Hockey (field) (2)
- Judo (14)
- Modern Pentathlon (2)
- Rowing (14) (Rowing and Sculling)
- Sailing (11)
- Shooting (15)
- Softball (1)
- Table Tennis (4)
- Taekwondo (8)
- Tennis (4)
- Triathlon (2)
- Volleyball (4) (Volleyball, Beach Volleyball)
- Weightlifting (15)
- Wrestling (18) (Greco-Roman Wrestling)
THE LIST OF OLYMPIC SPORTS HELD AT THE 2006 WINTER OG
15 disciplines grouped over 7 sports (Skiing, Skating, Ice Hockey, Bobsleigh, Luge, Curling, Snowboarding)
(the number of events to be contested in each discipline is indicated in brackets)
- Alpine Skiing (10) (Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, Downhill Race, Combined Event)
- Biathlon (10)
- Bobsleigh (3)
- Cross-country Skiing (12)
- Curling (2)
- Figure Skating (4) (Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Pairs, Ice Dancing)
- Freestyle Skiing (4) (Moguls, Aerials, Ski Cross)
- Ice Hockey (2)
- Luge (3)
- Nordic Combined Event (3)
- Short Track Speed Skating (8)
- Skeleton (2)
- Ski Jumping (3)
- Snowboarding (6) (Half-pipe, Dual Slalom, Snowboard Cross)
- Speed Skating (12)
SPORTS AT SUMMER PARALYMPIC GAMES
- special sports for the disabled: Boccia, Goalball, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Rugby
- Archery, Athletics (track and field), Cycling, Equestrian, Football 5-a-side, Football 7-a-side, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball (sitting), Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Tennis
SPORTS AT WINTER PARALYMPIC GAMES
- Alpine Skiing (Downhill Race, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G)
- Ice Sledge Hockey
- Nordic Skiing (Cross-country Skiing, Biathlon)
- Wheelchair Curling
RECOGNIZED SPORTS
In order to promote the Olympic Movement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) may recognise as International Sports Federations (IFS) international non-governmental organisations administering one or several sports at world level and encompassing organisations administering such sports at national level. The current list includes:
Air Sports, Bandy, Billiard Sports, Boules, Bowling, Bridge, Chess, Dance Sport, Golf, Karate, Korfball, Life Saving, Motorcycle Racing, Mountaineering and Climbing, Netball, Orienteering, Pelote Basque, Polo, Power-boating, Racquetball, Roller Sports, Rugby, Squash, Surfing, Sumo, Tug of War, Underwater Sports, Water Skiing, Wushu.
EXTREME SPORTS
An extreme sport (also called action sport, adventure sport, or adventurous sport) is any sport featuring speed, height, danger, a high level of physical exertion, highly specialized gear, or spectacular stunts. “True” extreme sports are referred to as leisure or recreation activities where the most likely outcome of a mismanaged accident or mistake is death. Another characteristic of activities so labelled is the fact that they tend to be individual rather than team sports. Extreme sports can include both competitive and non-competitive activities.
Extreme sports include e.g. aggressive skating, BMX freestyle, bodyboarding, bossaball, bouldering, buildering, bungee jumping, canyoning, cave diving, drag racing, extreme skiing (Flying Kilometer, Ski Alpinism), freediving, freestyle motocross, hang gliding, ice climbing, mountain biking, kite surfing, mountaineering, parachuting, rally, rock climbing, scuba diving, skateboarding, skydiving, slamball, spearfishing, street luge, stunt pogo, wakeboarding, water skiing, whitewater rafting, zorbing, etc.
The event called the X Games is an annual multi-sport event with a focus on action sports. Competitors perform in many different categories and styles, trying to win medals as well as prize money. The competitions often feature never-before-seen tricks. There is also the X Fest – ultimate action sports and music festival, and other events.
NATIONAL SPORTS
A national sport is a sport or game that is considered to be a popularly intrinsic part of the culture of a country or nation. In American English the term “national pastime” is often used. Although there are no official parameters towards defining what a national sport is, there are some general characteristics that most national sports share:
- The rules and objectives of the sport or game are known in fairly great detail in the country or nation
- The game or sport is widely played or watched in the country or nation
In some countries, a sport or game can become the official national sport by mandate of the Government, such as with Canada and lacrosse in 1995. In other countries, where a sport or game has a very long history or tradition, and often its origin as well, such as with baseball in the USA or sumo wrestling in Japan, the sport or game is often considered a de facto official national sport (pastime).
Examples of national sports in English speaking countries and in other countries
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: In England football is the most popular sport followed by cricket and rugby. In Scotland the native sport is shinty, but football attracts much larger crowds, Scotland was the birthplace of golf and curling as well. In Wales it is traditionally rugby union, but football is played by more people and attracts much higher attendances.
United States of America: baseball has historically been considered America’s national pastime and a significant aspect of American culture. However, American football currently enjoys greater popularity nationwide than baseball, while basketball is played by a lot of people.
Canada: lacrosse and ice hockey are the official national sports. Among other very popular sports there is basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, female soccer, or curling.
Australia: Cricket is the traditional summer sport. Football and rugby are the most popular winter sports in different parts of the country.
New Zealand: rugby union is most widely performed and most closely linked to national pride, netball is a very popular female sport, cricket is the national summer sport, yachting and sailing are also popular.
Czech Republic: ice hockey and football (soccer) are considered national sports, football tennis originated in the Czech land, hiking, canoe touring, cycling and skiing are very popular pastimes.
Ireland: soccer, golf, India: field hockey, cricket, Japan: sumo wrestling, karate, judo, Belgium: cycling, Ethiopia and Kenya: athletics, Argentina and Brazil: soccer, Spain: soccer, bullfighting, the Netherlands: speed skating, cycling, China: table tennis, Finland: ice hockey, ski jumping, Norway: skiing, Austria: Alpine skiing, Norway: cross-country skiing, France: soccer, pétanque, Hawaii: surfing, windsurfing, Alaska: dog-sledging, etc.
National sport number one in majority of countries worldwide is football (soccer).
SPORT BRANCHES
Different sports can be grouped according to the use of similar physical activity, technique, equipment, environment or sport facility, highly specialized gear, etc.
Track and Field Athletics:
- Track events: sprints, middle-distance runs, long-distance runs, relays, hurdles, steeplechase
- Field events: throwing events (javelin throw, discus throw, hammer throw, shot put), jumping events (long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault)
- Road events: Marathon, walks
- Combined events: decathlon, heptathlon
Gymnastics: general gymnastics, artistic gymnastics (apparatus gymnastics), rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatics, trampoline
Games:
- Ball games (e.g. football, handball, rugby, basketball, volleyball)
- Goal games (e.g. football, handball, basketball, hockey, ice hockey)
- Racquet games (e.g. tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash, baseball, softball, golf)
Aquatics: swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, water polo
Water sports:
- Canoeing and kayaking (whitewater events and flat water events), rafting
- Surfing, windsurfing, sailing and yachting
- Rowing and sculling
Cycling sports: road cycling, track cycling, cyclo-cross, mountain biking, cyclo-trial, BMX, indoor cycling (artistic cycling, cycleball)
Ski sports: Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing (cross-country skiing, ski jumping, biathlon, Nordic combined), Freestyle skiing, Snowboarding
Sports on the ice: figure skating, speed skating, short track, ice hockey, curling, bobsleigh, luge, skeleton
Technical sports:
- Air sports: parachuting, paragliding, hang gliding, aerobatics
- Motor racing, motorcycle racing, rally, motor-cross,
- Scuba diving, water skiing, power-boating
- Shooting, archery
Combat sports and Martial Arts: wrestling, boxing, judo, karate, taekwondo, kung fu, aikido, fencing, sumo
Outdoor sports: skiing, snowboarding, cycling, canoeing, rafting, windsurfing, climbing, orienteering, hiking
Equestrian: horse racing/ the turf, steeplechase, chariot races, show jumping, dressage, military
Combined sports: Modern Pentathlon (shooting, fencing, swimming, show jumping, cross-country run), Triathlon (swimming, cycling, cross-country run), Biathlon (cross-country skiing, shooting), Nordic Combined (cross-country skiing, ski jumping), etc.
READING (Authentic text)
