Olympic sports
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Olympic_sports".

Archery competition at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. This sport was reintroduced in the Olympic program in 1972.

Tug of war contested at the Saint Louis 1904 Summer Olympics.

Curling was promoted to official Olympic sport at the Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics.

The Olympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The current Olympic program consists of 35 sports with 53 disciplines and more than 400 events — the Summer Olympics include 28 sports with 38 disciplines, and the Winter Olympics include 7 sports with 15 disciplines.^[1] Each Olympic sport is represented by a single international governing body, namely an International Federation (IF).^[2]

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) establishes a hierarchy of sports, disciplines, and events.^[2] According to this hierarchy, the Olympic sports can be subdivided into multiple disciplines, which are often assumed to be distinct sports. Examples include swimming and water polo (disciplines of Aquatics, represented by the International Swimming Federation),^[3] or figure skating and speed skating (disciplines of Skating, represented by the International Skating Union).^[4] In their turn, disciplines can be subdivided into events, for which medals are actually awarded.^[2] A sport or discipline is included in the Olympic program if the IOC determines that it is widely practiced around the world, that is, the number of countries that compete in a given sport is the indicator of the sport's prevalence. The IOC's requirements reflect participation in the Olympic Games as well — more stringent toward men (as they are represented in higher numbers) and Summer sports (as more nations compete in the Summer Olympics). To be able to be competed at the Olympics, for instance, an event must be practiced in at least 50 and 35 countries, on three continents, by men and women, respectively.^[2]

Previous Olympic Games included sports which are no longer present on the current program, like polo and tug of war.^[5] These sports, known as "discontinued sports", were later removed either because of lack of interest or absence of an appropriate governing body.^[2] Archery and tennis are examples of sports that were competed at the early Games, were eventually dropped by the IOC, but managed to return to the Olympic program (in 1972 and 1988, respectively). Demonstration sports have often been included in the Olympic Games, usually to promote a local sport from the host country or to gauge interest and support for the sport.^[6] Such sports, like baseball and curling, were successfully included in the official Olympic program (in 1992 and 1998, respectively).

Summer Olympic Games

At the first Olympic Games, nine sports were contested.^[7] Since then, the number of sports contested at the Summer Olympic Games has gradually risen to the current number of twenty-eight. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, however, the number of sports will fall back to twenty-six, following an IOC vote, in early 2006, deciding the removal of baseball and softball from the Olympic program. These remain, nonetheless, as Olympic sports and have the possibility to return to the Olympic program, as of 2016.^[8]

In order for a sport or discipline to be in included on the Summer Olympics program (but not necessarily be contested at the Olympics), it must be widely practiced in at least 75 and 50 countries, on four continents, by men and women, respectively.

Current program

The following sports (or disciplines of a sport) make up the current Summer Olympic Games official program and are listed alphabetically according to the name used by the IOC. The figures in each cell indicate the number of events, for each sport, contested at the respective Games; a bullet denotes that the sport was contested as a demonstration sport.

Five of the 28 sports consist of multiple disciplines. Disciplines from the same sport are grouped under the same color:

     Aquatics —      Canoeing/Kayak —      Cycling —      Gymnastics —      Volleyball

Sport (Discipline)		96	00	04	06	08	12	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08
Diving				2	1	2	4	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	8	8	8
Swimming		4	7	9	4	6	9	10	11	11	11	11	11	11	13	15	18	29	29	26	26	29	31	31	32	32	32	34
Synchronized swimming																						2	2	2	1	2	2	2
Water polo			1	1		1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2
Archery			6	6		3		10											2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	4
Athletics (track and field)		12	23	25	21	26	30	29	27	27	29	29	33	33	33	34	36	36	38	37	38	41	42	43	44	46	46	47
Badminton																			•				•	4	5	5	5	5
Baseball							•					•			•		•					•	•	1	1	1	1	1
Basketball				•	•							1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Boxing				7		5		8	8	8	8	8	8	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	11	11
Flatwater canoe/kayak									•			9	9	9	9	7	7	7	7	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	12	12
Slalom canoe/kayak																			4					4	4	4	4	4
BMX																												2
Mountain biking																									2	2	2	2
Road cycling		1			1		2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	4	4	4	4
Track cycling		5	2	7	5	6		4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	4	4	5	6	7	8	12	12	10
Equestrian			3				5	7	5	6	5	6	6	6	6	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
Fencing		3	7	5	8	4	5	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	10	10	10	10
Field hockey						1		1		1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Football (soccer)			1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1		1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2
Artistic		8	1	11	4	2	4	4	9	8	11	9	9	15	15	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14
Rhythmic																						1	1	1	2	2	2	2
Trampoline																										2	2	2
Handball												1							1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Judo																	4		6	6	8	8	7	14	14	14	14	14
Modern pentathlon							1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	2
Rowing			5	5	6	4	4	5	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14
Sailing			10			4	4	14	3	3	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	7	8	10	10	11	11	11
Shooting		5	9		16	15	18	21	10		2	3	4	7	7	6	6	7	8	7	7	11	13	13	15	17	17	15
Softball																									1	1	1	1
Table tennis																							4	4	4	4	4	4
Taekwondo																							•	•		8	8	8
Tennis		2	4	2	4	6	8	5	5									•				•	4	4	4	4	4	4
Triathlon																										2	2	2
Beach volleyball																									2	2	2	2
Indoor volleyball																	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Weightlifting		2		2	2			5	5	5	5	5	6	7	7	7	7	7	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	15	15	15
Wrestling		1		8	4	10	5	10	13	13	14	14	16	16	16	16	16	16	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	16	18	18
Total events		43	89	96	78	110	102	156	126	109	116	129	136	149	151	150	163	172	195	198	203	221	237	257	271	300	301	302

Discontinued sports

The following sports were previously part of the Summer Olympic Games program as official sports, but are no longer on the current program. The numbers in each cell indicate the number of events for each sport that were contested at the respective Games; a bullet denotes that the sport was contested as a demonstration sport.

Sport		96	00	04	06	08	12	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08
Basque pelota			1						•									•						•
Cricket			1
Croquet			3
Figure skating						4		3	included in the Winter Olympic Games program
Golf			2	2
Ice hockey								1	included in the Winter Olympic Games program
Jeu de paume			•			1
Lacrosse				1		1				•	•		•
Polo			1			1		1	1			1
Rackets						2
Roque				1
Rugby union			1			1		1	1
Tug of war			1	1	1	1	1	1
Water motorsports			•			3

Demonstration sports

Main article: Demonstration sport

The following sports or disciplines have been demonstrated at the Summer Olympic Games for the years shown, but have never been included on the official Olympic program:

After being a demonstration sport in 1936, gliding was in the official Olympic program for the 1940 Summer Olympics, but the Games were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II.^[9][10] For the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Beijing Organizing Committee received permission to organize a wushu competition,^[11][12] but it will not be considered a demonstration or exhibition sport, since the IOC banned having such sports in the Olympics at the 95th IOC session in 1989.^[13]

Winter Olympic Games

Before 1924, when the first Winter Olympic Games were celebrated, sports held on ice, like figure skating and ice hockey, were contested at the Summer Olympics. These two sports made their debuts at the 1908 and the 1920 Summer Olympics, respectively, but were permanently integrated in the Winter Olympics program as of the first edition. The International Winter Sports Week, later dubbed the I Olympic Winter Games and retroactively recognized as such by the IOC, consisted of nine sports. The number of sports contested at the Winter Olympics has since been decreased to seven, comprising a total of fifteen disciplines.^[14]

A sport or discipline must be widely practiced in at least 25 countries on three continents, in order to be included on the Winter Olympics program.^[2]

Current program

The following sports (or disciplines of a sport) make up the current Winter Olympic Games official program and are listed alphabetically, according to the name used by the IOC. The figures in each cell indicate the number of events, for each sport, that were contested at the respective Games (the blue cells indicate that those sports were held at the Summer Games); a bullet denotes that the sport was contested as a demonstration sport. On some occasions, both official medal events and demonstration events were contested in the same sport at the same Games.

Three out of the seven sports consist of multiple disciplines. Disciplines from the same sport are grouped under the same color:

     Bobsleigh —      Skating —      Skiing

Sport (Discipline)		08	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10
Biathlon				1	•		•	•			1	1	2	2	2	3	3	3	6	6	6	8	10	10
Bobsleigh				1	1	2	2	2	2	2		2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3
Skeleton					1			1														2	2	2
Curling				1		•												•	•		2	2	2	2
Ice hockey			1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2
Luge												3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Figure skating		4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Short track speed skating																		•	4	6	6	8	8	8
Speed skating				5	4	4 •	4	4	4	4	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	12	12
Alpine skiing							2	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Cross country skiing				2	2	2	3	3	4	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	10	10	10	12	12	12
Freestyle skiing																		•	2 •	4	4	4	4	6
Nordic combined				1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	3
Ski jumping				1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Snowboarding																					4	4	6	6
Total events				16	14	14	17	22	22	24	27	34	35	35	37	38	39	46	57	61	68	78	84	86

Demonstration sports

Main article: Demonstration sport

The following sports have been demonstrated at the Winter Olympic Games for the years shown, but have never been included on the official Olympic program:

Military patrol was an official skiing event in 1924 but the IOC currently considers it an event of biathlon in those games, and not as a separate sport. Ski ballet, similarly, was simply a demonstration event falling under the scope of freestyle skiing.

Recognized sports

Many sports are not included in the Olympic program but are "recognized" by the IOC.^[15] At any time, a recognized sport may be added to the Olympic program in future Games, as result of a recommendation of the IOC Olympic Programme Commission, followed by a voting of the IOC membership. Usually, the sport appeared as a demonstration sport or event of similar status before being officially promoted.^[6] The respective International Federations (IFs) are responsible for ensuring that the sport's activities follow the Olympic Charter; from the moment their sport is recognized they become official Olympic federations and can assemble with the IOC and remaining Olympic IFs.^[16] Recognized sports that are not part of the competition schedule for an Olympic Games usually become part of the schedule of the World Games.

On July 11, 2005, the IOC voted to drop baseball and softball from the Olympic program for 2012, ^[17] a decision that was reaffirmed on February 9, 2006.^[8] Nevertheless, the IOC members rejected their replacement with karate and squash, which were selected from a list that included golf, roller sports and rugby sevens. During its last meeting of 2007, on December 12, the IOC Executive Board approved the provisional recognition of both cricket and climbing for a two-year period.^[18]

The following sports are currently recognized by the IOC:

References

External links

• Olympic Official Reports
• International Olympic Committee - Sports
• IOC Olympic Programme Commission
• International Sports Federations