What are the olympic sports

Sports

Paralympic Games

Sports latest news

Mondo Duplantis wins Hengelo pole vault with new 2022 world lead clearance

Balkan Relay Cup: Indian women’s 4x100m team wins gold; men’s 4x400m team bags silver

European Championships Munich 2022: Schilder and Mihaljevic win shot put titles in Munich as Can claims women’s 10,000m

Live events

Islamic Solidarity Games | Konya 2022

Squash | World Junior Championships | Nancy

European Championships | Munich 2022

Olympic Games

Insider Access to the Olympic Games

Follow the Olympic journey with the official Olympics app. Insider access to live events, Olympic qualifiers, and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. The Olympic app is your personal guide and companion to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Get the latest updates, schedules, breaking news, original series, and the passing of the torch right in your pocket.

Frequently Asked Questions

In all, 32 sports are on the Olympic programme for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. They are: Aquatics (Swimming, Marathon Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming), Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball (3×3, Basketball), Boxing, Breaking*, Canoe (Canoe Sprint, Canoe Slalom), Cycling (BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing, Road Cycling, Track Cycling), Equestrian (Equestrian Eventing, Equestrian Dressage, Equestrian Jumping), Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics (Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline Gymnastics), Handball, Hockey, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Rugby (Rugby Sevens), Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding*, Sport Climbing*, Surfing*, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball (Beach Volleyball, Volleyball), Weightlifting, and Wrestling (Greco-Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling).

*Sports proposed by the Organising Committee of Paris 2024 for the upcoming edition of the Games.

There are no demonstration sports currently confirmed for Paris 2024.

Eight sports and 15 disciplines are due to feature on the Olympic programme for Milano Cortina 2026. They are: Biathlon, Bobsleigh (Skeleton, Bobsleigh), Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating (Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track Speed Skating), Ski Mountaineering*, and Skiing (Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard).

Ski Mountaineering was approved by the IOC as an additional sport for the programme of this specific edition of the Olympic Winter Games. The full 2026 event programme will be confirmed at the IOC Executive Board meeting in June 2022.

There are no demonstration sports currently confirmed for Milano Cortina 2026.

There will be 35 sports on the programme of the Summer Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, up from the 32 that featured at the Summer YOG in Buenos Aires in 2018.

The 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon will feature a total of seven different sports. They are: Biathlon, Bobsleigh (Skeleton, Bobsleigh), Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating (Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track), and Skiing (Alpine, Cross-Country, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard).

All sports on the Olympic programme are governed by an International Federation (IF). Disciplines are branches of sports comprising one or more events. Events are competitions within a sport or discipline that give rise to rankings.

For example, skiing is a sport, Alpine skiing is a discipline, and giant slalom is an event.

A number of past editions of the Games have showcased sports alongside the main Olympic programme.

Several sports on the Olympic programme for Paris 2024 first featured as demonstration sports, including canoe at Paris 1924, handball (field) in 1952, badminton at Munich 1972, women’s judo at Seoul 1988, taekwondo at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, and tennis at both Mexico 1968 and Los Angeles 1984. All were upgraded to full Olympic events subsequently.

There are also several sports on the Winter Olympic programme that were first featured as demonstration sports, including women’s speed skating at Lake Placid 1932, curling at Lake Placid 1932, Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, freestyle skiing at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, and short track speed skating at Seoul 1988.

Sports

Paralympic Games

Sports latest news

Mondo Duplantis wins Hengelo pole vault with new 2022 world lead clearance

Balkan Relay Cup: Indian women’s 4x100m team wins gold; men’s 4x400m team bags silver

European Championships Munich 2022: Schilder and Mihaljevic win shot put titles in Munich as Can claims women’s 10,000m

Live events

Islamic Solidarity Games | Konya 2022

Squash | World Junior Championships | Nancy

European Championships | Munich 2022

Olympic Games

Insider Access to the Olympic Games

Follow the Olympic journey with the official Olympics app. Insider access to live events, Olympic qualifiers, and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. The Olympic app is your personal guide and companion to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Get the latest updates, schedules, breaking news, original series, and the passing of the torch right in your pocket.

Frequently Asked Questions

In all, 32 sports are on the Olympic programme for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. They are: Aquatics (Swimming, Marathon Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming), Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball (3×3, Basketball), Boxing, Breaking*, Canoe (Canoe Sprint, Canoe Slalom), Cycling (BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing, Road Cycling, Track Cycling), Equestrian (Equestrian Eventing, Equestrian Dressage, Equestrian Jumping), Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics (Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline Gymnastics), Handball, Hockey, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Rugby (Rugby Sevens), Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding*, Sport Climbing*, Surfing*, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball (Beach Volleyball, Volleyball), Weightlifting, and Wrestling (Greco-Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling).

*Sports proposed by the Organising Committee of Paris 2024 for the upcoming edition of the Games.

There are no demonstration sports currently confirmed for Paris 2024.

Eight sports and 15 disciplines are due to feature on the Olympic programme for Milano Cortina 2026. They are: Biathlon, Bobsleigh (Skeleton, Bobsleigh), Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating (Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track Speed Skating), Ski Mountaineering*, and Skiing (Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard).

Ski Mountaineering was approved by the IOC as an additional sport for the programme of this specific edition of the Olympic Winter Games. The full 2026 event programme will be confirmed at the IOC Executive Board meeting in June 2022.

There are no demonstration sports currently confirmed for Milano Cortina 2026.

There will be 35 sports on the programme of the Summer Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, up from the 32 that featured at the Summer YOG in Buenos Aires in 2018.

The 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon will feature a total of seven different sports. They are: Biathlon, Bobsleigh (Skeleton, Bobsleigh), Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating (Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track), and Skiing (Alpine, Cross-Country, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard).

All sports on the Olympic programme are governed by an International Federation (IF). Disciplines are branches of sports comprising one or more events. Events are competitions within a sport or discipline that give rise to rankings.

For example, skiing is a sport, Alpine skiing is a discipline, and giant slalom is an event.

A number of past editions of the Games have showcased sports alongside the main Olympic programme.

Several sports on the Olympic programme for Paris 2024 first featured as demonstration sports, including canoe at Paris 1924, handball (field) in 1952, badminton at Munich 1972, women’s judo at Seoul 1988, taekwondo at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, and tennis at both Mexico 1968 and Los Angeles 1984. All were upgraded to full Olympic events subsequently.

There are also several sports on the Winter Olympic programme that were first featured as demonstration sports, including women’s speed skating at Lake Placid 1932, curling at Lake Placid 1932, Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, freestyle skiing at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, and short track speed skating at Seoul 1988.

Olympic sports

Olympic sports, as defined by the International Olympic Committee, are all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The Summer Olympics, as of 2012, will include 26 sports, with two additionall sports due to be added in 2016. The Winter Olympics, as of 2014, include 7 sports. [ 1 ]

In the United States, «Olympic sports» may also refer to any NCAA intercollegiate sport that does not generate revenue for a college the way college football and men’s college basketball do. [ 2 ]

In other countries, the term «Olympic sports» in common language also excludes major professional sports, such as football, basketball and tennis.

Contents

Olympic sports definitions

The term «sport» in Olympic terminology refers to all the events that are sanctioned by one International Sport Federation, a definition that may be different from the common meaning of the word sport. One sport, by Olympic definition, may be divided into several disciplines, which are often regarded as separate sports in common language.

An event, by IOC definition, is a competition that leads to the award of Medals. Therefore, the sport of aquatics includes a total of 46 Olympic events, of which 32 are in the discipline of swimming, eight in diving, and two each in synchronized swimming, diving and open water swimming. The number of events per sport ranges from a minimum of two (until 2008 there were sports with only one event) to a maximum of 47 in Athletics, which despite its large number of events and its diversity is not divided into disciplines.

Changes in Olympic sports

The only summer sports that have never been absent from the Olympic program are athletics, swimming, fencing, and gymnastics (only artistic gymnastics).

The only winter sports that were included in all Winter Olympic Games are skiing (only nordic skiing), skating (figure skating and speed skating) and ice hockey. Figure skating and ice hockey were also included in the Summer Olympics before the Winter Olympics were introduced in 1924.

For most of the 20th century, demonstration sports have been included in many Olympic Games, usually to promote a non-Olympic sport popular in the host country, or to gauge interest and support for the sport. [ 3 ] The competitions and ceremonies in these sports were identical to official Olympic sports, except that the medals were not counted in the official record. Some demonstration sports, like Baseball and curling, were later added to the official Olympic program. This changed when the International Olympic Committee decided in 1989 to eliminate demonstration sports from Olympics Games after 1992. [ 4 ] An exception was made in 2008, when the Beijing Organizing Committee received permission to organize a wushu tournament. [ 5 ] [ 6 ]

A sport or discipline may be included in the Olympic program if the IOC determines that it is widely practised around the world, that is, the number of countries and continents that regularly compete in a given sport is the indicator of the sport’s prevalence. The requirements for winter sports are considerably lower than summer sports, since much fewer nations compete in winter sports. IOC also has lower requirements for inclusion of sports and disciplines for women for the same reason. Following the addition of women’s boxing in 2012, and women’s ski jumping in 2014, there will be no Olympic sport for men only in those Games, although women are still barred from several disciplines (but on the other hand, there are women-only disciplines, such as rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming).

Sports that depend primarily on mechanical propulsion, such as motor sports, may not be considered for recognision as Olympic sports, though there were power-boating events in the early days of the Olympics, before this rule was enacted by the IOC. [ 7 ] [ 8 ]

These criteria are only a threshold to be considered as Olympic sport. In order to be admitted to the Olympic program, the IOC Session has to approve its inclusion. There are many sports that easily make the required numbers but are not recognized as Olympic sports, mainly because the IOC has decided to put a limit on the number of sports, as well as events and athletes, in the Summer Olympics in order not to increase them further, after they reached 28 sports, 300 events and 10,000 athletes in 2000. No such limit exist in the Winter Olympics, and their number of events and athletes continue to increase, but no sport was added since 1998.

Since 1936, the only sports that were excluded from the Olympic program are Baseball and Softball, which were both voted out by the IOC Session in Singapore on July 11, 2005 [ 9 ] a decision that was reaffirmed on February 9, 2006. [ 10 ] These sports were last included in 2008, although officially they remain recognized as Olympic sports in the Olympic Charter. Therefor, the number of sports in the 2012 Summer Olympics was dropped from 28 to 26.

On August 13, 2009, the IOC Executive Board proposed that golf and rugby sevens be added to the Olympic program for the 2016 Games. [ 11 ] On 9 October 2009, during the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, the IOC voted to admit both sports as official Olympic sports and to include them in the 2016 Summer Olympics, [ 12 ] The IOC voted 81-8 in favor of including rugby sevens and 63-27 in favor of reinstating golf. [ 12 ] thus bringing the number of sports back to 28.

The latest winter sport added to the Winter Olympics was Curling in 1998.

The Olympic Charter decrees that Olympic sports for each edition of the Olympic Games should be decided at an IOC Session no later than 7 years prior to the Games.

Recognized international federations

Many sports are not recognized as Olympic sports although their governing bodies are recognized by the IOC. [ 1 ] Such sport, if eligible under the terms of the Olympic Charter, may apply for inclusion in the program of future Games, through a recommendation by the IOC Olympic Programme Commission, followed by a decision of the IOC executive Board and a vote of the IOC Session. When Olympic demonstration sports were allowed, a sport usually appeared as such before being officially admitted. [ 3 ] An International Sport Federation (IF) is responsible for ensuring that the sport’s activities follow the Olympic Charter. From the moment their sport is recognized the IF become official Olympic sport federation and can assemble with other Olympic IFs in the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (for summer sports) or Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (for winter sports). [ 1 ] Many such non-Olympic sports have become part of the schedule of the World Games. [ citation needed ]

The governing bodies of following sports, though not contested in the Olympic Games, are recognized by the IOC: [ 13 ]

Those sports marked with an asterisk are not eligible to be included at the Olympic Games because the Olympic Charter specifically bans sports with an element of motorization from eligibility.

Summer Olympics

Current summer 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.

Seven of the 26 sports consist of multiple disciplines. Disciplines from the same sport are grouped under the same color:

Aquatics – Canoeing/Kayak – Cycling – Gymnastics – Volleyball – Equestrian – Wrestling
For equestrian and wrestling, the figures in each cell indicate the number of events for each sport, and not for each discipline separately.

Sport (Discipline)		Body	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	12
Diving		FINA	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	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	34
Synchronized swimming			2	2	2	1	2	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	2
Canoe/kayak (sprint)		ICF	•	9	9	9	9	7	7	7	7	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12
Canoe/kayak (slalom)			4	4	4	4	4	4	4
BMX		UCI	2	2
Mountain biking			2	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	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	10
Artistic		FIG	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	14
Rhythmic			1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2
Trampoline			2	2	2	2
Volleyball (beach)		FIVB	•	2	2	2	2	2
Volleyball (indoor)			•	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Dressage		FEI	3	5	7	5	6	5	6	6	6	6	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
Eventing
Jumping
Freestyle		FILA	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	18
Greco-Roman
Archery		FITA	6	6	3	10	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Athletics		IAAF	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	47
Badminton		BWF	•	•	4	5	5	5	5	5
Basketball		FIBA	•	•	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Boxing		AIBA	7	5	8	8	8	8	8	8	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	11	11	13
Fencing		FIE	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	10
Field hockey		FIH	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Football		FIFA	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	2
Handball		IHF	1	•	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Judo		IJF	4	6	6	8	8	7	14	14	14	14	14	14
Modern pentathlon		UIPM	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	2	2
Rowing		FISA	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	14
Sailing		ISAF	10	4	4	14	3	3	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	7	8	10	10	11	11	11	10
Shooting		ISSF	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	15
Table tennis		ITTF	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Taekwondo		WTF	•	•	8	8	8	8
Tennis		ITF	2	4	2	4	6	8	5	5	•	•	4	4	4	4	4	4	5
Triathlon		ITU	2	2	2	2
Weightlifting		IWF	2	2	2	5	5	5	5	5	6	7	7	7	7	7	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	15	15	15	15
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	302

Discontinued summer 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
Baseball		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	1	1	1	1	1
Basque pelota		1	•	•	•
Cricket		1
Croquet		3
Golf		2	2
Lacrosse		1	1	•	•	•
Jeu de paume		•	1	•
Polo		1	1	1	1	1
Rackets		2
Roque		1
Rugby union		1	1	1	1
Softball		1	1	1	1
Tug of war		1	1	1	1	1	1
Water motorsports		•	3
Figure skating		4	3	Rescheduled during winter games
Ice hockey		1

Demonstration summer sports

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:

Gliding was promoted from demonstration sport to an official Olympic sport in 1936 in time for the 1940 Summer Olympics, but the Games were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II. [ 16 ] [ 17 ]

Winter Olympics

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. [ 18 ] 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. [ 19 ]

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. [ 7 ]

Current winter 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 red 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:

Sport (Discipline)		Body	08	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	94	98	02	06	10	14
Figure skating		ISU	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5
Speed skating			5	4	4 •	4	4	4	4	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	12	12	12
Short track speed skating			•	4	6	6	8	8	8	8
Ice hockey		IIHF	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2
Curling		WCF	1	•	•	•	2	2	2	2	2
Cross country skiing		FIS	2	2	2	3	3	4	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	10	10	10	12	12	12	12
Alpine skiing			2	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Ski jumping			1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4
Nordic combined			1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3
Freestyle skiing			•	2 •	4	4	4	4	6	10
Snowboarding			4	4	6	6	10
Biathlon		IBU	1	• 1	• 1	• 1	1	1	2	2	2	3	3	3	6	6	6	8	10	10	11
Luge		FIL	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4
Bobsleigh		FIBT	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3
Skeleton			1	1	2	2	2	2
Total events					16	14	14	17	22	22	24	27	34	35	35	37	38	39	46	57	61	68	78	84	86	98

Demonstration winter sports

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.

Winter Olympics Sports List

There are currently 15 sports in the Winter Olympic games, each with a variety of events within the sport. Here’s a complete list of sports in the Winter Olympics.

Table of Contents

List of Winter Olympic Sports

Alpine Skiing

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1936

Most Medals: Austria

List of Current Events: Slalom (men’s and women’s), Giant Slalom (men’s and women’s), Downhill (men’s and women’s), Super-G (men’s and women’s), Combined (men’s and women’s), Team (mixed team)

Alpine Skiing was first introduced to the Olympic games in 1936. Currently, Alpine Skiing in the Olympics consists of 11 events; 1 team event and 5 events each for men and for women. The events include a slalom, a giant slalom, a downhill, a Super-G, and a combined team event. An individual’s goal is to ski down a mountain in the quickest amount of time.  Austria currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Biathlon

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1960

Most Medals: Germany

List of Current Events: Individual (men’s and women’s), Relay (men’s, women’s, and mixed), Pursuit (men’s and women’s), Mass Start (men’s and women’s)

Biathlon is a sport that combines aspects of cross-country skiing with shooting events involving targets.В In its modern form, the first Olympic BiathlonВ competition debuted in 1960. There are several different types of Biathlon events that are made for both men and women. Some of these include a 10km sprint, a 12.5km pursuit, a 15km individual, and various different relays.В More recently, in 2014, mixed team Biathlon was added to the Olympic games. Germany currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Bobsleigh

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1924

Most Medals: Switzerland

List of Current Events: Two-Person (men’s and women’s), Four-Man (men’s), Monobob (women’s)

Bobsleigh, also referred to as Bobsledding, has been around since the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Initially, Bobsleigh was just a sport for men to compete in, but in 2002, women’s events were added. The four events on tap include two-man sledding, two-women sledding, four-man sledding, and a monobob sledding event for women. Switzerland currently holds the most medals for this sport. A fun fact is that the film, Cool Runnings, was inspired by Jamaica’s 1988 bobsledding team.

Cross Country Skiing

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1924

Most Medals: Norway

List of Current Events: Individual Sprint Classic (men’s and women’s), Mass Start Classic (men’s and women’s), Freestyle (men’s and women’s), Relay (men’s and women’s), Team Sprint Freestyle (men’s and women’s), Skiathlon (men’s and women’s)

Cross Country Skiing comprises parts of Biathlon and Nordic Combined events. The event itself, however, consists of 12 separate events: 6 for men and 6 for women (introduced in 1952).В The events include a team relay, individual sprints, and different events alternating between the types of skiing styles (just as there are four strokes in swimming).В Wooden skis were used up until 1972. В Norway currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Curling

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1924

Most Medals: Canada

List of Current Events: Men’s Tournament, Women’s Tournament, Mixed Doubles

Curling is a team sport played by two teams competing against one another on a sheet of ice. The goal is for players to push granite stones with a broom or brush onto a target (similar to the target used in archery) at the opposite end of the 42-meter long surface.В The two most common types of brooms used include a push broom or a straw broom (similar to the typical broom used to sweep).В Competitors wear special curling shoes that allow a player to grip the ice to not slip. Canada currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Figure Skating

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1924

Most Medals: United States

List of Current Events: Singles (men’s and women’s), Pairs, Mixed Team, and Ice Dancing

Figure skating is the oldest winter sport in Olympic history, initially being added to the Summer Olympic Games in 1908 until its transition to the inaugural Winter Olympics In 1924.В Figure skating Winter Olympic events include men’s singles, ladies’ singles, pairs, mixed team event and ice dancing.В In 2014, the figure skating team event was added. Today, figure skating features five events in each Winter Olympics.В The United States currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Freestyle Skiing

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1988

Most Medals: Canada

List of Current Events: Aerials, Moguls, Ski Cross, Ski Halfpipe, Ski Slopestyle, and Big Air (all both men’s and women’s)

Freestyle skiing was first brought to the Winter Olympics in 1988.В Freestyle skiing continues to evolve as a Winter Olympic sport. The six freestyle skiing events include aerials, moguls, ski cross, ski halfpipe, ski slopestyle, and big air.В Ski cross was added in 2010, ski halfpipe and ski slopestyle were added in 2014, and big air is set to be added in 2022.В The sport consists of unique tricks and requires a special set of skills. Canada currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Ice Hockey

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1924

Most Medals: Canada

List of Current Events: Ice Hockey (men’s and women’s)

Ice hockey was first introduced to the Winter Olympic Games in 1924. Just like the NHL, the game consists of two teams battling against each other for more goals to decide who is victorious. Three forwards, two defensemen, and a goalie are on the ice at once (assuming there are no penalties). Up until the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, the Soviet Union was the true powerhouse and won gold medal after gold medal.  This was up until Herb Brooks formed the United States “Miracle on Ice Team” that won gold and shocked the world forever. The famous movie Miracle on Ice is a true story inspired by these Olympic Games. Canada currently holds the most medals for this sport. This is no shock, as the game originated there.

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1964

Most Medals: Germany

List of Current Events: Singles (men’s and women’s), Mixed Doubles, Mixed Team Relay Event

Luge was first introduced to the Winter Olympics in 1964 and is one of the oldest Olympic sports.В Luge involves individuals lying on their backs on a sled (without brakes) and sliding down an icy track at speeds of 140km/hour.В The four events in luge include men’s singles, women singles, mixed doubles, and mixed team relay event.В For the events involving two competitors, the larger of the two members will be on top. Germany currently holds the most medals for this sport.В

Nordic Combined

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1924

Most Medals: Norway

List of Current Events: 10km Individual Normal Hill (men’s), Team Normal Hill (men’s), 10km Individual Large Hill (men’s)

Nordic combined events have been a part of the Winter Olympic sport agenda since the first games in 1924.В The sport combines both cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The events include an individual race on a normal and large hill, which is then followed by a team event.В As inferred from the name of the event, Norway currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Short Track

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1992

Most Medals: South Korea

List of Current Events: 500 Meters (men’s and women’s), 1000 Meters (men’s and women’s), 1500 (men’s and women’s), 3000 Meter Relay (women’s), 5000 Meter Relay (men’s), 2000 Meter Mixed Team Relay

Short Track is a type of speed skating that is held on a shorter track. The sport has been part of the Winter Olympic agenda since 1992.В The events include: a 500 meter race, a 1,000 meter race, a 1,500 meter race, the 5,000 meter relay for men, and the 3,000 meter relay for women.В A mixed team event, the 2000 meter relay, will be held in 2022 for the first time as well. South Korea currently holds the most medals for this sport.В

Skeleton

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1928

Most Medals: Great Britain

List of Events: Skeleton (men’s and women’s)

Skeleton was first introduced to the Winter Olympic Games in 1928. This sporting event involves competitors riding on a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down and facing forward. Skeleton features both a men’s and women’s event in the Winter Olympics. It is basically the head-first version of luge.  Great Britain currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Ski Jumping

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1924

Most Medals: Netherlands

List of Events: Individual Large Hill (men’s), Individual Normal Hill (men’s and women’s), Team Large Hill (men’s), Mixed Team Normal Hill

Ski jumping has been part of the Olympic Winter Games since the first Games in 1924. Ski jumping comprises aspects of the nordic combined event.  Ski jumping events include a men’s individual race on a large and normal hill, a team race on a large hill, and a women’s individual race on a normal hill. Norway currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Snowboarding

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1998

Most Medals: United States

List of Current Events: Parallel Giant Slalom (men’s and women’s), Parallel Slalom (men’s and women’s), Half-Pipe (men’s and women’s), Slopestyle (men’s and women’s), Snowboard Cross (men’s, women’s, and mixed team)

Snowboarding was a relatively late addition to the Olympic Winter Games. The sport was invented in the US during the 1960s by a group of people seeking new winter activities.В The sport was introduced in 1998 with giant slalom and halfpipe competitions.В The current events include parallel giant slalom, snowboard cross, halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air.В A mixed team event will also be added to the games in 2022. The United States currently holds the most medals for this sport.

Speed Skating

Debut in Winter Olympics: 1924

Most Medals: Netherlands

List of Current Events: 500 Meters (men’s and women’s), 1000 Meters (men’s and women’s), 1500 Meters (men’s and women’s), 3000 Meters (women’s), 5000 Meters (men’s and women’s), 10000 Meters (men’s), Mass Start (men’s and women’s), Team Pursuit (men’s and women’s)

The Dutch were the earliest pioneers of speed skating.В The first known skating competition is thought to have been hosted in the Netherlands in 1676.В The sport was first introduced to the Winter Olympics in 1924.В There are 14 events; all of these events vary in the distance of the skate and depend on whether it is an individual or team race.В The United States and Canada are two of the most competitive countries, but the Netherlands currently holds the most medals for this sport.

What were the original Winter Olympics sports?

The first ever Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France where only 16 countries participated. A few sports have been added to the Winter Olympic roster over the years and others have been removed from the games altogether. The original nine Winter Olympic sports were bobsleigh, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, military patrol, nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating. There were a total of 16 total events spread across these sports. Out of these nine sports, eight of them remain in the Winter Olympics for 2022, with military patrol being the only sport not included. However, biathlon, which was developed from military patrol and has many similarities, will be present at the 2022 Beijing Games.

What new events are being added for the 2022 Winter Olympics?

The 2022 Winter Olympics will feature a total of seven new events to their events program. The newly added events are big air freestyle for both men and women, women’s monobob, mixed team freestyle skiing aerials, mixed team ski jumping, mixed team snowboard cross, and a mixed team relay in short track speed skating.  These new event additions are being lauded as a major factor behind the 2022 Winter Olympics being tabbed “the most gender-equal Olympic Winter Games ever,” with 45.44% of the competing athletes set to be women.

What country has won the most gold medals in the Winter Olympics all time?

Out of every country in the world to compete in the Winter Olympics, Norway holds the record for the most gold medals with a total of 132. Sitting second in all time medals is the United States with 105, followed by Germany with 92.В Those who favor Olympic scoring with a focus on population will likely point to the fact that Norway has a population of under 5.5 million people, making this dominance all the more impressive.

Sports

Paralympic Games

Sports latest news

Mondo Duplantis wins Hengelo pole vault with new 2022 world lead clearance

Balkan Relay Cup: Indian women’s 4x100m team wins gold; men’s 4x400m team bags silver

European Championships Munich 2022: Schilder and Mihaljevic win shot put titles in Munich as Can claims women’s 10,000m

Live events

Islamic Solidarity Games | Konya 2022

Squash | World Junior Championships | Nancy

European Championships | Munich 2022

Olympic Games

Insider Access to the Olympic Games

Follow the Olympic journey with the official Olympics app. Insider access to live events, Olympic qualifiers, and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. The Olympic app is your personal guide and companion to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Get the latest updates, schedules, breaking news, original series, and the passing of the torch right in your pocket.

Frequently Asked Questions

In all, 32 sports are on the Olympic programme for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. They are: Aquatics (Swimming, Marathon Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming), Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball (3×3, Basketball), Boxing, Breaking*, Canoe (Canoe Sprint, Canoe Slalom), Cycling (BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing, Road Cycling, Track Cycling), Equestrian (Equestrian Eventing, Equestrian Dressage, Equestrian Jumping), Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics (Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline Gymnastics), Handball, Hockey, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Rugby (Rugby Sevens), Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding*, Sport Climbing*, Surfing*, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball (Beach Volleyball, Volleyball), Weightlifting, and Wrestling (Greco-Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling).

*Sports proposed by the Organising Committee of Paris 2024 for the upcoming edition of the Games.

There are no demonstration sports currently confirmed for Paris 2024.

Eight sports and 15 disciplines are due to feature on the Olympic programme for Milano Cortina 2026. They are: Biathlon, Bobsleigh (Skeleton, Bobsleigh), Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating (Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track Speed Skating), Ski Mountaineering*, and Skiing (Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard).

Ski Mountaineering was approved by the IOC as an additional sport for the programme of this specific edition of the Olympic Winter Games. The full 2026 event programme will be confirmed at the IOC Executive Board meeting in June 2022.

There are no demonstration sports currently confirmed for Milano Cortina 2026.

There will be 35 sports on the programme of the Summer Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, up from the 32 that featured at the Summer YOG in Buenos Aires in 2018.

The 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon will feature a total of seven different sports. They are: Biathlon, Bobsleigh (Skeleton, Bobsleigh), Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating (Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track), and Skiing (Alpine, Cross-Country, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard).

All sports on the Olympic programme are governed by an International Federation (IF). Disciplines are branches of sports comprising one or more events. Events are competitions within a sport or discipline that give rise to rankings.

For example, skiing is a sport, Alpine skiing is a discipline, and giant slalom is an event.

A number of past editions of the Games have showcased sports alongside the main Olympic programme.

Several sports on the Olympic programme for Paris 2024 first featured as demonstration sports, including canoe at Paris 1924, handball (field) in 1952, badminton at Munich 1972, women’s judo at Seoul 1988, taekwondo at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, and tennis at both Mexico 1968 and Los Angeles 1984. All were upgraded to full Olympic events subsequently.

There are also several sports on the Winter Olympic programme that were first featured as demonstration sports, including women’s speed skating at Lake Placid 1932, curling at Lake Placid 1932, Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, freestyle skiing at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, and short track speed skating at Seoul 1988.