List of Winter Olympic sports
Overview
The Winter Olympic Games are a major international multi-sport event held once every four years. The first Winter Olympics took place in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Since then, the event has grown to include a diverse range of sports, all of which are played on snow or ice. This article provides a comprehensive list of all sports that have been part of the Winter Olympics program.
Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing, also known as downhill skiing, has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the inaugural games in 1924. The sport involves sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. It is divided into several events, including slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill, and combined.
Biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the Squaw Valley Games in 1960. The biathlon tests athletes' endurance and precision under pressure.
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh, also known as bobsled, has been included in the Winter Olympics since the first games in 1924. The sport involves teams of two or four athletes making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled.
Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where competitors propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles. It has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the inaugural games in 1924. The sport includes various events, such as sprint, distance, and relay races.
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice towards a target area segmented into four concentric circles. It was included in the inaugural Winter Olympics in 1924, and then reintroduced in the Nagano Games in 1998.
Figure Skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, duos, or groups perform on-ice dances. It was one of the original sports in the first Winter Olympics in 1924. The sport includes several disciplines: men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance.
Freestyle Skiing
Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, moguls, cross, half-pipe, and slopestyle. It was first included in the Winter Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1988 and became an official sport in 1992.
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score points. Ice hockey has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the first games in 1924.
Luge
The luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. The sport was first included in the Winter Olympics in the 1964 Innsbruck Games.
Nordic Combined
Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. It has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the first games in 1924.
Short Track Speed Skating
Short track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track. The sport was first included in the Winter Olympics in 1992.
Skeleton
Skeleton is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled, known as a skeleton bobsled (or sleigh), down a frozen track while lying face down and head-first. The sport was included in the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948 and permanently added to the program in 2002.
Ski Jumping
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the longest jump after descending from a specially designed ramp on their skis. It has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the first games in 1924.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a winter sport that involves descending a slope covered with snow while standing on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet. The sport was first included in the Winter Olympics in 1998.
Speed Skating
Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. It has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the first games in 1924.