Winter Olympic sports
History of Winter Olympic Sports
The Winter Olympics are a major international multi-sport event held once every four years. They feature sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympics took place in 1924 in Chamonix, France, and the event has since evolved to include a diverse range of sports.
Ice Sports
Ice sports are a significant part of the Winter Olympics, with several disciplines falling under this category.
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score points. It has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the inaugural Games in 1924.
Figure Skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, duos, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport included in the Olympics, in 1908, before the establishment of the Winter Games.
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 featured in 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. It became an official Olympic sport in 1992.
Snow Sports
Snow sports form another major category of events in the Winter Olympics.
Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing is a winter sport that involves sliding down hills with fixed-heel bindings. It has been part of the Winter Olympics since 1936.
Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of ski racing where competitors propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles. It has been an Olympic sport since the inaugural Winter Games in 1924.
Freestyle Skiing
Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, moguls, cross, half-pipe, slopestyle, and big air events. It was first included in the Winter Olympics in 1992.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a winter sport that involves descending a snow-covered slope while standing on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet. It was first included in the Winter Olympics in 1998.
Sliding Sports
Sliding sports, which involve athletes using gravity to descend a course, are another key component of the Winter Olympics.
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh is a winter sport invented by the Swiss in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled. It has been included in the Winter Olympics since the first Games in 1924.
Luge
Luge is a winter sport featured in the Winter Olympics where a competitor or two-person team rides a flat sled while lying supine and feet first. It was first included in the Winter Olympics in 1964.
Skeleton
Skeleton is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down. It was first included in the Winter Olympics in 1928.
Nordic Events
Nordic events are a group of winter sports that primarily involve cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and the biathlon.
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 inaugural Games in 1924.
Biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It has been included in the Winter Olympics since 1960.