SYDNEY 2000 OLYMPIC SPORTS
When the pictures finish loading you can click on the picture and you will find that you will be confronted with an even bigger picture! Or if you click on the name of the sport the link will take you down the page to a brief caption of that sport.
ARCHERY
Archery, the skill of shooting arrows with a bow, was one of the earliest hunting techniques acquired by humans. The bow and arrow were used for this purpose more than 30,000 years ago. They were also principal weapons in warfare until superseded by gunpowder. The standard target used in official competition is 122 cm (48 in) in diameter, and the bottom is 61 cm (24 in) from the ground. The target is divided into a center circle (the bull's-eye) and four concentric colored bands; a specified number of points is given for hitting each area. From the center out the scoring is gold bull's-eye, 9; red band, 7; blue band, 5; black band, 3; and white band, 1. In competition each archer is allowed a specified number of shots, which constitute a round. In an FITA round an archer must shoot 36 arrows each at 90, 70, 50, and 30 m (295, 230, 164, and 98 ft).
ATHLETICS
All the games played on track and feild e.g. javlin, shotput, discus, running, high and long jump e.t.c
BADMINTON
Badminton is an Olympic sport for two or four players in which long-handled rackets are used to hit a shuttlecock (also called a shuttle or bird) over a net stretched across a marked court. Badminton's growth both as a backyard recreation and as a highly developed competitive indoor sport has been greatest since the end of World War II, although the game dates back to the 1800s. The International Badminton Federation (IBF) has members in more than 90 nations and an annual world Grand Prix circuit for both men and women.
BASEBALL
Baseball is an immensely popular American game, known as the "national pastime," played between two teams of nine players each. The basic implements used in the game are a leather-covered ball, wooden bats for hitting the ball, and gloves for catching it. Baseball is played on a large scale in Latin America, Japan, and other places besides the United States, but it is in the United States that it thrives most both as a participant's and spectator's sport. It is played at its highest level in the United States and two Canadian cities, where 26 teams make up the American and National Leagues (each with two divisions, East and West). Combined, these leagues are called major-league (professional) baseball.
BASKETBALL
Although basketball can be played outdoors, it was invented to serve as an exciting indoor exercise for the winter months in a northern climate. It quickly became a spectator sport, however, and now attracts large audiences to gymnasiums and arenas, especially in the United States, South America, and Europe.
BOXING
Boxing, often called "the manly art of self-defense," is a sport in which two competitors try to hit each other with their glove-encased fists while trying to avoid each other's blows. The competition is divided into a specified number of rounds, usually 3 minutes long, with 1-minute rest periods between rounds. Although amateur boxing is widespread, professional boxing has flourished on an even grander scale since the early 18th century
CANOEING
The International Canoe Federation has about 40 member nations from six continents, many of whom compete at the Olympic level. Competitive canoes and kayaks are classified by a C for Canadian canoe or by a K for kayak, followed by a number that designates the number of persons in the craft. Three basic events are held: slalom, in which racers travel a course of rough rivers having steep falls and treacherous turns around gates, as in skiing; wild water, in which they race straight forward in rough waters; and sprint or distance, in which the course is relatively calm. In international races, the number of competitors in a craft ranges from 1 to 7.
CYCLING
Cycling is both a sport and a noncompetitive pastime. As a test of endurance and speed, sport cycling, is practiced particularly in Europe. As a form of exercise and recreation, cycling is almost universal. A racing Bicycle used in road competitions is made of lightweight alloys and weighs no more than 9.5 kg (21 lb). It is equipped with lightweight tubular tires, gears, and metal-treaded pedals to hold the racer's feet in place. A sprinting or track bicycle weighs 5-6.8 kg (11-15 lb) and is a fixed-gear (1-speed) brakeless model; it offers savings in weight and wind resistance and 7.3-7.6 m (24-25 ft) per pedal turn.
EQUESTRIAN
Riding and the equestrian arts comprise the techniques used to control a horse in its direction, gait, and speed; the knowledge of equine equipment (known as tack) and how it functions; and the ability to train and groom a horse. Riding styles, as well as apparel and tack, were developed out of specific historical requirements that were then modified to suit contemporary sporting needs.
FENCING
Fencing, once exclusively a form of combat, is now enjoyed as a competitive sport worldwide. Modern fencers frown on identifying their sport with dueling, as in motion-picture sequences portraying acrobatic combatants engaged in reckless, devil-may-care swordplay. The sport of fencing calls for precision, coordination, and strategy, among other skills. First introduced as a sport on a small scale in the 14th century, fencing was one of the few events included in the first Olympic Games in 1896, and it has been included in every Olympic competition ever since.
FOOTBALL
There is no available information on this subject at this time.
GYMNASTICS
Men's gymnastics was on the schedule of the first modern OLYMPIC GAMES in 1896, and it has been on the Olympic agenda continually since 1924. Olympic gymnastic competition for women began in 1936 with an all-around competition, and in 1952 competition for the separate events was added. In the early Olympic competitions the dominant male gymnasts were from Germany, Sweden, Italy, and Switzerland, the countries where the sport first developed. But by the 1950s, Japan, the Soviet Union, and the Eastern European countries began to produce the leading male and female gymnasts.
HANDBALL
Handball is the name given to a variety of games that are played by hitting a hard rubber ball with the hand against a single wall or the three or four walls of an enclosed court. There is competition for singles or doubles. The object of all versions is to hit the ball so that it will rebound at such an angle that the opponent or opponents cannot play or return the ball successfully. A form of handball called thermae was played in ancient Rome. Later, in the 15th century, pelota, a bare-handed version, was played in Spain and France. Another handball game, known as "fives," emerged in England in the 16th century. The present game, using a glove, can be traced to mid-18th-century Ireland along with the rules brought into the United States by immigrants in the 1880s. The first U.S. court was built in 1886 by Phil Casey. In the singles and doubles, the first side to score 21 points wins. The serving side hits the ball against the front wall so that the rebound falls beyond the short line, 20 ft (6 m) away. The receiver must return the ball on the volley, on one bounce, or off the side or rear wall or ceiling. Failure to return serve results in a point for the serving side, which merely loses service for failing to return the ball. One-wall courts are 34 ft (10.4 m) long and 20 ft (6.1 m) wide, with a wall 16 ft (4.9 m) high. Three-wall courts are of no standard size. Four-wall courts are 40 ft (12.2 m) long, 20 ft wide, with front, back, and side walls 20 ft high. The blue rubber ball is 1 and 7/8 in. (4.8 cm) in diameter and weighs 2.3 oz (65 g).
HOCKEY
field hockey
Field hockey, a stick and ball game related to ICE HOCKEY and LACROSSE, originated in ancient Egypt, Persia, and Greece and assumed its present form after its spread to Europe. The English organized the game, which they called hockie and the French called hoquet, and instituted most of the modern rules. The first field hockey club, Blackheath, was formed sometime before 1861. Because of its extreme popularity in British colonies, particularly in India, Britain and its former possessions have dominated field hockey in the Olympics. The field hockey playing field measures 100 yd (91.5 m) long and 60 yd (54.9 m) wide. The center of the field contains a circle 1 yd (92 cm) in diameter in which the face-off (called a "bully") takes place. At each end of the field is a goal, consisting of two upright poles 7 ft (2.13 m) high, 4 yd (3.66 m) apart, and backed by a net attached to the poles and crossbar. A semicircular striking area extends 16 yd (14.64 m) around the goal. A point is scored by hitting the ball into the net from within the striking circle. A stick with a crook is used to maneuver the ball. The ball--white, usually leather covered, weighs between 5 1/2 and 5 3/4 oz (155 and 163 g) and is between 2 7/8 and 3 3/8 in. (7.3-7.7 cm) in diameter. Teams consist of 11 players: five forwards, three halfbacks, two fullbacks, and a goalkeeper. A goalkeeper may stop a shot with his or her stick or body, while other players may use their sticks or hands.
JUDO
Judo is a relatively recent activity synthesized--from several jujitsu methods--by Jigoro Kano, a late-19th-century Japanese educator and sports enthusiast. Originally, it had two forms--one for self-defense and a separate, distinct form for physical conditioning. In modern judo events there are qualifying matches, and contestants compete in weight classes. The first Olympic Games judo competition took place in 1964, and judo became a regular event in 1972.
Sorry, there is no information available on this sport.
ROWING
Rowing is the action of moving a vessel through the water by using bladed sticks called oars. Rowing was originally the only reliable source of propulsion for a boat, but it has lost most of its practical and economic functions and is now practiced primarily as a recreation and sport throughout the world. Rowing dates back to antiquity when galley slaves were used to provide locomotion for warships. In modern rowing events, boats compete in two categories, either sculling or sweep events. In sweep events a rower holds one oar and is part of a crew of 2, 4, or 8. In sculling, a rower holds two oars and competes in boats that have 1, 2, or 4 scullers. Racing boats are called shells and vary in size according to the number of crew members. A modern 8-man shell weighs about 91 kg (200 lb), is 18.3 m (60 ft) long, and has a very narrow beam averaging 46 cm (18 in). Crew members sit on sliding seats mounted on rollers that permit leg muscles to be brought into use with each stroke. Rowing technique must be precise and repeated in unison by each boat member. Any mistake will reduce speed. Rowing was adopted as an Olympic Games event in 1896, and international amateur championships are held annually. In the United States well-known regattas for men and women include the United States Rowing National Chamionship Regatta and the Head-of-the-Charles Regatta.
SAILING
Along with the perfection of synthetic construction materials, the development of the outboard motor has created another major change in pleasure boating. The motor is light, comparatively inexpensive, and capable of being attached to a wide variety of craft, from simple rowboats to small cruising sailboats and catamarans. Boating competition has led to ever more powerful outboard engines (up to 200 hp in standard boats and reaching 900 hp in craft built for high-speed racing) and to increased reliability. The modified V-bottom hull, developed for offshore power-boat racing, is now the dominant hull design for fast open boats, cruisers, and sport-fishing boats. In addition to increasing the number of pleasure-boating enthusiasts, the outboard motor has become a significant source of marine mobility in remote frontier areas and on the waters of developing countries.
Sailboating competition is often a well-organized sport, especially at the 1,200 yacht clubs in the United States. A racer may start at the club level and advance to interclub, regional, and--in the United States--the North America Yacht Racing Union's national championships. On the world level the International Yacht Racing Union is the governing body. Men, women, and juniors compete at their own levels and in varying combinations. The pinnacle of small-craft sailing competition is the Olympic Games.
SHOOTING
Target shooting is a competitive sport in which contestants fire guns at fixed or moving targets. Shooting also has a practical purpose--military units and police forces use target practice to develop marksmanship, and hunters use moving targets that simulate the movement of game.
Three types of firearms are commonly used in target shooting--rifle, pistol, and shotgun. Rifle shooting is conducted in small-bore (.22 caliber) competition, with targets set 50 or 100 yd (45.7 or 91.4 m) away in U.S. matches and 50 m (55 yd) in international events. Big-bore (center-fire rifle) competition distances range from 100 to 1,000 yd (91.4 to 914.4 m) in the United States and are standard at 300 m (330 yd) in international competition. International shooting rules require a set number of shots from a standing, sitting, or prone position.
Pistol shooting includes matches for .22 caliber pistols, center-fire pistols (usually .38 caliber), and for .45 caliber service pistols and .45 caliber semiautomatic pistols. Targets are at distances of 50 ft (15.2 m), 20 yd (18.3 m), 25 yd (22.9 m), 50 yd (45.7 m), and 50 m (55 yd), for various U.S. and international competitions. The National Rifle and Pistol Championships, conducted by the National Rifle Association, are held every summer at Camp Perry, Ohio.
SOFTBALL
Softball is a sport similar to BASEBALL, played in the localities where baseball is also popular. The game is played with a larger ball--11.8-12.1 in. (30-30.7 cm) in circumference--on a smaller field, and with the same basic equipment as that used in baseball. About 40 million adults and children played some form of competitive or recreational softball in the United States in the early 1990s, making it one of the largest team sports in the country.
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the national softball governing body in the United States, with more than 259,000 registered teams, in both fast-and slow-pitch leagues, in 1992. The United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association (USSSA), founded in 1968, had about 100,000 registered teams in 1992.
SWIMMING
Swimming is a competitive and recreational activity consisting of various motions that propel the body through the water. Diving is a sport, primarily competitive--although as a method of entering the water it is practiced by most casual swimmers--that involves carefully executed twists, flips, and spins during a plunge into the water.
Swimming and diving are both excellent physical conditioners. Both have wide appeal, and international competitions in the sports are regulated by the Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA). Swimming has been on the Olympic Games agenda since the first modern Games were held in 1896; diving from high platforms first became an Olympic event in 1904, and diving from low springboards was introduced at the 1908 Olympics.
and demonstrated the efficiency of a method of swimming similar to the modern crawl. The British still swam with the head above the water, a holdover from the days when people believed that the water was contaminated. An overhand stroke was introduced to England in 1873 by J. Arthur Trudgen, who had seen South American Indians using this method to swim quite fast. When the flutter kick was introduced, the modern "Australian crawl" was born, and this stroke has since become the most common and most important swimming stroke.
In competitive swimming events the winners are determined according to the best elapsed times for a particular distance. There are four basic categories of standard Olympic events. The first is freestyle--100-m (109.3-yd), 200-m (218.6-yd), and 400-m (437.2-yd) for both men and women; 800-m (874.4-yd) for women; 1,500-m (1,639.5-yd) for men; and 4 X 100-m and (for men) 4 X 200-m relay races. The second is backstroke--100-m and 200-m. The third is breaststroke--100-m and 200-m. The fourth is butterfly--100-m and 200-m. These basic categories are also combined into medley (races in which each of the four basic strokes is used by the swimmer or team in a certain sequence): 200-m and 400-m individual races and 4 X 100-m relay races.
TABLETENNIS
Table tennis, also known as Ping Pong, is a recreational and competitive game for singles or doubles competition. The object of the game is to hit a small ball over a net stretched across a table so that it hits the opposite side of the table. Points are scored when one player fails to return the ball over the net so that it bounces on the opponent's side. The ball is put into play with a serve, and each player has five consecutive turns serving.
A table-tennis table is 9 ft (2.7 m) long and 5 ft (1.5 m) wide, and 2.5 ft (76 cm) above the ground. The net is 6 in. (15.2 cm) high and stretches 6 ft (1.8 m) across the table so that it overlaps the edges 6 inches on each side. The table-tennis paddle may be any size, shape, or weight, with a continuous flat blade of even thickness. At least 85% of the rigid blade must be made of wood. An adhesive layer within the blade can be reinforced with fibrous material or compressed paper but cannot be thicker than 0.01 in (0.25 mm). The table tennis ball has a diameter of 1.5 in (38 mm) and weighs 39 gr (2.5 g). The ball is made of celluloid or similar plastic material and can be white or yellow with a matte surface.
A game is to 21 points.
TENNIS
Tennis, also known as lawn tennis, is probably the most popular and universal of the racket-and-ball sports. The basic object of the game is to use a racket (racquet) to hit the ball over a net but within the boundaries of the opposite half of the court. The game is one of the great international pastimes. It is played both competitively and informally by more than 20 million Americans and perhaps twice that many people worldwide. With the proliferation of indoor courts, most notably in the United States, the sport is played all year round. Organized competition in the United States is governed by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), and international matches are regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Other variations include BADMINTON, PADDLE TENNIS, PLATFORM TENNIS, RACQUETBALL, SQUASH, and TABLE TENNIS, or Ping-Pong.
EQUIPMENT AND COURT
The standard tennis court is 78 ft (23.8 m) long. For singles play, the court is 27 ft (8.2 m) wide; for doubles, the width is extended to 36 ft (11 m). A net 3.5 ft (1.1 m) high at the ends and 3 ft (91 cm) high at the center divides the length of the court in half. Toward the backline, or baseline, and 21 ft (6.4 m) from the net, is the service line. The service line, the net, and the singles sidelines form the service area. The area is divided by a center line to form two service courts, each 13.5 ft (4.1 m) wide.
The ball, traditionally white but now mostly high-visibility yellow, has a hollow rubber core and a wool and artificial fiber covering. For informal play, rackets may be of almost any size, weight, shape, or construction. Maximum size for a racket is 32 in (81.3 cm) long and 12.5 in (31.8 cm) wide. The maximum face, or strung surface, is 11.5 in (29.3 cm) wide and 15.5 in (39.5 cm) in length. Weight of a racket can range from 9-15 oz (255.1-425.2 g). Racket handles are covered with leather, cloth, or plastic to ensure a good grip. Strings may be made of nylon, gut, or plastic. In the past wood was the frame material of choice, but now most rackets are made from composite materials such as boron and graphite.
TRIATHLON
Sorry, there is no available information on this sport
VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball is a recreational and competitive team game that is played both in and out of doors by 2 teams of 6 (or in some forms of the game 4 or 2 players each) on wooden, sand, or grass courts. The object of the game is to try to score points in the course of hitting a ball with the hands across a net and within the boundaries of the court so that the opposing team cannot return the ball. In its official form volleyball is played on a rectangular court 18 m (59 ft 0.75 in) long and 9 m (29 ft 6.375 in) wide; a net placed 2.43 m (7 ft 11 in) high for men and 2.24 m (7 ft 4.125 in) high for women is suspended across the court. The ball weighs about 280 g (8.759.8 oz) when inflated and is made of supple leather or rubber.
WEIGHTLIFTING
Weight lifting (and power lifting) is a sport that requires lifting a bar loaded with metal weights. It is both a competitive amateur sport and a form of exercise. The principle behind weight lifting is that a muscle will become stronger, harder, and larger if it works against increasingly heavier loads. Dumbbells, short metal bars with weights on either end, are used for exercising each hand; in competition athletes use both hands to lift a 2.2 m (7 ft 2 in) barbell with weights on the ends.
WRESTLING
Wrestling, one of the most primitive of athletic activities, is a popular body-contact sport in which two contestants attempt to pin each other's shoulders to a padded mat by employing different holds and body maneuvers. Freestyle and Greco-Roman are the two forms of wrestling practiced throughout the world today and are the only two included in the Olympic Games. Freestyle wrestling comes from early Greek wrestling, and the legs play an integral part in contests. The legs are used not only for balance and support but also in holding and lifting an opponent. Freestyle is the most popular wrestling form in the world and is used by both amateur and professional wrestlers. The Greco-Roman style permits no holds below the waist, and wrestlers are not allowed to use their legs for any grips. This wrestling form is very popular in Scandinavia and Europe.
