OLYMPIC PROPORTIONS
The Ultimate Fan's Guide to the Winter Olympic Games
Over 5000 athletes and officials, representing over 80 countries, are expected to participate at the Vancouver Games.
The Olympic Sports Program consist of seven sports divided among 16 disciplines with athletes competing in 86 medal events.
The 16 sport disciplines will be contested in four locations:
|
Sport |
Description |
Events |
|
Alpine |
Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Games since the men's and women's combined were held at the 1936 Games at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. There are ten events on the 2010 Olympic program, five each for men and women. The only change from 2006 is that the combined event will have one slalom run, down from two, in an event called the Super Combined. |
Men: Women: Downhill, Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Super Combined |
| Biathlon | Biathlon — which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting — did not start as a sport, but as a way for northern European hunters, as early as 2000 BC, to put food on the table. The best biathletes are able to combine speed on skis with pinpoint shooting accuracy. |
Men: 20km Individual, 10km Sprint, 12.5km Pursuit, 15km Mass Start, 4x7.5km Relay Women: 15km Individual, 7.5km Sprint, 10km Pursuit, 12.5km Mass Start, 4x6km Relay |
| Bobsled | Bobsleds (or bobsleighs) are built to be fast and aerodynamic, with a rounded fibreglass nose and four highlypolished steel runners. Four heats are held over two days and timed to the hundredth of a second. The gold medal is awarded to the sled with the lowest combined time over four runs. |
Men: Two-and four-man bobsleighs Women: two-person bobsleigh |
|
Cross Country Skiing |
Cross-country skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since the 1928 Chamonix Games. It involves skiing over various distances and terrains in two different techniques in the quickest time possible. The classical skiing technique utilizes a kicking and gliding motion along a course with a prepared track. The freestyle technique utilizes a faster, skating motion along a smoothed course. |
Men: 15km (freestyle), Sprint (classical), Team Sprint (freestyle), 30km Pursuit (15km classical + 15km freestyle), 50km Mass Start (classical), 4x10km Relay (legs 1 & 2 in classical, 3 & 4 in freestyle) Women: 10km (freestyle), Sprint (classical), Team Sprint (freestyle), 15km Pursuit (7.5km classical + 7.5km freestyle), 30km Mass Start (classical), 4x5km Relay (legs 1 & 2 in classical, 3 & 4 in freestyle) |
| Curling | The game of curling is more than 500 years old. Curling is a competition between two teams with four players each. The game is played on ice and the two teams take turns pushing 42-pound stones towards a series of concentric circles. The object is to get the stones as close to the center of the circles as possible. | Men (4-man "rink") Women (4-woman "rink") |
| Figure Skating | Figure skating was an Olympic sport before there was an Olympic Winter Games. Figure skating first appeared at the London 1908 Olympic Summer Games with events for pairs and singles (indoor ice rinks could be kept cold even in hot weather). | Men's Individual Women's Individual Pairs Ice Dancing |
| Freestyle Skiing |
In the United States, the 1960s were a time of revolution, of young people challenging authority and demanding change. Freestyle skiing began in that decade, when social change and freedom of expression led to new and exciting skiing techniques. Ski Cross is a newly added event in 2010. |
Men: Moguls, Aerials, Ski Cross Women: Moguls, Aerials, Ski Cross |
| Ice Hockey |
While men's ice hockey made its Olympic start at the 1920 Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp, women’s ice hockey debuted at the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games. | Men (23 players) Women (23 players) |
| Luge | In luge (the French word for “sled”), racers begin by sitting on open fibreglass sleds. Pulling on fixed handles in the ice, they burst out of the start. After this explosive start, they use spiked gloves on the ice surface for extra acceleration before lying down on their backs, feet stretched out in front of them, heads back to be as aerodynamic as possible. Luge racers steer using their legs and shoulders, and brake by sitting up, putting their feet down and pulling up on the sled runners. | Men's Single Women's Single Doubles (Men or Women) |
| Nordic Combined |
Nordic combined involves ski jumping and cross-country skiing in two separate events held on one day. The jumping portion occurs first followed by a free technique cross-country race. The break between the jumping and the cross-country race can be as little as 35 minutes, or as long as a few hours. | Men: Individual Normal Hill, Indicidual Large Hill, Team Large Hill Women: Do not compete. Hopefully in the 2014 Games! |
|
Short Track Speed Skating |
Short track speed skating is only about 100 years old and a product of North America. Short track speed skating is an elimination event in which athletes race in packs and try to outskate and outwit fellow competitors within their heats. Eventually, the field is winnowed down to a handful of finalists and the first one to cross the finish line is the winner. |
Men: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m relay Women: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m relay |
| Skeleton |
Men’s skeleton was raced at the 1928 and 1948 Olympic Winter Games, both in St. Moritz. Skeleton then re-appeared as a permanent Olympic sport for both men and women at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Skeleton got its name from the sled used — originally metal, now fiberglass and metal — as it resembles a human skeleton. To start, a skeleton slider grasps the handles on either side of the sled, runs as fast as possible for approximately 50 metres, then dives head first onto the sled. |
Men's Individual Women's Individual |
| Ski Jumping | Men’s ski jumping began in the first Games in Chamonix, in 1924. An athlete skis down a long ramp and launches into the air at speeds of up to 95 kilometres per hour. Technique is integral to ski jumping as athletes must perform a very precise and well-timed takeoff. Once in the air, jumpers assume the V-style and adjust their position to maximize lift and minimize drag. Competitors are evaluated on distance and style and while there is a very close relationship between the two, the skier with the longest jump will often have the highest style points. | Men: Normal Hill (95 meters), Large Hill (125 m.), Team (125 m.) Women: Do not compete. Hopefully in the 2014 Games! |
| Snowboarding |
The first official snowboard competition was held in Colorado in 1981. Two snowboard events were introduced at the Nagano 1998 Winter Games — halfpipe and individual giant slalom. Parallel giant slalom replaced individual giant slalom at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games and snowboard cross was introduced in 2006, at the Torino Olympic Winter Games. |
Men: Halfpipe, Parallel Giant Slalom, Snowboard Cross Women: Halfpipe, Parallel Giant Slalom, Snowboard Cross |
| Speed Skating (Long Track) |
Speed skating emerged on the canals of Holland as early as the 13th century. It has been part of the Olympic Games since the first Winter Games were held in Chamonix in 1924. Originally, only men took part in competition; however, women’s speed skating became an event at the Squaw Valley 1960 Olympic Winter Games. Speed skating is a timed racing event where competitors race in pairs around an oval track in a race against the clock. The winner is the skater who posts the fastest time after all competitors have skated. |
Men: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m and team pursuit Women: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and team pursuit |