Winter Olympic Games

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List of Winter Olympic Sports

This page is about the Winter Olympics. Go here for the list of summer Olympic Games sports.

Current Winter Olympic Sports (2014)

The 15 sports of the Winter Olympics are categorized into three main categories: (1) ice sports, (2) alpine, skiing and snowboarding events, and (3) Nordic events. In each of these sports categories there are more specific events as listed.

Ice Sports

• Bobsled (Two-man, Two woman and Four-man)
• Luge
• Skeleton
• Ice Hockey
• Figure Skating (Men's singles, Ladies' singles, Pairs, Team and Ice Dancing)
• Speed Skating
• Short Track Speed Skating (500m, 1,000m, 1,500 m and Relays)
• Curling

Alpine, Skiing and Snowboarding Events

• Alpine Skiing (Downhill, Super G, Giant slalom, Slalom, Super Combined)
• Freestyle Skiing (Aerials, Moguls, Ski Cross, Ski halfpipe and Ski slopestyle)
• Snowboarding (Parallel Giant Slalom, Halfpipe and Snowboard Cross and Slopestyle)

Nordic Events

• Biathlon (combining cross-country skiing and target shooting: individual, sprint, pursuit, mass start & relay events)
• Cross-Country Skiing (individual and team sprint, freestyle, pursuit, classical and relays)
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined (ski jumping and cross country skiing)
  

Discontinued Sports and Events

Here are just some of the sports or events that were once part of the Winter Olympics.

• Military patrol (a precursor to the biathlon) was a medal sport in 1924. It was also a demonstration sport in 1928, 1936 and 1948.
• In figure skating, an event called Men's special figures was on the program only once in 1908.

Demonstration sports

The following sports have been part of the Winter Olympic program as a demonstration sport at some stage.

• Skijöring (skiing behind horses): 1928.
• Winter Pentathlon (X-country & downhill skiing/pistol/fencing/horse riding) 1948
• Dog Sled Racing: 1932
• Curling: 1932 & 1988
• Ice stock sport (a German variant to curling): 1936 & 1964.
• Military Patrol: (Led to Biathlon in 1960) 1928,1936,1948
• Bandy: (Soccer on ice) 1952
• Short track speed skating started as a demonstration sport in 1988, before becoming a full sport from 1992 onwards.
• Speed skiing: 1992
• Disabled events in alpine (1984 and 1988) and Nordic skiing (1988 only)
• Synchronized skating: 2002
• Snowshoeing: 2002
• Freestyle Skiing - Aerials (1988), Moguls (1988, 1992) and Ski Ballet (1988, 1992)

Furture Sports

There are always a number of sports or events that are lobbying to be included on the Winter Olympic Games program. Such sports include: Team alpine skiing, Ski mountaineering, Ski-orienteering, Winter triathlon (involving running, mountain biking and cross-country skiing all on snow), and Bandy.

Other Winter Sports Trivia

• There are four Winter Olympic Games Sports that are held indoors: Speed skating, figure skating, curling, and ice hockey.
• Two sports have mixed events (in which males and females compete together): figure staking and luge. Only one sport is for males only: Nordic Combined. More about women at the Winter Olympics.
• Cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating have been competed at every Winter Olympics since 1924.
• There were reports of Bandy being added to the sports program in 2014, but the IOC rejected their submission. Instead, Sochi will host the 2014 Bandy World Championships during the Olympics.

Related Pages

• What is your favorite Winter Olympics sport? Take the poll.
• Women and Winter Olympic Sports
• Winter Sports Clipart
• Discontinued Summer Olympic Sports

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Old Comments

• Hello, I am a ringette goalie for Fraser Valley, which is a Langley BC team. I am 13, and I am very curious why ringette is not an Olympic sport. Many people play this sport all over canada, and in other places around the world. In Canada alone over 35,000 people play ringette. I am very interested in why ringette is not considered an olympic sport. Hockey is much like ringette, but ringette is much more interesting. I love this sport so much. I wish ringette could be reconized as an olympic sport because it is just as important as any other sport, and deserves to be reconized. I would love it if you guys can consider it, that would mean the world to me and so many other people who love the sport as much as I do. (from hailee, Jan 2013)
• The winter Olympics is literally 15 different types of sliding (from Dave, Nov 2012)
• I want to see almost winter sports on TV. I also follow the winter sports news. I recommend winter sports as the alternative choice of the TV programs. If the popular sports seasons are over, you can watch the sports on the snow and ice. (from Brina Hesjedal, Oct 2012)
• Do you think the sport Ringette will ever be a trial sport in the Olyimpics?
  
• Bla bla bla. The Summer Olympics are way better! :-) (from Sasha, 13 Aug 2012)
• Dancing is not a sport. ice dancing, on the contrary, is a sport because of the high physical demand it has unlike regular dancing. basically it's figure skating with a more artistic touch to it. dance is an art not a sport. (from billybob, Aug 2012)
• Awesome to watch them there the best in the world! (from cana satre, July 2012)
• I wish i could join the Olympics and become a champion or earn a gold medal! (from Dan Winston, June 2012)
• i would like a torch in winter sports (from will, May 2012)
• Olympic shooting is the best! (from John Fuller, April 2012)
• We love watching the olympics,but if global warning comes then it will ruin it for every one so we cant watch it or any thing cause it will be to hot for them to do any thing. (from ellie and molly, Feb 2012)
• I love watching the Olympics on TV. I wish that I could join the Olympics (rom Tina Monias, May 2011)
• The winter olympics are cool (Jan 2011)
• I think the sports are really helping the athletes all over the world (from aliza, Jan 2011)
• It's truely awesome. Winter olympics are really good (from aashiaana, Jan 2011)
• I was wondering if the winter Olympic board are looking at adding a fast and growing sport that I think should be on the big stage. This sport that I am talking about is broomball, and I love this game and broomball international stages its world championships every couple  f years in different countries. Like I said earlier, awesome game and the people of the world need to see this game on display. (from nick garofalo, Dec 2010)