Rio De Janeiro Olympic Sports

Olympic Sports

Get ready for the intense excitement of 42 Olympic sport disciplines in one place: 306 events over the course of 19 days of competition will yield 136 medals for women, 161 for men and nine mixed medals.

Archery

A fascinating test of nerve and accuracy, archery made its Olympic debut at Paris 1900, with women joining in four years later. At Rio 2016, both genders will compete in individual and team events, aiming for that perfect score.

Artistic Gymnastics

Balance beam, pommel horse, parallel bars, rings... in artistic gymnastics the athletes compete on different apparatus in individual and team events, eight for men and six for women. This traditional sport has been in the Games since Athens 1896.

Athletics

Running, jumping and throwing. One of the most traditional Olympic sports, athletics has been part of the Games since Athens 1896, the first of the modern era. Today, no other sport offers more medals: 141, 47 of which are gold.

Badminton

With shuttlecocks travelling at up to 400 km/h, badminton requires fast reflexes from the players and the audience’s full attention. It has been in the Games since Barcelona 1992. Men and women compete in individual and doubles events, and mixed doubles.

Basketball

A magnificent spectacle of dribbling, slam-dunks and three-pointers. At Rio 2016, basketball is celebrating 80 years in the Olympic Games – its debut was at Berlin 1936. Twelve teams of each gender will be battling for medals.

Beach Volleyball

Perhaps no other sport is more closely associated with Rio de Janeiro than beach volleyball, which has been in the Olympic Games since Atlanta 1996. The men’s and women’s competitions will take place on the famous sands of Copacabana beach.

Boxing

Jabs, crosses, uppercuts... a single punch can make all the difference in boxing. The sport made its Olympic debut at St Louis 1904 and women entered the fray at London 2012. At Rio 2016, there are 13 categories – 10 for men and three for women.

Canoe Slalom

   

Get ready for white-knuckle drama on the whitewater rapids. Inspired by slalom skiing, this sport has been in the Games since Munich 1972. Competitors navigate the course on board kayaks or canoes, in singles or doubles events.

Canoe Sprint

Competitors race on flat water in kayaks or canoes in this sport, which made its Olympic debut at the Berlin 1936 Games. Twelve gold medals – eight for men and four for women – are up for grabs on Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas.

Cycling BMX

Cycling’s most recent Olympic discipline (it debuted at Beijing 2008), BMX is an exciting sport which mixes intense racing, big jumps and plenty of crashes. In Rio there are men’s and women’s individual events.

Cycling Mountain Bike

A sport for fans of adventure and adrenaline, mountain bike challenges competitors with steep climbs, fast descents and natural obstacles. Twenty years after its Olympic debut at Atlanta 1996, there are individual events for men and women in Rio.

Cycling Road

A test of endurance and a race against the clock. Be it the road race or time trial, road cycling events will be contested against the background of Rio’s stunning scenery. The sport has been in the Olympic Games since Athens 1896.

Cycling Track

This adrenaline-fuelled sport has been in the Olympic Games since Athens 1896, the first of the modern era. It combines speed, tactics – and bikes that have no brakes! There are three individual and two team events for men and women.

Diving

When diving made its Olympic debut at St Louis 1904, athletes aimed for the longest jump. Now their spectacular aerial acrobatics are judged to the minutest detail. In Rio, men and women compete in four events, individually or in duos, from 10m and 3m.

Equestrian

The only Olympic sport in which men and women compete against each other on a level playing field, equestrian has three disciplines: eventing, dressage and jumping, all of them with individual and team competitors.

Fencing

Choose your weapon: épée, foil or sabre? In the Olympic programme since Athens 1896, the first Games of the modern era, fencing comes to Rio 2016 with three individual and two team events for both men and women.

Football

Gooooal! Football became an Olympic sport at the Paris 1900 Games, with women joining in at Atlanta 1996. In Rio, 16 countries will battle for the men’s title and 12 for the women’s gold medals. Matches are played in seven stadiums across the country.

Golf

This is a historic moment for golf: after 112 years, it is again an Olympic sport. Before that, it was part of the programme only in Paris 1900 and St Louis 1904. In Rio, men and women will compete individually on the new Olympic Golf Course.

Handball

Fiercely contested, tactical, skilful and with goals galore, handball is an exciting spectacle. Field handball made its Olympic debut at the Berlin 1936 Games, but the sport has been played indoors since Munich 1972. There are men’s and women’s events.

Hockey

With its team ethic, high-octane action and plenty of goals, hockey has been thrilling the Olympic audience since London 1908, with women’s teams joining in at Moscow 1980. In Rio, there are men’s and women’s competitions.

Judo

Ippon, wazari, yuko... the successful delivery of a single move can swing the match. Judo made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 1964, with women’s competitions being added at Barcelona 1992. In Rio, there are seven men’s and seven women’s events.

Marathon Swimming

A 10km race in open-water, this is another adventure sport. It entered the Olympic Games at Beijing 2008, as part of the swimming programme. But in Rio, at Copacabana beach, it is a discipline on its own, with men’s and women’s competitions.

Modern Pentathlon

A classic contest played out in five acts: fencing, swimming, horse riding, shooting and running – with all the events taking place on the same day. Part of the Olympic Games since Stockholm 1912, modern pentathlon has men’s and women’s competitions.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

A spectacular show in which gymnasts use apparatus to wow the judges, this graceful women-only discipline made its Olympic debut more than 30 years ago, at the Los Angeles 1984 Games. Accompanied by music, athletes perform in individual or team events.

Rowing

Rowing, which made its Olympic debut at the Paris 1900 Games, has more than a century of tradition in the waters of Rio de Janeiro. There are eight men’s and six women’s events in boats for one, two, four or nine (including the coxswain) competitors.

Rugby Sevens

Although the 15-player version of the sport appeared at the Olympic Games between 1900 and 1924, Rio 2016 marks the debut of rugby sevens, a faster, shorter adaption. Bravery, skill and speed will be in abundance in the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Sailing

Sailing was supposed to make its Olympic debut at Athens 1896, but due to bad weather it was postponed until Paris 1900. Now one of the most celebrated Olympic sports, in Rio there will be five men’s, four women’s and one mixed event on Guanabara Bay.

Shooting

A supreme test of accuracy, shooting made its Olympic debut at Athens 1896, the first Games of the modern era. In Rio, competitors will battle to reach the podium in nine men’s and six women’s events, all individual.

Swimming

A breath-taking sport, swimming has been in the Olympic Games since Athens 1896. Men and women participate in 16 events, including relays and individual competitions in four strokes – freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke.

Synchronized Swimming

An aquatic ballet, synchronised swimming has been delighting Olympic audiences with its grace and rhythm since Los Angeles 1984. It’s a women-only discipline with duet and team competitions.

Table Tennis

Part of the Olympic Games since Seoul 1988, table tennis is the most popular racket sport in the world. Devilish spin and incredible reflexes make it a spellbinding spectacle. Men and women compete individually and in teams.

Taekwondo

“The way of the feet and hands” is the meaning of the Korean word taekwondo, a martial art included in the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000. At the Rio 2016 Games, there are four weight classes for men and women.

Tennis

Point by point, game by game, set by set, tennis is both fiercely contested and delightfully graceful. Men debuted in the Olympic Games at Athens 1896, women at Paris 1900. There are men’s and women’s singles and doubles, plus mixed doubles.

Trampoline Gymnastics

A stunning exhibition of somersaults and aerial acrobatics, trampoline has been part of the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000. Men and women compete individually, bouncing up to heights that can surpass eight metres.

Triathlon

Since making their Olympic debut at Sydney 2000, triathletes have been pushing themselves to the limit in swimming, cycling and running, with the first to the finish line taking gold. There will be men’s and women’s individual events in Copacabana.

Volleyball

Bursting with electrifying rallies, blocks and spikes, volleyball has been thrilling Olympic audiences since Tokyo 1964. In Rio it will be held at the famous Maracanãzinho, the spiritual home of the sport in Brazil.

Water Polo

The first Olympic team sport, water polo has been in the Games since Paris 1900, when it was a men-only competition – women joined at Sydney 2000. Physical, fast-paced and with lots of goals, it’s a thrilling spectacle.

Weightlifting

The ultimate test of strength, athletes can lift up to three times their body weight. Weightlifting was part of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, with women joining in at Sydney 2000. There are eight men’s and eight women’s events.

Wrestling

A fascinating mix of primal hand-to-hand combat and complex tactics, wrestling has been in the Games since Athens 1896. There are two disciplines: freestyle, with six different events for men and women, and Greco-Roman, only for men.