Olympic Sports, THO-WHA
Olympic Games, athletic festival that originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the late 19th century. Before the 1970s the Games were officially limited to competitors with amateur status, but in the 1980s many events were opened to professional athletes. Currently, the Games are open to all, even the top professional athletes in basketball and football (soccer).
Olympic Sports Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Thorpe, Jim
Jim Thorpe was one of the most accomplished all-around athletes in history who in 1950 was selected by American......
Thunberg, Clas
Clas Thunberg was a Finnish speed skater who, with Ivar Ballangrud of Norway, dominated the sport in the 1920s......
Tiger, Dick
Dick Tiger was a Nigerian professional boxer, world middleweight (160 pounds) and light heavyweight (175 pounds)......
Tilden, Bill
Bill Tilden was an American tennis player who dominated the game for more than a decade, winning seven U.S. championships......
time trial
time trial, (ârace against the watchâ), in bicycle racing, a form of competition in which individual cyclists or......
Titmus, Ariarne
Ariarne Titmus is an Australian swimmer who burst onto the international swim scene in 2018 by winning three gold......
tobogganing
tobogganing, the sport of sliding down snow-covered slopes and artificial-ice-covered chutes on a runnerless sled......
Today in HistoryâFebruary 22: A Cold War Showdown on Ice
On this day in 1980, the impossible happened at the Lake Placid Winter Games: A ragtag U.S. hockey team of college......
Today in HistoryâFebruary 25: Muhammad Ali Becomes the Undisputed World Champ
On this day in 1964 Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., shocked the boxing world: The unpredictable and often showy amateur......
Today in HistoryâJanuary 6: A Rivalry on Ice
âWhy? Why? It hurts so much. Why me?â That was the anguished cry from Nancy Kerrigan on this day in 1994, after......
Today in HistoryâJuly 6: Althea Gibson Wins Wimbledon
âAt last! At last!â So said Althea Gibson when she won Wimbledon on this day in 1957. In doing so, she became the......
Today in HistoryâOctober 1: The âThrilla in Manilaâ
On this day in 1975, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met for the third and final time in the boxing ring. They first......
Today in HistoryâSeptember 20: Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs
On this day in 1973, Bobby Riggs took on Billie Jean King in a tennis match televised around the world. He was......
Toews, Jonathan
Jonathan Toews is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who, while playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the......
Tokyo
Tokyo, city and capital of Tokyo to (metropolis) and of Japan. It is located at the head of Tokyo Bay on the Pacific......
Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games
Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Tokyo that took place October 10â24, 1964. The Tokyo Games......
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, athletic competition held in Tokyo that took place July 23âAugust 8, 2021. Scheduled......
Tokyo Marathon
Tokyo Marathon, annual 26.2-mile (42.2-km) footrace through Tokyo that is held each February. The Tokyo Marathon......
Tolan, Eddie
Eddie Tolan was an American sprinter, the first black athlete to win two Olympic gold medals. In his track career,......
Tomba, Alberto
Alberto Tomba is an Italian Alpine skier who earned five Olympic medals, including gold in both the slalom and......
Tonya Harding
Tonya Hardingâs athletic ability made her a two-time national champion; her involvement in a heinous attack on......
Torrance, Jack
Jack Torrance was an American world-record holder in the shot put (1934â48). Torrance played tackle on the football......
Torres, José
JosĂ© Torres was a Puerto Rican professional boxer, world light heavyweight (175 pounds) champion, 1965â66. (Read......
Tour de France
Tour de France, the worldâs most prestigious and most difficult bicycle race. Of the three foremost races (the......
Tourischeva, Ludmilla
Ludmilla Tourischeva is a Soviet gymnast who was European champion (1971 and 1973), world champion (1970 and 1974),......
tournament
tournament, series of military exercises, probably of medieval French origin and confined to western Europe, in......
trampoline
trampoline, an elevated resilient webbed bed or canvas sheet supported by springs in a metal frame and used as......
Transpacific Race
Transpacific Race, one of the worldâs oldest major ocean races for sailing yachts, a 2,225-mile (3,580-kilometre)......
Travis, Walter
Walter Travis was the first U.S. golfer to win the British Amateur championship (1904) and is considered one of......
Tretiak, Vladislav
Vladislav Tretiak is a Soviet ice hockey player who was considered one of the greatest goaltenders in the history......
Trevino, Lee
Lee Trevino is an American professional golfer who became an immediate success when he joined the Professional......
Trickett, Libby
Libby Trickett is an Australian swimmer who set several world records in the 100-metre freestyle. She also won......
triple jump
triple jump, event in track and field (athletics) in which an athlete makes a horizontal jump for distance incorporating......
tumbling
tumbling, execution of acrobatic movements such as rolls, twists, handsprings, or somersaults on floor mats or......
Tunney, Gene
Gene Tunney was an American boxer who defeated Jack Dempsey in 1926 to become the world heavyweight boxing champion.......
Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games
Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Turin, Italy, that took place February 10â26, 2006.......
Turner, Cathy
Cathy Turner is an American short-track speed skater who came out of retirement to capture a gold medal at the......
Turner, Ted
Ted Turner was an American broadcasting entrepreneur, philanthropist, sportsman, and environmentalist who founded......
turnverein
turnverein, (from German turnen, âto practice gymnastics,â and Verein, âclub, unionâ), association of gymnasts......
Twigg, Emma
Emma Twigg is a New Zealand rower who was the first woman from her country to win the single sculls event at the......
Tyson, Mike
Mike Tyson is an American boxer who in 1986, at age 20, became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. In......
Tyus, Wyomia
Wyomia Tyus is an American sprinter who held the world record for the 100-metre race (1964â65, 1968â72) and was......
U.S. Open
U.S. Open, one of the worldâs major golf tournaments, open to both amateur and professional golfers (hence the......
U.S. Open
U.S. Open, international tennis tournament, the fourth and final of the major events that make up the annual Grand......
U.S. Open Winners
Held each year from late August through early September, the U.S. Open is the final major tennis tournament of......
Uchimura, KĆhei
KĆhei Uchimura is a former Japanese gymnast who is considered one of the greatest male gymnasts of all time, renowned......
Ulvang, Vegard
Vegard Ulvang is a Norwegian Nordic skier known both for his successful racing career and for his many adventurous......
underwater diving
underwater diving, swimming done underwater either with a minimum of equipment, as in skin diving (free diving),......
uneven parallel bars
uneven parallel bars, gymnastics apparatus developed in the 1930s and used in womenâs competition. The length and......
United States Amateur Championship
United States Amateur Championship, golf tournament conducted annually in the United States from 1895 for male......
United States Womenâs Amateur Championship
United States Womenâs Amateur Championship, golf tournament conducted annually in the United States for female......
United States Womenâs Open Championship
United States Womenâs Open Championship, annual golf tournament conducted by the United States Golf Association......
Vail
Vail, town and ski resort, Eagle county, west-central Colorado, U.S. It is located 100 miles (160 km) west of Denver.......
van Gennip, Yvonne
Yvonne van Gennip is a Dutch athlete who was considered the greatest speed skater from the Netherlands since Ard......
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games
The XXI Olympic Winter Games opened in Vancouver on February 12, 2010, and closed on February 28. Vancouver was......
Vardon, Harry
Harry Vardon was a British professional golfer, who pioneered accurate and reliable hitting techniques that are......
Vare, Glenna Collett
Glenna Collett Vare was an American athlete who dominated womenâs golf in the 1920s. Both her parents were athletic,......
vaulting
vaulting, gymnastics exercise in which the athlete leaps over a form that was originally intended to mimic a horse.......
Ventura, Jesse
Jesse Ventura is a professional wrestler known as Jesse âthe Bodyâ Ventura and later entered politics, serving......
Villa, Pancho
Pancho Villa was a Filipino professional boxer and world flyweight (112 pounds) champion. Villa began his boxing......
Vinci, Charles
Charles Vinci was an American weightlifter who won two Olympic gold medals. A native of Cleveland, Vinci, who stood......
Vines, H. Ellsworth, Jr.
H. Ellsworth Vines, Jr. was a U.S. tennis player of the 1930s who bounced back after a series of losses at age......
Virén, Lasse
Lasse Virén is a Finnish distance runner who was the first athlete to win gold medals in both the 5,000- and 10,000-metre......
Vonn, Lindsey
Lindsey Vonn is an American Alpine skier who has won four womenâs World Cup overall championships (2008â10 and......
Vorobyev, Arkady
Arkady Vorobyev was a weightlifter who won two Olympic gold medals and was the first Soviet light-heavyweight lifter......
Vyalbe, Yelena
Yelena Vyalbe is a Russian cross-country skier who excelled at every distance in international competition in the......
VÄra ÄĂĄslavskĂĄ: Out of Hiding
Prior to the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, VÄra ÄĂĄslavskĂĄ of Czechoslovakia had already established a reputation......
Wade, Dwyane
Dwyane Wade is an American professional basketball player who was one of the best players of his era and who won......
Waitz, Grete
Grete Waitz was a Norwegian marathoner who dominated womenâs long-distance running for more than a decade, winning......
Walasiewicz, StanisĆawa
StanisĆawa Walasiewicz was a Polish-American athlete who, during an unusually long career (over 20 years), won......
Walcott, Jersey Joe
Jersey Joe Walcott was an American world heavyweight boxing champion from July 18, 1951, when he knocked out Ezzard......
Walker Cup
Walker Cup, golf trophy awarded to the winner of a competition between amateur menâs teams from the United States......
Walker Law
Walker Law, (1920), first significant U.S. legislation concerning the sport of boxing, enacted in the state of......
Walker, Mickey
Mickey Walker was an American professional boxer, a colourful sports figure of the 1920s and early 1930s, who held......
Walsh Jennings, Kerri
Kerri Walsh Jennings is an American beach volleyball player who, with her partner, Misty May-Treanor, won Olympic......
Wambach, Abby
Abby Wambach is an American association football (soccer) player who was one of the sportâs leading forwards. She......
Wang Junxia
Wang Junxia is a Chinese middle- and long-distance runner, who in 1993 set world records for women in the 3,000-metre......
Warmerdam, Cornelius
Cornelius Warmerdam was an American pole-vaulter, the first to attain 15 feet (4.57 metres) and the last to set......
Was Abraham Lincoln a Wrestler?
Before he wrestled with the future of American democracy as the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln......
Was Jesse Owens Snubbed by Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympics?
By early 1933 Adolf Hitler had effectively become the dictator of Germany. All non-Nazi parties, organizations,......
Watanabe Osamu
Watanabe Osamu is a Japanese freestyle featherweight wrestler who was the undefeated world champion in 1962 and......
water polo
water polo, sport played in a swimming pool by teams of seven with a buoyant ball resembling an association football......
waterskiing
waterskiing, planing over the surface of the water on broad skilike runners while being towed by a motorboat moving......
Watson, Bubba
Bubba Watson is an American professional golfer noted for his two Major championships and powerful drives. He won......
Watson, Tom
Tom Watson is an American golfer who was one of the sportâs dominant figures in the 1970s and early â80s. Watson......
Webb, Karrie
Karrie Webb is an Australian professional golfer who emerged in the mid-1990s as one of the sportâs best players.......
Wefers, Bernard J., Sr.
Bernard J. Wefers, Sr. was an American sprinter who held the world record for the 200-metre dash (straightaway;......
Wehling, Ulrich
Ulrich Wehling is a German skier who was the only three-time winner of the Nordic combined (two ski jumps totaled,......
weight throw
weight throw, sport of throwing a weight for distance or height. Men have long matched strength and skill at hurling......
weightlifting
weightlifting, sport in which barbells are lifted competitively or as an exercise. For other activities using weights......
Weissmuller, Johnny
Johnny Weissmuller was an American freestyle swimmer of the 1920s who won five Olympic gold medals and set 67 world......
Wenzel, Hanni
Hanni Wenzel is a Liechtenstein Alpine skier who was the first athlete from her country to win an Olympic medal,......
Westbrook, Peter
Peter Westbrook was an American fencer who, at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, won a bronze medal, becoming the......
Westbrook, Russell
Russell Westbrook is an American former professional basketball player known for his obsessive work ethic and ferocious......
Wethered, Joyce
Joyce Wethered was a golfer who was widely regarded as the greatest British woman player of her day. Wethered and......
What Are the Most Dangerous Winter Olympic Sports?
The most dangerous sports at the Winter Olympics, which see the highest number of and most severe injuries, include......
What Do the Olympic Rings and Flame Represent?
The Olympic Games were founded on a love of sport, unity, and competition and an ancient tradition of physical......
What Is a Modern Pentathlon?
While Summer Olympic sports such as swimming, gymnastics, and football are more popular with worldwide audiences,......
What is the open era in tennis?
In the sport of tennis the term open era refers to the periodâbeginning in 1968 and continuing to the present dayâin......
What Sports Are in the Winter Olympics?
Since the first Winter Olympic Games, held in 1924, athletes have come together to compete in sports that test......