This website would like to remind you: Your browser (Apple Safari 4) is out of date. Update your browser for more × security, comfort and the best experience on this site. Article 2012 Summer Olympics 17 Days, 26 Sports, 200 Countries and 10,000 Athletes For the complete article with media resources, visit: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012-summer-olympics/ BY KIMBERLY DUMKE Friday, February 10, 2012 The ancient Olympic Games began in Olympia, Greece, in 776 BCE. The goals of the games were to honor the god Zeus, showcase the athletic skill of competitors, and promote good relations among Greek cities. At first, there was just one event—a footrace for men—and the games lasted only one day. Over the years, the games grew to several events, lasted five days, and included athletes from distant Greek colonies. No women were allowed to compete, and married women were not even allowed into the stadium as spectators. The games were usually held every four years—a period of time that came to be known as an olympiad—until 393 CE. The modern Olympic Games were created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France. The first modern Olympics took place in Athens, Greece, in 1896, with 241 male athletes from 14 countries competing. Since then, the games have been held every four years—except in 1940 and 1944, when they were canceled because of World War II—in a different place around the world. They have continued to add sports and participants. Women first competed at the 1900 games in Paris, France. In 1924, the first Winter Olympic games, featuring sports on snow and ice, were held in Chamonix, France. The Paralympic Games, for athletes with a physical disability, first took place in 1960 in Rome, Italy. The first Youth Olympics, for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18, was held in Singapore in 2010. The 2012 Summer Olympics will be held in London, England, from July 27 to August 12. London also hosted the Olympic Games in 1908 and 1948. More than 9 million spectators will watch more than 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries. Athletes will compete in 26 sports. Some sports have multiple disciplines. For example, the sport of gymnastics includes three disciplines: artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline. The games will feature a total of 38 disciplines, with multiple events for individuals and/or teams. Aquatics Aquatics includes the disciplines of diving, swimming, synchronized swimming, and water polo. Diving (Venue: Aquatics Centre, London) 1 of 14 In the 18th century, gymnasts in Germany and Sweden began performing tumbling routines into water. That led to the development of competitive diving. The Olympic debut of men’s diving was in 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri. Women’s diving was introduced at the 1912 games in Stockholm, Sweden. Today, diving competitions are favorites among spectators. The events feature a springboard, which is 3 meters (9.84 feet) high, or a fixed platform, which is 10 meters (32.8 feet) high. Individual divers and duos for synchronized events receive scores up to 10 from a panel of judges. Swimming (Venue: Aquatics Centre and Hyde Park, London) Competitive swimming as a sport began in Europe around 1800. Swimming has been featured in all modern Olympic Games since they began in 1896. Originally, the races were held in open water, such as lakes. Rules were formalized in 1908. That year’s London games featured the first Olympic swimming competition held in a pool. Women first competed at the 1912 games. Today, there are 34 medal events. Four strokes are used in Olympic competition: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. The individual and team relay medley races feature all four strokes. An Olympic-sized pool is 50 meters (164.04 feet) long. Racing distances range from one length of the pool to 1,500 meters (4,921.26 feet). The 2012 games will also feature a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) marathon event held at the Serpentine, a lake in London’s Hyde Park. Synchronized Swimming (Venue: Aquatics Centre, London) Around the turn of the 20th century, water ballets became popular in Europe and the United States. Water ballet developed into synchronized swimming, a combination of swimming, dance, and gymnastics. The debut of synchronized swimming in the Olympics was at the 1984 games in Los Angeles, California, in the U.S. While some games featured a solo event, today there are only competitions for duets and teams of eight. Competitors perform short routines set to music, and judges score them on various components, including choreography and execution. Only women compete in Olympic synchronized swimming. Water Polo (Venue: Olympic Park, London) A team sport, water polo is played by groups of seven in a pool with a goal at each end. The objective is to get a ball into the opponent’s goal while never touching the bottom or sides of the pool during play. The sport developed in the late 19th century as an aquatic form of rugby, demonstrating swimming skill and strength. Athletes might swim 5 kilometers (3 miles) during a match! Team sports, including men’s water polo, were introduced at the 1900 Olympics in Paris. Women’s water polo debuted at the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia. Archery (Venue: Lord’s Cricket Ground, London) Bows and arrows were first used for hunting and warfare about 10,000 years ago. Archery—using a bow to shoot an arrow as close to a target as possible—developed as a competitive activity in medieval England. Today, it is 2 of 14 practiced in more than 140 countries. Archery was featured in the 1900 Olympics in Paris. It was dropped after 1908, returned in 1920, then was dropped again. It was reintroduced in 1972 at the Olympics in Munich, Germany, and has been part of the games since then. Men and women compete individually, shooting from a distance of 70 meters (229.7 feet). The targets have a diameter of 122 centimeters (48 inches), with a 12.2-centimeter (4.8-inch) gold ring in the center. Athletics (Venues: Olympic Stadium and The Mall, London) Athletic contests in running, walking, throwing, and jumping are some of the world’s oldest sports. Ancient Egyptian tombs depict athletic events as early as 2250 BCE. The very first Olympic Games featured a sprint of approximately 192 meters (629.9 feet). Athletics have been a major part of every Olympics since. Today, four areas make up the athletics competition. Track events are footraces ranging from 100 to 10,000 meters (109.4 yards to 6.2 miles). Field events feature throwing and jumping, and include shot put and long jump. Combined events involve running, jumping, and throwing, and include the decathlon. Road events include marathons and race walks. Athletes compete as individuals and teams, called relays. Athletics will be the largest sport in the 2012 Olympics, with 2,000 athletes competing in 47 events. Badminton (Venue: Wembley Arena, London) Badminton is played on a rectangular court by individuals or teams of two. The objective is to score points by striking a shuttlecock—a feathered projectile—with a racket over the net so it lands in the opponent’s half of the court. The game was created in the late 1800s by British military officers stationed in India. They added a net to an ancient game called “battledore” and later brought the new game back to England. Currently, the sport is dominated by Asian countries, including China, Indonesia, and South Korea. Badminton made its Olympic debut at the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain. Olympic shuttlecocks contain 16 feathers, which are plucked from the left wing of a goose, and can travel at speeds over 400 kilometers (248.5 miles) an hour! There are singles and doubles competitions for both men and women, as well as mixed doubles for a duo with a man and a woman. Basketball (Venues: Basketball Arena and North Greenwich Arena, London) Dr. James Naismith, a physical education teacher and instructor at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, created basketball in 1891 as a way to keep students active during the winter. The sport is played by two teams of five players on a court that measures 28 meters (91.9 feet) long by 15 meters (49.2 feet) wide. Points are scored by shooting a ball through the opponent’s net (basket). Originally, peach baskets and soccer balls were used. In 1906, the peach baskets were replaced by metal hoops with backboards. The orange ball that is now commonly used was introduced in the late 1950s. Men’s basketball debuted as an Olympic sport at the 1936 games in Berlin, Germany. Women’s basketball began in 1976 at the Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Professional players from the NBA were first allowed to participate in the 1992 games in Barcelona. Prior to that, only professionals from Europe and South America were allowed to compete in the Olympics. 3 of 14 Boxing (Venue: ExCeL, London) A combat sport that dates back thousands of years, boxing involves two people using their fists to fight each other. The sport’s regulations, called the Marquess of Queensberry rules, were codified in 1867. There were 12 rules, including the introduction “fair-sized” gloves. Today, the essence of these rules is still in place. Boxers compete in various weight categories and score points for every punch landed on their opponent’s head or upper body. Men’s boxing made its first Olympics appearance in 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri. Women’s boxing will be a full medal event for the first time at the 2012 London games, with competitions in three weight classes.