Winter Olympic Events

It's Olympic Week here on Stuff I Just Learned!

We're starting off the series with some event trivia:

-- The 2010 Winter Olympics include 86 events within 15 different disciplines. (source)

-- Speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, and Nordic combined (ski jumping & cross-country) have been competed at every Winter Olympics since the games began in 1924. (source)

-- Before 1924, figure skating and ice hockey were part of the Summer Olympics. (source)

-- The only Winter Game to be discontinued was Special Figures figure skating, which was a part of the 1908 Olympics. Special Figures involved tracing certain patterns on the ice with one skate. (source)

-- There have been a number of events that have been demonstrated (for entertainment) at various Winter Olympics, but have never been part of the official competition. These include:

a. Bandy (like field hockey on ice)

b. Ice Stock Sport (like curling with ice stocks instead of stones)

c. Military Patrol (the predecessor to the biathlon)

d. Ski Ballet (a choreographed routine of flips and jumps)

e. Dogsled Racing

f. Speed Skiing (skiing as quickly as possible - up to 125 mph! - on a straight slope)

g. Winter Pentathlon (cross-country skiing, shooting, downhill skiing, fencing, & horseback riding)

(source)

-- There were several events proposed to be a part of the 2010 Winter Games, but were turned down by the International Olympic Committee. These included:

a. Biathlon Mixed Relay

b. Mixed Doubles Curling

c. Team Alpine Skiing

d. Team Bobsled and Skeleton

e. Team Luge

f. Women's Ski Jumping (this was the most controversial, going all the way to the Supreme Court of British Columbia!)

(source)

-- One new event did get approved by the IOC and is premiering at the 2010 Winter Games: Ski-Cross. It's a four-skier race along a course with turns, banks, and jumps. (source)

Enjoy!