Aquatics

Aquatics gathers five disciplines under one banner — swimming, diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and marathon swimming — making it one of the most varied groups on the Olympic programme.

Cricket

Cricket returns to the Olympic stage at LA 2028 after a 128-year absence, bringing a global team sport with deep roots and a passionate following across South Asia, the West Indies, England, and Australia.

Squash

Squash makes its Olympic debut at LA 2028 after four unsuccessful bids, joining the programme as a fast-paced racquet sport with a strong global presence — particularly in Egypt, the dominant force in the modern game.

Wrestling

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in human history, depicted in cave paintings 15,000 years old. It has been part of the modern Olympic Games since their inaugural edition in Athens 1896.

Winter Olympic Sports

The Olympic Winter Games bring together eight sports across 16 disciplines, contested every four years on snow and ice — from alpine skiing's high-speed descents to the precision of figure skating and the strategy of curling.

Weightlifting

Weightlifting is the purest test of strength on the Olympic programme: two lifts, three attempts each, and the highest combined total wins. Olympic since Athens 1896, it remains one of the most demanding individual disciplines at the Games.

Volleyball

Indoor volleyball has been on the Olympic programme since Tokyo 1964; beach volleyball joined at Atlanta 1996 and has since become one of the most televised events of the Summer Games.

Triathlon

Triathlon combines swimming, cycling, and running in a single continuous race. Born in 1970s California, it joined the Olympic programme at Sydney 2000 and has become one of the most spectator-friendly endurance events.

Tennis

Tennis was part of the very first modern Olympics in 1896, disappeared between 1924 and 1988, and now stands as one of the most prestigious titles in the professional game — completing the Career Golden Slam alongside the four major tournaments.

Table Tennis

Table tennis is the fastest racket sport on the Olympic programme. Olympic since Seoul 1988, it is defined by speed, spin, and the long-standing dominance of Chinese players.

Shooting

Shooting is one of the few Olympic sports where success rests on mental discipline and technical precision rather than physical power. It has been part of the Games since 1896 and remains accessible to athletes of all builds and ages.

Sailing

Sailing is one of the founding sports of the modern Olympics. More weather-dependent than any other event, it gathers boats of fundamentally different designs in ten distinct events.

Rugby

Rugby sevens is a fast-paced version of rugby — seven players per side, two seven-minute halves, and matches that turn on individual skill. Rugby returned to the Olympics in this form at Rio 2016.

Rowing

Rowing combines the highest sustained physical output in any Olympic sport with technical precision and crew synchronisation, contested over a 2,000-metre straight course. It has been on the Olympic programme since Paris 1900.

Modern Pentathlon

Modern pentathlon is a uniquely composite sport, conceived by Pierre de Coubertin to embody the skills of a nineteenth-century military horseman. From LA 2028, an obstacle course will replace show jumping in a historic shift.

Judo

Judo is a Japanese martial art built on the principle of using an opponent's force against them. Olympic since Tokyo 1964, it now ranks among the most widely practised combat sports in the world.

Field Hockey

Field hockey is one of the oldest organised team sports, with roots in ancient Egypt, Persia, and Greece. India and Pakistan dominated its twentieth-century Olympic history before competitive power shifted to Europe.

Handball

Handball combines fast tempo, regulated physical contact, and complex collective tactics. The indoor format has been on the Olympic programme since Munich 1972 for men, and Montreal 1976 for women.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is the art of human movement at its finest. Three Olympic disciplines — artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline — produce some of the most memorable performances of every Games.

Golf

Golf is a sport of European origin, born in fifteenth-century Scotland. It featured at Paris 1900 and St. Louis 1904 before vanishing for more than a century, returning to the Olympic programme at Rio 2016.

Fencing

Fencing is one of only four sports to feature at every modern Olympic Games. Three weapons, electronic scoring, and reactions measured in fractions of a second define this elegant combat sport.

Equestrian

Equestrian is one of the rare Olympic sports in which men and women compete together in the same category. Its three disciplines — jumping, dressage, and eventing — make horse and rider equal partners in the contest.

Cycling

Cycling is one of the most diverse sports on the Olympic programme, encompassing four distinct branches: road, track, mountain, and BMX. Olympic since 1896, it has expanded steadily across Olympic cycles.

Boxing

Boxing is one of the oldest combat sports in human history, present at the ancient Greek Games and at every modern Olympics since 1904 (with one exception). It has long served as a launching pad for some of the sport's greatest legends.

Basketball

Invented in 1891, basketball joined the Olympic Games at Berlin 1936 and has produced some of the Games' most iconic team performances. The 3×3 format was added at Tokyo 2020, bringing a fast-paced urban variant to the Olympic stage.

Badminton

Badminton is one of the world's fastest racket sports — the shuttle exceeds 400 km/h on the strongest attacking shots. Olympic since Barcelona 1992, the sport is dominated by Asian players, particularly from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Korea.

Athletics

Athletics is the oldest and most universal sport on the Olympic programme — track and field events that have tested the limits of human speed, strength, and endurance in every edition of the modern Games since 1896.

Archery

Archery is one of the oldest sports in human history, used for hunting and combat long before becoming a competitive sport. South Korean archers have dominated its Olympic events for decades.