Sport: Aquatics

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Swimming Origin

Believed to have begun in Southwestern Egypt in the cave of swimmers, aquatics have been part of cultures since the Stone Age. While swimming was not included in the ancient Olympics in Greece, Julius Caesar was known as an excellent swimmer. The Native Americans are credited with inventing the crawl, or the modern-day freestyle, while Breaststroke can trace its roots to England. Aquatics is truly a global phenomenon, the first swimming club was started in Germany in 1837 and the first indoor swimming pool was built in England in 1862.

Olympic Significance

Aquatics events have been part of every modern Olympic Games. In the inaugural games, swimmers were dropped off of a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and raced back to Athens. Today, swimming is a focal point of the games with almost 30 Men’s and Women’s competitions, including both individual and team races. Aquatics events have become a cornerstone for the modern Olympic Games, with many competitors becoming household names.

Aquatics Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usaquatic.org
• To recommend Bay Area aquatics resource, please email: sports@sanfrancisco2016.org

Sport: Diving

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Diving developed in Europe in the 17th century, when gymnasts practiced their acrobatics over water. Combining artistry and athleticism with undeniable courage - platform divers hit the water at about 55km/h - diving ranks among the Olympic Games' most exhilarating events. In 1988, Greg Louganis of the United States, arguably the greatest Olympic diver in history, cracked his head on the springboard while attempting a reverse 2.5 pike. After receiving stitches, Louganis won gold in both men's events.

Olympic Significance

Almost a century ago, "fancy diving" entered the Olympic Games as a new event. It was simply diving, as we know it today, and indeed, the 1996 program did not change a blink from the 1924 program. Synchronized Diving (or diving in pairs) was introduced in the Sydney 2000 Games. The traditional men's and women's 10-meter platform and three-meter springboard diving events were repeated for the synchronized portion, with judges assessing both individual dives and synchronization.

Diving Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usaquatic.org

Sport: Water Polo

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Water polo began as an aquatic version of rugby in the mid-1800s in England, before evolving into a football (soccer) type sport. By the turn of the century, it had become so popular in Europe and North America that it was included in the program for the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris.

Olympic Significance

Women's water polo was one of the new events at the Sydney 2000 Games. Prohibited from touching the bottom or side of the pool through four seven-minute quarters, water polo players swim up to five km during each game. The athletes require the technique and endurance of a swimmer, plus a football player's finesse in passing, dribbling and shooting plus a rugby player's strength to battle for the ball.

Water Polo Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.waterpolo.org

Sport: Synchronized Swimming

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Originally known as water ballet, synchronized swimming began in Canada in the 1920s. It spread to the United States in the early '30s, where a display at the 1934 Chicago World's Fair drew rave reviews. Its popularity soared further when Esther Williams performed in a string of MGM "aqua musicals" in the 1940s and '50s.

Olympic Significance

Synchronized swimming emerged as an exhibition sport at the Olympic Games from 1948 to 1968, and then debuted as a full medal sport in Los Angeles in 1984. It is open only to women, with medals offered in two events: duet and team.

Synchronized Swimming Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usasynchro.org

Sport: Archery

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

The practice of archery dates back to the Stone Age (20,000 BC) when prehistoric people would use this weapon to hunt for food. The first use of the bow and arrow, however, can be traced back to the Ancient Egyptians, who adopted the weapon 5000 years ago and used it as a means for hunting and warfare. The bow and arrow was used as a military weapon until firearms were invented and introduced around the time of the 30 Years War (1618-1648). The ancient art of archery then evolved into a recreational sport.

Olympic Significance

Archery was introduced to the Modern Olympic Games early in 1900 and was the first event that was opened to women. It was dropped from the games after the 1920 Olympics and reinstated at Munich in 1972 and has been a part of the Olympic Games ever since.

Archery Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usarchery.org

Sport: Athletics

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Athletics is the test of speed, strength and endurance and can be traced back from the start of recorded history. The ancient Games at Olympia began simply with foot races, only occasionally complicated by dressing the runners in infantry amour or making them carry soldiers' shields.

Olympic Significance

Athletics have been at the heart of the Olympic Games since the Ancient Games in Olympia. In many ways, it is the embodiment of the Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius", meaning faster, higher, stronger. It can be viewed as the original Olympic sport since the first event in the Ancient Olympics was the 192m sprint race. It has been a part of every Modern Olympic Games since 1896 and continues to feature the games’ most highlighted events and high profile athletes.

Athletics Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usatf.org

Sport: Badminton

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

While contemporary badminton first appeared in the mid-19th century, it evolved from the game battledore and shuttlecock, which can be traced back to ancient Greece, China, Japan and India.

Olympic Significance

Badminton was contested as a demonstration sport during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. It debuted as a full medal sport in 1992 at Barcelona. Men and women compete at the Olympics in both singles and doubles, and the events have been dominated by Indonesia, China, and Korea.

Badminton Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usabadminton.org

Sport: Basketball

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Dr. James Naismith invented the modern game of basketball in a YMCA gym in Springfield, Massachutes in 1890. Naismith nailed two peach boxes to the wall to serve as an athletic distraction for a rowdy class, and thus basketball was born. Eighteen men participated in the first game, today, more than 300 people play basketball worldwide.

Olympic Significance

Basketball has been part of every Olympic Games since 1936. The United States won the Gold Metal in every Olympic Games through 1972. In 1976, the Women’s tournament was introduced to the Olympics. The USA woman put their stamp on the games by medaling in every single Olympic Games that they have participated in. In 1992, the USA’s Dream Team - the greatest team to ever grace the hardwood - took gold in Barcelona.

Basketball Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usabasketball.com

Sport: Boxing

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Boxing has a long sporting history. The earliest evidence of the sport was found in Egypt and dated to around 2000 BC. In the late 7th century BC, the sport was introduced by the Greeks to the Ancient Olympic Games. After the fall of the Roman Empire, there were no known records of the sport until the 17th century, where references to matches were once again found in English records. Organized amateur boxing began in 1880 and the sport has grown from the rudiments based on the rules of professional boxing at the turn of the century to having its own identity, visibility and set of rules.

Olympic Significance

In the Ancient Olympic Games, boxers wrapped strips of leather around their wrists and fought until one man went down or conceded. The Romans introduced the sport with a gladiator dimension and they used spiked gloves or gloves weighted with lead. The fights ended in death and were considered a form of entertainment. The sport was not included when the Modern Games resumed in 1896 because the Athens organizing committee decided that it was too dangerous. It reappeared in 1904 in St Louis, thanks to the popularity in the United States then disappeared again in 1912 at Stockholm because Sweden’s national law banned it. The sport returned to the Olympic Games in 1920 and became a popular sport which elevated Muhammad Ali (then called Cassius Clay) up in the ranks of ancient legends Theagenes of Thassos and Cleitomachus of Thebes.

Boxing Resources:

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usaboxing.org

Sport: Canoe/Kayak

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Canoeing can be traced back several thousand years as one of the oldest forms of human transport. The earliest known canoe is estimated to be around 6000 years old and was unearthed at the tomb of a Sumerian king near the Euphrates River. The kayak is the counterpart of the American Indian canoe and was introduced by Eskimos living in the land to the far north of the American continent and Greenland.

Olympic Significance

Canoeing was on the Olympic program as a demonstration sport in 1924. Canoe and Kayak events were included as a full medal sport in 1936. The more dramatic white water slalom events were introduced in the 1972 Munich Games.

Canoe/Kayak Resources:

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usacanoekayak.org

Sport: Cycling

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Bicycles have been used as a form of transport since it was first developed in 1817. J.K. Starley of England the developed the modern bike with a chain and gearing in 1885. This allowed the wheels to be of equal size – a development from the original bicycle where the front wheel was much larger than the rear wheel. Continuous development of bikes stimulated the growth of cycling as a modern sport.

Olympic Significance

Bike races have been part of every modern Olympic Games, with events covering road cycling, time trial, track, mountain bike and new for Beijing 2008, BMX.

As the birthplace of mountain biking with a prodigious number of bike racers, San Francisco and the Bay Area can promise a true celebration of the sport should the region win the chance to become host to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Cycling will also feature strongly in the transportation plan for San Francisco 2016.

Cycling Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usacycling.org

Sport: Equestrian

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

In the past, the three-day event (Eventing) was restricted to military officers, while the jumping and dressage competitions were open to civilians, but only a handful of civilian riders competed up to 1948. Up to that time, the growth of modern sport had been rapid, but relatively few competitors were involved in international competitions. With the inclusion of the sport in the Olympic Games, it became obvious that some internationally recognized rules for the three Olympic disciplines were essential.

Olympic Significance

Equestrian events were included in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1900 and then in 1912, in a format very similar to that which will be used at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Equestrian Resources

• Find out more about this sport from its governing body: www.horsesport.org

Sport: Fencing

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Evolved from the ancient form of combat, fencing is one of only four sports that have been featured at every modern Olympic Games. It was the first to include recognized professionals in a medals competition after modern Olympic Games founder Pierre de Coubertin arranged special events for professional fencing "masters" in the original 1896 and 1900 competitions.

Olympic Significance

The clothing has become so protective, though, that officials modified masks a few years ago to return a "human face" to the event. Fine, but for intense reality, the 1924 team foil competition still wins: After the Olympic Games, an Italian and a Hungarian settled a scoring controversy with a real duel.

Fencing Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usfencing.org

Sport: Football

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

While the modern game of football started with the foundation of the Football Association of England in 1863, its roots extend to opposite ends of the earth. The ancient Chinese, Greeks and Romans played a similar game, long before English kings in the 1300s and 1400s were trying to outlaw the violent sport.

Olympic Significance

While professionals are allowed in the men’s tournament, rules restrict teams to players under 23 years old with the exception of three over-age players. ’No age restrictions apply for the women’s tournament. For the Beijing 2008 Games the number of women’s teams has been increased to 12. The men’s tournament is set at 16 teams.

Football Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.ussoccer.com

Sport: Gymnastics

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) was formed on 23 July 1881 when representatives of the gymnastics associations of Belgium, France and the Netherlands met in Liège. As a governing body it is held in high esteem by both its member federations and gymnastics clubs throughout five continents. In 1897, seventeen national associations joined together to form the basis of the European Gymnastics Federation. However, when the USA was admitted in 1921, the Committee changed its name to the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique or FIG, as it is known today. FIG comprises three Olympic disciplines: artistic, rhythmic and trampoline.

Gymnastics Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usa-gymnastics.org

Sport: Handball

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

The sport of handball as it is played today certainly has a checkered history. The very fact that man has always been more adept at using his hands than his feet lends credibility to the claim made by famous sports historians that he started playing handball much earlier than, say, football.

The games that were precursors of handball can only said to be distantly related to it in terms of their structure and rules of play. Nonetheless, the games of "Urania" played by the Ancient Greeks (and described by Homer in the Odyssey) and "Harpaston" played by the Romans (and described by the Roman doctor Claudius Galenus in 130 to 200 A.D.) as well as in the "Fangballspiel" (or 'catch ball game') featured in the songs of the German lyrical poet Walther von der Vogelweide (1170-1230) all contained certain features that can be described as ancient forms of handball.

Handball Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its Governing Body: www.usateamhandball.org

Sport: Hockey

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Hockey is the oldest known ball and stick game. Records exist of it having been played in Persia in 2000 BC. The name hockey probably derives from the French hocquet, or shepherd’s crook, and refers to the crooked stick which is used to hit a small ball. The game became more organized late in the 19th century and became an Olympic sport in 1908.

Olympic Significance

Until the 1970s, the game at international level was mainly played on natural grass, but has become an even more exciting and Skilful India dominated the sport for three decades, winning all six Olympic gold medals and 30 consecutive games from 1928 to 1956. The first Balbir Singh, who was followed by four more players of the same name who also played for victorious Indian teams, scored five goals in a 6-1 gold-medal victory over the Netherlands in Helsinki in 1952.

Hockey Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usfieldhockey.com

Sport: Judo

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Judo means "the gentle way" in Japanese. Of course, it is derived in part from jujitsu, the hand-to-hand combat technique of ancient samurai warriors, and everything is relative. While throwing opponents to the floor wins most matches, it is the only Olympic sport where submission holds allow choking an opponent or breaking an arm.

Olympic Significance

Developed by Dr Jigoro Kano in the 1880s, the sport broke into the Olympic Games in 1964 at Tokyo. The host country could add one sport, and Japan chose judo. Four weight classes were established, and Japanese entries promptly won three.

Judo Resources

• To learn more visit the National Governing Body: www.usjudo.org

Sport: Modern Pentathlon

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

A young French cavalry officer of the 19th century was sent on horseback to deliver a message. He rode across the uneven terrain, through enemy lines, and was confronted by a soldier with his sword drawn. Challenged to a duel, the officer won, only to have his horse shot out from under him by another enemy soldier.

After felling that soldier with a single shot, the officer ran on. He swam across a raging river, and then finally he delivered the message. So, legend has it, was born the modern pentathlon.

Olympic Significance

The brainchild of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, the event was based upon the unlucky officer and introduced into the Stockholm Games of 1912. Only remotely resembling the ancient pentathlon inspired by the warmongering Spartans, modern pentathletes shoot, fence, swim, compete in show jumping and run - five events testing endurance as well as athletic versatility.

Modern Pentathlon Resources

• To learn more visit the National Governing Body: www.usoc.org/152.htm

Sport: Rowing

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Rowing’s history dates back to the construction of the Pyramids when materials were moved up the Nile by boat. The citizens of Victorian England developed the modern configuration where boats would compete against one another for money and pride. Today, rowing is a fixture among many college campuses and leads to a passion that many carry for the rest of their lives.

Olympic Significance

The founder of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was a rower. The 1896 Athens Olympics were unable to highlight the power and grace of the sport due to rough seas, but the athletes have been able to compete in every Olympics since. It is considered by many to be the most physically demanding of all Olympic sports.

Rowing Resources

• To learn more visit the National Governing Body: www.usrowing.org

Sport: Sailing

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

The use of wind to push a vessel can be dated back to ancient times where sail boats were used for fishing, travel, and recreation. The modern sport of competitive sailing was developed by the Dutch in the early 17th century. The gift of a yacht by Holland to King Charles II brought a passion for competitive sailing to England, the American colonies, and beyond.

Olympic Significance

Sailing, or yachting as it was called, was to be one of the premier events at the 1896 Olympic Games but was cancelled along with most other open water sports due to inclement weather. The sport originally included many different types of boats competing in the same race but having a handicap based on their design. Today, there are 9 boat classes to ensure that the best sailor wins and not the best boat.

Sailing Resources

• To learn more visit the National Governing Body: www.ussailing.org

Sport: Shooting

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin:

Olympic history abounds with tales of athletes who overcame crippling adversity to win gold medals, but Karoly Takacs' comeback may be the best. Takacs was part of Hungary's world-champion pistol-shooting team in 1938 when an army grenade exploded in his right hand. Ten years later, he won the first two golds in rapid-fire pistol - after teaching himself to shoot left-handed.

Olympic Significance

From just three shooting events at the 1896 Olympic Games to 17 today, the sport has grown steadily. In part this leap can be ascribed to advances in the technology of firearms and equipment, which have led to constant changes in the shooting competition. But it can also be ascribed to the passion shooters have for their sport.

Shooting Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usshooting.org

Sport: Table Tennis

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Gossima. Whiff-Whaff. Flim-Flam. Ping-Pong.

Whatever name it assumes, table tennis has come a long way since its introduction as a genteel, after-dinner alternative to lawn tennis in 1890s England. Today, players compete for big money, wield high-tech rackets and volley the ball at speeds up to 160 km per hour. Table tennis has become the world's largest participation sport, with 40 million competitive players worldwide and countless millions playing recreationally.

Olympic Significance

The game, which debuted in the Olympic Games in 1988 at Seoul, began with cigar-box lids for rackets and a carved champagne cork for a ball. Today, players use specially developed rubber-coated wooden and carbon-fiber rackets and a lightweight, hollow celluloid ball. Various rubber compounds and glues are applied on the rackets to impart greater spin or speed.

Table Tennis Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usatt.org

Sport: Taekwondo

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Various Korean forms of martial arts have existed but in the early 20th century, taekwondo became the dominant form. In 1955 a group of Korean martial arts leaders chose taekwondo as the definitive Korean martial art in an attempt to promote its development internationally.

Olympic Significance

In 1973, the Korean government recognized the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) as the legitimate governing body of the sport, and the first World Championships were held in that year.

Taekwondo Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usa-taekwondo.us

Sport: Tennis

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

When Irishman John Boland traveled to Athens for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, he had no idea he would return home with the gold medal in tennis. But then, he had no idea he would compete either - he went as a spectator.

Today's Olympic tennis players include some of the highest-profile athletes in the world. Accustomed to five-star hotels and high-stakes prize money, at the Olympic Games they will bunk in the Olympic Village and compete for nothing but a gold medal.

Olympic Significance

Tennis was dropped from the Olympic program after 1924 amid turmoil over such issues as where to draw the line between amateurism and professionalism, and it didn't return as a medal sport until 1988. Today, Olympic competition includes men's and women's singles and men's and women's doubles

Tennis Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usta.com

Sport: Triathlon

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

The first triathlon was held in the south-western United States city of San Diego in 1974, in many ways an outgrowth of the California jogging craze. The ultimate endurance test, it requires athletes to excel at three very different pursuits - swimming, cycling and running. The sport demands particularly intense discipline because each area requires a high-level training schedule.

Olympic Significance

While taekwondo and triathlon both debuted as the newest Olympic sports at the Sydney 2000 Games, triathlon was literally the newest sport. Although the origins of taekwondo date back thousands of years, the triathlon dates back to 1978.

Triathlon Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usatriathlon.org

Sport: Volleyball

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

Volleyball, like basketball, is a sport whose origin is known almost to the day. Oddly enough, both sports were invented at the same college and within a few years of one another. Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a student at Springfield College and a director of the YMCA at Holyoke, Massachusetts. The game was originally called "Mintonette".

Olympic Significance

Volleyball quickly spread around the world and became more popular in other countries than in the United States. The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) was formed in 1946. The sport was introduced to the Olympics in 1964 by the Japanese, although it was never contested as a demonstration sport at the Olympics. No country has been truly dominant in volleyball, although the Soviet Union has won the most medals. Originally the Japanese had the world's best women players while the United States had the best men's team in the world throughout the 1980s.

Volleyball Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usavolleyball.org

Sport: Weightlifting

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

An ancient sport as old as mankind, embodying the most direct manifestation of human strength, weightlifting has not only flourished, but also developed into a modern sporting discipline for the 21st century. The apparent simplicity of lifting the barbell from the ground and over the head in one or two movements is deceiving. Weightlifting requires a combination of power, speed, technique, concentration and timing. Super heavyweight lifters normally claim the title of World’s Strongest Man or Woman. However, kilo per kilo, the lightest weightlifter is often the strongest.

Olympic Significance

Men’s weightlifting was on the program of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Women participated for the first time at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.

Weightlifting Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.usaweightlifting.org

Sport: Wrestling

Source: International Olympic Committee Website

Origin

If the Olympic Games are a history of mankind, wrestling is the prologue. When the ancient Games of the Olympiad were born, wrestling already was an ancient game. Widely recognized as the world's oldest competitive sport, wrestling appeared in a series of Egyptian wall paintings as many as 5000 years ago. When the Games began in 776 BC, more than two millenniums later, it included wrestling, and, in the years that followed, wrestling featured as the main event.

Olympic Significance

The sport would return in a similar role when the Olympic Games returned after a 1500-year absence in 1896. Organizers, seeking direct links to ancient times, found a natural in the sport that had enjoyed popularity across much of the ancient world, from Greece, Assyria and Babylon to India, China and Japan. They resurrected Greco-Roman wrestling, a style they believed to be an exact carryover from the Greek and Roman wrestlers of old.

Wrestling Resources

• Find out more about the sport from its governing body: www.themat.com