In 2014, a grandiose sports event took place in our country - the Sochi Winter Olympics. What kinds of sports were presented at it, we recall in our article. However, I would like to note the fact that the Olympic program includes only those sports that are widespread in at least 25 countries on three continents. Each of them is under the leadership of its International Sports Federation. To date, the Winter Olympics is held in 7 sports, presented in 15 disciplines.
Biathlon
Biathlon is a very popular winter sport of the Olympics among fans. It combines a ski race and small-bore rifle target shooting.
The essence of the competition is that the athlete must be the first to overcome skiing with four firing lines. A rifle is used for shooting, which is located behind the athlete’s back during the entire course of the course. She does not have an
optical sight. The distance to the target is 50 meters. At the moment of hitting the target, the black target is closed by a white valve, due to which the athlete immediately sees if he hit the target or not. The diameter of the target depends on the position from which shooting occurs: 4.5 cm when lying down and 11.5 cm when standing.
In the modern biathlon, competitions are held in the individual championship, sprint, relay race, mass start, pursuit.
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh is a winter sport of the Olympics (since 1924), the meaning of which is the fastest descent along the ice track in guided beans.
A team can consist of two or four people - the steering, braking and two pushers in four-legged beans. Each crew member performs its function: pushers accelerate the bean at the start, on which its speed depends, the helmsman controls the bean on the track and seeks to follow it along the optimal path, without losing speed when cornering, the braking stops the bean at the end of the track.
The ice track has the shape of a trench 1.5-2 km long with various turns and turns in varying complexity. Modern beans are made of fiberglass, aluminum, Kevlar. Management is due to the movable front axle. During the descent, the bean can reach speeds in excess of 150 km / h.
Not so long ago, another sports discipline stood out in bobsleigh - skeleton. Descent along the ice track is carried out on skeletons - double-track sleds on a fortified frame.
Curling
Despite the fact that the first mention of curling was found in the literature of the 15th century, it was included in the program of the Olympics only in 1994.
The two teams have a task - to put the maximum number of stones in a circle (house), closer to its center. In this case, you can knock out opponent stones from the house. To increase the sliding speed, as well as to change the trajectory of its movement, the competitors rub the ice in front of the stone with special mops - the ice melts from friction, and the shell glides along the formed thin layer of water.
The stones are made of granite. Each weight is approximately 20 kg.
Skating
Skating is also included in the Olympic sports of the Winter Olympics and includes 3 types of sports:
- Speed skating is a competition of skaters at short (up to 1.5 km) and long (up to 10 km) distances. Participants compete in pairs: one runs in the outer circle, the other in the inner.
- Figure skating is the favorite winter sport of the Olympics. Both loners (men and women) and couples compete. Evaluated the technical component of the dance and artistry.
- Short track is another option for speed skating. Athletes at speed overcome various distances inside the hockey box. Compete for personal championship in the team (relay race).
skiing
This view includes several sports disciplines:
- Alpine skiing - skiing down the mountain track marked with gates and flags.
- Nordic combined (held only among men). First, the athletes make a ski jump, and then take part in the ski race, and the one who gets the highest points for the jumps starts first.
- Cross-country skiing - skiing a certain distance, the length of which can be up to 50 km.
- Ski jumping is a very spectacular winter sport of the Olympics. To complete the jumps are made complex engineering structures - jumps. Not only the range of the jump is estimated, but also the technique.
- Freestyle includes activities such as ski acrobatics and moguls. In acrobatics, athletes perform jumps and jumps from ski jumps of varying complexity. In the mogul, skiing first takes place on an uneven, hummocky track, and then two ski jumps.
- Snowboarding - descent from the mountains along a special track and acrobatic ski jumping on a snowboard.
Tobogganing
Sledding is another of the 7 sports of the Winter Olympics. Competitions are held among singles (men and women), as well as couples (mix). The rules do not differ from the rules of bobsled and skeleton - you need to overcome the ice track as quickly and accurately as possible.
Sleds are an aerodynamic shield mounted on two runners. Special devices are fixed at the ends of the runners, with the help of which the athlete controls the sled. The equipment consists of an aerodynamic suit, helmet, shoes with fasteners, thanks to which the legs of the sleigh are fixed in an extended position. Spiked gloves are needed to push away at the start.
Hockey
Ice hockey completes our list of sports for the Winter Olympics. The competition is held between two teams that strive to get the puck into the opponent’s goal as many times as possible. Each team consists of six people plus substitutes.
The list of Olympic sports is regularly updated. So, for example, in 2011, several sports disciplines were added to the Olympic program: in skiing - ski jumping for women; in the luge - relay race; in figure skating - team competitions; in freestyle - slopestyle; in a snowboard - slopestyle and parallel team slalom.