Discover composites In olympic & paralympic sports

Surfing has been on the program of the Summer Olympic Games since 2021 (Tokyo Olympics) as an additional sport and will be included in the list of official sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

From the first edition of the modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, tennis has been part of the Olympic sports. After being absent from the Olympic program for over fifty years, the discipline made its comeback at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, alongside the introduction of table tennis. Wheelchair tennis was first contested at the Barcelona Paralympic Games in 1992, either in ‘Open’ Class (for athletes with normal arm function) or in ‘Quad’ Class is for athletes with additional restrictions.

Swimming has been part of the summer program since the first edition of the modern Olympic Games in 1896 (Athens). Alongside Athletics, it is the sport that typically awards the most medals. Marathon swimming was added in 2008 (Beijing). Swimming has also been an official Paralympic sport since the 1960 first Paralympic Games in Rome.

Athletics has been part of the Olympic Games program since the first edition in 1896 (Athens) for men and since 1928 (Amsterdam) for women. It is the sport with the largest number of events at the Olympic Games (48 events since 2020) alongside swimming. Para-athletics was one of the first sports – out of a total of eight – to be added to the Paralympic program at the Rome 1960 Games.

The skateboard was introduced to the Summer Olympic Games program in Tokyo in 2021 as an additional sport, and will become part of the official sports list in 2028 for the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

After gaining popularity among the youth, sport climbing made its grand debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, after being included in the Olympic program as a new sport.

Originally, badminton made its debut at the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport at the 1972 Munich Olympics. In 1988, it reappeared as a demonstration sport in Seoul, and finally entered the official Olympic program in 1992 at the Barcelona Games. Para-badminton is present since the Paralympic games in Tokyo 2021.

Sailing has been part of the program since the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.

Artistic gymnastics is one of the historic sports of the modern era Olympic Games. It has been on the Olympic program in every edition since the 1896 Games in Athens. The first women’s competitions were held at the 1928 Summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam. In addition to artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics was added to the Games program in 1984 (Los Angeles) and trampoline in 2000 (Sydney).

Shooting is present in the Modern Olympic Games since 1896 (Athens, except 1904 and 1928). This Olympic sport includes three disciplines (rifle, pistol and shotgun), targets at distances of 10m, 25m and 50m, three positions: kneeling, prone and standing (Fig.1). Shooting made its Paralympic debut at the Toronto 1976 Games.

Hockey first appeared at the Games in 1908, in London. It made its permanent entry into the Olympic program in 1928, in Amsterdam. Women entered the program in 1980, at the Moscow Games.

Fencing is a historic Olympic sport, which has been part of the Olympic program since the Athens Games in 1896, never to leave it again. Women entered the fencing arena at the 1924 Games in Paris. Wheelchair fencing was included in the first ever Paralympic Games in 1960.

Archery made its first appearance at the 1900 Summer Olympics. Absent from the program from 1924 to 1968, archery was reintroduced at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Para-archery, also known as archery for athletes with disabilities, made its debut at the 1960 Summer Paralympics and has been contested at every Summer Paralympic Games since then.

Equestrian sports made their debut at the Olympic Games in 1900 and became a permanent part of the Olympic program at the Stockholm Games in 1912. Starting from the 1952 Helsinki Games, women were allowed to participate in the dressage event, which became mixed gender. While the first Para equestrian competitions emerged in the 1970s, the discipline was only included in the Paralympic Games in 1996, at the Atlanta Games.

Rowing has been part of the Olympic Games program since the first modern Games in Athens in 1896 for men, and in 1976 (Montreal) for women. Para-rowing has been one of the sports disciplines of the Paralympic Games since the 2008 Summer Paralympics (Beijing). The sprint canoeing event was officially included in the program of the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, after being a demonstration sport in 1924. Para canoeing at the Paralympic Games has been a Paralympic event since the 2016 Summer Games (Rio). Canoe slalom was introduced in 1972 (Munich). The inclusion of women’s canoe events in slalom took place in 2021 (Tokyo).

Football, rugby, and water polo were integrated into the Paris Olympic Games in 1900, basketball and handball in 1936 (Berlin), volleyball in 1964 (Tokyo), beach volleyball in 1996 (Atlanta), and 3×3 basketball in 2021 (Tokyo). These ball sports are also Paralympic disciplines: wheelchair basketball (1960, Rome), goalball (1976, Montreal), sitting volleyball (1980, Moscow), boccia (1984, Los Angeles), wheelchair rugby (2000, Sydney), blind football (2004, Athens).

Golf made its Olympic debut in 1900 in Paris. After a second appearance at the 1904 Olympics, the sport was removed from the Olympic program. Golf was reintroduced to the Olympic program in 2016 in Rio.