Olympics vocabulary

relay

A race in which each side uses several team members to complete the race; each member has a turn to finish a set part of the race and is then replaced by another team member to finish the next part, and so forth

hurdles

A race in which runners jump over barriers

tournament

A series of contests in which a number of individuals or teams play against each other to find a winner.

hammer throw

Athletes throw a metal ball (7.26kg for men, 4kg for women) for distance that's attached to a grip by a steel wire no longer than 1.22m

handball

Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the other team.

rhythmic gymnastics

Officially called Rhythmic Sportive Gymnastics (RSG), it is a women's Olympic sport that is performed by one to five women as a floor exercise. It requires extreme flexibility combined with ballet-type dance movements and is performed with props such as ribbons, balls, ropes and hoops. Routines do not include difficult tumbling maneuvers.

long jump

Running and jumping into a sand pit

discus throw

The discus throw is an athletic event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus

javelin throw

The javelin throw is an athletics event where the javelin, a spear about 2.5 m in length, is thrown

triathlon

a competition in which the people competing must swim, ride a bicycle, and run particular distances without stopping between events

water polo

a game played in water in which two teams of swimmers try to get the ball into the other team's goal

hockey

a game played on a sports field between two teams of eleven players who each have a curved stick with which they try to put a small, hard ball into the other team's goal

ice hockey

a game played on ice between two teams of players who each have a curved stick with which they try to put a puck (= a small, hard disc) into the other team's goal

marathon

a is a very long foot race just over 42 kilometers.

spectator

a person who watches something, such as a sporting event

host

a place or organization that provides the space and other necessary things for a special event

slalom

a race for people on skis or in kayaks (= light, narrow boats) in which they have to follow a route that bends in and out between poles

shot put

a round metal shot is thrown from the shoulder for distance

canoe

a small, light, narrow boat, pointed at both ends and moved using a paddle

synchronized swimming

a sport in which a group of people make smooth, attractive movements like dancing in the water at the same time

high jump

a sport in which competitors try to jump over a bar supported on two poles. The height of the bar is gradually raised and the winner is the person who jumps highest without knocking the bar off the poles.

wrestling

a sport in which two people fight and try to throw each other to the ground

rugby

a sport where two teams try to score points by carrying an oval ball across a particular line or kicking it over and between an H-shaped set of posts

pentathlon

a sports event in which athletes compete in five different sports The pentathlon consists of running, swimming, riding, shooting, and fencing.

torch

a thick stick with material that burns tied to the top of it, used to give light

backstroke

a way of swimming in which you lie on your back and move one arm and then the other straight behind you so that they pass the sides of your head, while kicking with your legs

butterfly

a way of swimming on your front by kicking with your legs while raising your arms together out of the water and then bringing them down in front of you

the Paralympics

an international sports competition for people with physical disabilities, that happens every four years immediately after the Olympics

equestrian

connected with the riding of horses

mascot

n. a person or animal that is adopted by a team or other group as a symbolic figure

pole vault

sport of jumping over a high bar with the help a long pole

weightlifting

the activity of lifting heavy objects either as a sport or for exercise

archery

the art or sport of shooting arrows

athletics

the general name for a particular group of sports in which people compete, including running, jumping, and throwing

venue

the location where something takes place

fencing

the sport of fighting with long, thin swords

diving

the sport of jumping into water, especially with your head and arms going in first, or of swimming underwater

rowing

the sport of racing in long, narrow boats that are moved by using oars

sailing

the sport or activity of using boats with sails