Olympic sports#Recognized sports

From the 18th century onwards, researchers took a greater interest in the value of traditional games in elucidating cultural values and identities. The modern Olympic Games, founded by Pierre de Coubertin on the basis of "All games, all nations", were influenced by this thinking; at the 1904 Summer Olympics, de Coubertin arranged "Anthropological Days", which allowed athletes from Asia, Africa, and South America to demonstrate their regional games. However, the 1904 organizers marginalized this aspect of the Olympics, and it quickly faded away after a few years, with mainly only Western sports being played.{{Cite book |last=Hardman |first=Ken |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVK7BN7q-bsC&pg=PA162 |title=Contemporary Issues in Physical Education: International Perspectives |last2=Green |first2=Ken |date=2011 |page=162-163|publisher=Meyer & Meyer Verlag |isbn=978-1-84126-312-0 |language=en}}

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) considers an Olympic sport to comprise all disciplines governed by an international sports federation. For example, aquatics is a summer Olympic sport that includes six disciplines: swimming, artistic swimming, diving, water polo, open water swimming, and high diving (a non-Olympic discipline), all of which are governed at international level by World Aquatics.{{cite web |title=Aquatics |url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=AQ |website=International Olympic Committee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325212212/http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=AQ |archive-date=2007-03-25 |url-status=dead |access-date=6 April 2007}} Skating is a winter Olympic sport represented by the International Skating Union, and includes four disciplines: figure skating, speed skating, Short-track speed skating, and synchronized skating (a non-Olympic discipline).{{cite web |title=Skating |url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=SK |website=International Olympic Committee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219102906/http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=SK |archive-date=2007-02-19 |url-status=dead |access-date=6 April 2007}} The sport with the largest number of Olympic disciplines is skiing, with six: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, snowboarding, and freestyle skiing.

Other notable multi-discipline sports are gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline), cycling (road, track, mountain, and BMX), volleyball (indoors and beach), wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman), canoeing (flatwater and slalom), and bobsleigh (includes skeleton). The disciplines listed here are only those contested in the Olympics—gymnastics has two non-Olympic disciplines, while cycling and wrestling have three each.

The IOC definition of a "discipline" may differ from that used by an international federation. For example, the IOC considers artistic gymnastics a single discipline, but the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) classifies men's and women's artistic gymnastics as separate disciplines.{{cite web|url=http://www.fig-gymnastics.com/site/ |title=Disciplines |website=gymnastics.sport |publisher=International Gymnastics Federation |access-date=3 October 2015}} Clicking on the "Disciplines" tab in the main menu bar brings up a list of FIG disciplines; men's and women's artistic gymnastics are listed separately. Similarly, the IOC considers freestyle wrestling to be a single discipline, but United World Wrestling classifies women's freestyle wrestling as the separate discipline of "female wrestling".{{cite web |title=Disciplines |url=http://unitedworldwrestling.org/disciplines |website=United World Wrestling |access-date=31 October 2014}}

An event, by IOC definition, is a competition that leads to the award of medals. Therefore, the sport of aquatics includes a total of 46 Olympic events, of which 32 are in the discipline of swimming, eight in diving, and two each in artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming. The number of events per sport ranges from a minimum of two (until 2008, there were sports with only one event) to a maximum of 47 in athletics, which despite its large number of diverse events is not divided into separate disciplines like aquatics is.

Sports eligible for inclusion in the Olympic programme are only those governed by international federations recognized by the IOC, as stated in Bye-laws 1.3.2 and 1.4.2 to Rule 45 of the Olympic Charter (2023).{{cite web |publisher=IOC |url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/General/EN-Olympic-Charter.pdf |title=Olympic Charter |year=2021 |page=88 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514221054/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/General/EN-Olympic-Charter.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2021 |url-status=live }} The opportunity to propose additional sports to the programme is at the full discretion of the respective Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and subject to the final decision of the IOC Session.{{cite web |title=How can a sport be included in the Olympic Games programme |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/faq/sports-programme-and-results/how-can-a-sport-be-included-in-the-olympic-games-programme |website=International Olympic Committee |date=2022-01-11 |access-date=2022-01-12 |language=en}}

In the past, several criteria concerning widely practiced sports, disciplines or events have been abolished.{{Cite book|title=The Olympic programme evolution / The Olympic Studies Centre|year=2018|url=https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/174657/the-olympic-programme-evolution-the-olympic-studies-centre|pages=4–5|publisher=The Olympic Studies Centre|location=Lausanne|language=English|access-date=2022-01-12}} However, the number of sports remains constrained by athlete and event limits. According to Bye-law 3.2 to Rule 45 of the Olympic Charter (2023), Summer Olympics should be approximately limited to 10,500 athletes, 5,000 coaches and support personnel and 310 events, while Winter Olympics should be capped at around 2,900 athletes, 2,000 coaches and support personnel and 100 events, unless agreed to otherwise by the Organizing Committee. These thresholds are likely to be surpassed for the 2028 Summer Olympics; sports director Kit McConnell stated that they would aim to "limit the increase, but limit the impact on the existing sport".{{cite web |title=IOC approves five additional sports for Los Angeles 2028 but boxing back on hold |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1141685/ioc-confirms-los-angeles-2028-sports |website=Inside the Games |date=2023-10-13 |last1=Burke |first1=Patrick |access-date=2024-01-28}}

In previous years, sports that depend primarily on mechanical propulsion, such as motor sports, could not be considered for recognition as Olympic sports, though there were power-boating events in 1908 before this rule was enacted by the IOC.{{cite web |title=What Events are Olympic? |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/about/events.html |website=Sports Reference |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417040523/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/about/events.html |archive-date=2020-04-17 |url-status=dead |access-date=15 August 2008}} The rule excluding motorsports{{cite book |publisher=Olympic Programme Commission |url=https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reports/EN/en_report_527.pdf |title=Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008 |date=August 2002 |page=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219113055/https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reports/EN/en_report_527.pdf |archive-date=19 December 2016 |url-status=live }} was removed from the Olympic Charter in 2016.{{Cite web|date=2020-05-31|title=Motorsports & the Olympics Games: 1900, IOC, Regulations,...|url=https://www.sportsver.com/is-car-racing-an-olympic-sport-1900-olympics-ioc/|access-date=2022-01-12|website=Sportsver|language=en-us}}{{cite web |title=Analysis: Why isn't F1 in the Olympics? |url=https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/analysis-why-isnt-f1-in-the-olympics-806274/806274/ |website=Motorsport.com |date=2016-08-11 |last1=Bradley |first1=Charles |access-date=2022-01-12 |language=en}} The FIA (governing body for automobile sports),{{cite web |title=International Automobile Federation |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/recognised-international-federations/international-automobile-federation |website=International Olympic Committee |date=2021-12-13 |access-date=2022-01-12 |language=en}} FIM (governing body for motorcycle sports){{cite web |title=International Motorcycling Federation |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/recognised-international-federations/international-motorcycling-federation |website=International Olympic Committee |date=2024-08-10 |access-date=2024-08-10 |language=en}} and FAI (governing body for air sports){{cite web |title=World Air Sports Federation |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/recognised-international-federations/world-air-sports-federation |website=International Olympic Committee |date=2021-12-13 |access-date=2022-01-12 |language=en}} are recognised by the International Olympic Committee,{{Cite web|date=2022-01-10|title=Recognised Federations|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/recognised-international-federations|access-date=2022-01-12|website=International Olympic Committee|language=en}} and therefore, in theory, could be eligible for inclusion at future Olympic Games.

File:Curling Torino 2006 Pinerolo Palaghiaccio scena1.jpg was promoted to an official Olympic sport at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.]]

The list of Olympic sports has changed considerably during the course of Olympic history, and has gradually increased over time.

The Olympic Charter decrees that Olympic sports for each edition of the Olympic Games should be decided at an IOC Session no later than seven years prior to the Games.

The only summer sports that have never been absent from the Olympic program are athletics, aquatics (swimming), cycling, fencing, and gymnastics (artistic gymnastics). The only winter sports that were included in all Winter Olympic Games are skiing (nordic skiing), skating (figure skating and speed skating), and ice hockey. Figure skating and ice hockey were also included in the Summer Olympics (in 1908 and 1920) before the Winter Olympics were introduced in 1924.

Early Olympic Games prior to World War II included eight sports that have since been discontinued from the Olympics: basque pelota, croquet, jeu de paume, polo, rackets, roque, tug of war and water motorsports.{{cite web |title=Olympic Sports of the Past |url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/past/index_uk.asp |website=International Olympic Committee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307095248/http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/past/index_uk.asp |archive-date=2007-03-07 |url-status=dead |access-date=6 April 2007}} Organizers were able to decide which sports or disciplines were included on the program from 1896 to 1920, with the IOC taking control of the program in 1924. As a result, a number of sports were on the Olympic program for relatively brief periods: of the eight discontinued early Olympic sports, the only one on the program after 1920 was polo (in 1924 and 1936). These sports were removed because of lack of interest or the absence of an appropriate governing body, and are considered unlikely to ever return.

Five early Olympic sports that were removed by the IOC have managed to return to the Olympic program: archery in 1972, tennis in 1988, curling in 1998, golf in 2016 and cricket in 2028. Further, three other early Olympic sports returned in a different format from which they were originally competed in: handball in 1972 (as indoor handball instead of field handball), rugby in 2016 (as rugby sevens instead of rugby union), and lacrosse in 2028 (as lacrosse sixes instead of field lacrosse).

For most of the 20th century, the Olympics included one or more demonstration sports, normally to promote a local sport from the host country or to gauge interest in an entirely new sport.{{cite web |url=http://www.topendsports.com/events/discontinued/demo.htm |title=Demonstration, Exhibition and Unofficial Sports at the Olympics |last=Wood |first=Robert |date=2010 |website=TopendSports.com |access-date=15 September 2021}} Some such sports, like baseball and curling, were later added to the official Olympic program (in 1992 and 1998, respectively). The competitions and ceremonies in these sports were identical to official Olympic sports, except that the medals were not counted in the official record. On some occasions, both official medal events and demonstration events have been contested in the same sport at the same Games, such as men's and women's judo in 1988. Due to logistical issues, the International Olympic Committee decided in 1989 to eliminate demonstration sports from the Olympic Games after 1992.{{cite web |title=Albertville 1992 |url=http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Games/All-Past-Olympic-Games/Winter/Albertville-1992/ |website=International Olympic Committee |access-date=8 July 2008}} An unofficial exception was made in 2008, when the Beijing Organizing Committee received permission to organize a wushu tournament.{{cite news |url=http://www.newsgd.com/culture/culturenews/200510140032.htm |title=Wushu to be part of Beijing Olympic Games |date=14 October 2005 |website=NEWSGD.com |location=Guangdong |access-date=18 March 2007}}{{cite news |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-10/16/content_3621265.htm |title=Rogge says wushu no "Olympic sport" in 2008 |date=16 October 2005 |website=chinaview.cn |location=Shanghai |agency=Xinhua News Agency |access-date=18 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061128201652/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-10/16/content_3621265.htm |archive-date=28 November 2006 }}

Women first competed in the 1900 Olympic Games, participating in five sports (croquet, sailing, tennis, golf and equestrian).{{cite web |title=Q3 When did women first compete in the Olympic Games? |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/faq/history-and-origin-of-the-games/when-did-women-first-compete-in-the-olympic-games |website=International Olympic Committee |date=2022-02-02 |access-date=2024-01-28}} With the addition of women's boxing in 2012 and women's ski jumping in 2014, women can now compete in all Olympic disciplines except for Greco-Roman wrestling and nordic combined; there are also two women-only disciplines, rhythmic gymnastics and artistic swimming.

The sports of baseball and softball were both voted off the program by the IOC Session in Singapore on 11 July 2005,{{cite news |title=They'rrre out! Olympics drop baseball, softball |url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/8504326/site/21683474/ |date=2005-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080812052814/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/8504326/site/21683474/ |archive-date=2008-08-12 |url-status=dead |work=NBC Sports |quote=Rogge has basically conspired against the sports to get them removed. |access-date=15 August 2008 |agency=Associated Press}} a decision that was reaffirmed on 9 February 2006.{{cite web |title=Strike 3 for Olympic Baseball |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/strike-3-for-olympic-baseball/ |website=CBS News |date=2006-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216123832/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/09/sportsline/main1300205.shtml |archive-date=2006-02-16 |url-status=live |access-date=15 August 2008 |agency=Associated Press |location=Turin, Italy}} Baseball and softball, before their reinstatement for the 2020 Olympics,{{cite web |title=IOC approves five new sports for Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-approves-five-new-sports-for-olympic-games-tokyo-2020 |website=International Olympic Committee |date=2016-08-03 |access-date=17 September 2021}} were last included in 2008: therefore, the number of sports in the 2012 Summer Olympics was dropped from 28 to 26. This was the first time a sport or discipline had been removed from the Olympic program since canoe slalom after 1972 (though it returned in 1992).

Two previously long-discontinued sports, golf (last competed in 1904) and rugby (last competed in 1924), returned for the 2016 Summer Olympics. On 13 August 2009, the IOC Executive Board proposed that golf and rugby sevens be added to the Olympic program for 2016.{{cite news |title=Golf, rugby backed by IOC board for 2016 Games |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2009656175_apolyiocnewsports.html |date=2009-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604091017/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2009656175_apolyiocnewsports.html |archive-date=2011-06-04 |url-status=dead |work=The Seattle Times |last1=Wilson |first1=Stephen |agency=Associated Press |access-date=14 August 2009 |location=Berlin}} On 9 October 2009, during the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, the IOC voted to admit both as official Olympic sports and to include them in the 2016 Summer Olympics.{{cite news |title=I.O.C. Decision Draws Cheers and Complaints From Athletes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/sports/14sports.html |date=2009-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827082843/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/sports/14sports.html |archive-date=2012-08-27 |url-status=live |last1=Klein |first1=Jeff Z. |newspaper=The New York Times}}{{cite news |title=Golf & rugby voted into Olympics |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/8292584.stm |date=2009-10-09 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=4 January 2010}} The IOC voted 81–8 in favor of rugby sevens and 63–27 in favor of golf, thus bringing the number of sports back to 28.

In February 2013, the IOC considered dropping a sport from the 2020 Summer Olympics to make way for a new sport: modern pentathlon and taekwondo were thought to be vulnerable, but instead the IOC recommended removing wrestling.{{cite web |title=Wrestling to be dropped from 2020 Olympic Games |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/olympics/21427455 |website=BBC Sport |date=2013-02-12}} On 8 September 2013, the IOC added wrestling to the 2020 and 2024 Summer Games.{{cite web |title=Wrestling added to Olympic programme for 2020 and 2024 Games |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/wrestling-added-to-olympic-programme-for-2020-and-2024-games/208839 |website=International Olympic Committee |date=2013-09-08 |access-date=17 September 2021}}

Starting with the 2020 Games, the IOC altered the way it plans the Olympic sports program: rather than basing it on a maximum number of sports, the total number of events are now taken into account, opening the schedule up for the inclusion on a per-Games basis of additional sports to the 28 "core" sports. For the 2020 Summer Olympics, the local organizing committee was thus permitted to add five sports to the program in addition to the existing 28, taking the total to 33.{{cite web |title=You're in! Baseball/softball, 4 other sports make Tokyo cut |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2016/08/03/ioc-approves-addition-of-5-sports-for-2020-tokyo-olympics/88035700/ |website=USA Today |date=2016-08-03 |access-date=18 August 2016 |agency=Associated Press |location=Rio de Janeiro}} Baseball and softball have been treated by the IOC as a single sport since the governing bodies for baseball and softball merged into a single international federation, the World Baseball Softball Confederation, in 2013 (with male athletes competing in baseball and female athletes competing in softball). On 3 August 2016, the IOC voted to add baseball/softball, karate, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding as optional sports for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

On 21 February 2019, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee announced they would propose the inclusion of breakdancing (breaking), as well as skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing.{{cite web |title=Olympic Games: Paris organisers propose breakdancing to IOC as a new sport for 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/47317052 |website=BBC Sport |date=2019-02-21}} All four sports were approved during the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 June 2019.{{cite web |title=Gender equality and youth at the heart of the Paris 2024 Olympic Sports program |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/gender-equality-and-youth-at-the-heart-of-the-paris-2024-olympic-sports-programme |website=International Olympic Committee |access-date=6 August 2022}}

On 18 June 2021, the IOC issued a proposal for a new winter sport, ski mountaineering, for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The proposal was approved during the IOC's session in Tokyo on 20 July.{{cite web |last1=Sharma |first1=Hritika |title=Ski mountaineering added to 2026 Winter Olympic program |url=https://www.infobae.com/aroundtherings/federations/2021/07/21/ski-mountaineering-added-to-2026-winter-olympic-programme/ |website=Infobae|date=21 July 2021 |access-date=6 August 2022}}

On 3 February 2022, the IOC designated skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing to be core Summer Olympic sports starting in 2028, raising the number of core sports to 31.{{cite web |title=IOC approves proposal to include skateboarding, surfing and rock climbing at 2028 LA Olympics |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2022-02-02/ioc-approves-proposal-to-include-skateboarding-surfing-and-rock-climbing-at-2028-la-olympics |website=Los Angeles Times |date=2022-02-03 |last1=Wharton |first1=David |access-date=2024-01-29}} On 16 October 2023, the IOC approved the addition of five optional sports for the 2028 Summer Olympics: baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash, while breakdancing was dropped.{{cite web |title=Cricket among five sports confirmed on Los Angeles 2028 programme at IOC Session |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1141782/ioc-session-la-28-sports-confirmed |website=Inside the Games |date=2023-10-16 |access-date=2023-10-16}} Cricket's only previous Olympic appearance was in 1900, while lacrosse was last on the Olympic program in 1908.

FIle:Brasil vence a França no vôlei masculino 1037987-15.08.2016 ffz-6369.jpg has been part of the Summer Olympics since 1964.]]

At the first Olympic Games, ten sports were contested.{{cite web |title=Athens 1896 |url=http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Games/All-Past-Olympic-Games/Summer/Athens-1896/ |website=International Olympic Committee |access-date=13 March 2010}} Since then, the number of sports contested at the Summer Olympic Games has gradually risen to thirty-six on the program for 2028.{{cite web |title=Cricket among five sports confirmed on Los Angeles 2028 programme at IOC Session |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1141782/ioc-session-la-28-sports-confirmed |website=Inside the Games |date=2023-10-16 |access-date=2023-10-16}}

In order for a sport or discipline to be considered for inclusion in the list of Summer Olympic sports, it must be widely practiced in at least 75 countries, spread over four continents.

As of 2013, Summer Olympic sports were divided into categories based on popularity, which determined the share each sport's International Federation received of Olympic revenue.{{cite news |title=Athletics to share limelight as one of top Olympic sports |url=http://www.qt.com.au/news/atheltics-share-limelight-one-top-olympic-sports/1889097/ |newspaper=The Queensland Times |date=31 May 2013 |access-date=18 July 2013}}{{cite web|title=Winners Include Gymnastics, Swimming - and Wrestling - as IOC Announces New Funding Distribution Groupings |publisher=Association of Summer Olympic International Federations |website=ASOIF.com |url=http://asoif.com/News/News_Article.aspx?ID=3392 |date=29 May 2013 |last=Murray |first=Callum |location=St Petersburg |access-date=18 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714225220/http://asoif.com/News/News_Article.aspx?ID=3392 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=Olympics-IOC sports revenue rankings |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/olympics-athletics-revenues-idUSL3N0EA2F620130529 |website=Reuters |date=2013-05-29 |access-date=28 October 2018}}

The following sports (and disciplines) make up the current and discontinued Summer Olympic Games official program and are listed alphabetically according to the name used by the IOC. The figures in each cell indicate the number of events for each sport contested at the respective Games; a bullet ({{bigbullet}}) denotes that the sport was contested as a demonstration or unofficial sport.

Eight of the 32 sports at the 2024 Summer Olympics consist of multiple disciplines. Each discipline is marked with a unique 3-character identifier code by the IOC.{{cite web |title= IOC ODF Sport Codes|url=https://odf.olympictech.org/ioc/Olympic_Movement_Sport_Codes.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822050358/https://odf.olympictech.org/ioc/Olympic_Movement_Sport_Codes.pdf |archive-date=22 August 2017 |url-status=live }}{{cite web | title=Olympic Data Feed (Olympic Movement Sport Codes)| website=Olympic Data Feed| url=https://odf.olympictech.org/project.htm | language=en | access-date=May 21, 2023}}

{{sticky table start}}{{sort under}}

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{{reflist|group=s|refs=

{{refn|group=s|name=1896 Rowing and Sailing|Sailing and rowing were included in the program of the 1896 Games, but were cancelled due to bad weather.{{Cite book |last=The Olympic Studies Centre |title=History of the sports at the Olympic Summer Games |date=2022 |url=https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/161865/history-of-the-sports-at-the-olympic-summer-games-the-olympic-studies-centre |access-date=2024-01-19 |publisher=The Olympic Studies Centre }}}}

{{refn|group=s|name=World Skate|At the time skateboarding was announced as part of the 2020 Summer Games, the sport was governed by the International Skateboarding Federation. That body merged with Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports in September 2017 to form the current World Skate.}}

{{refn|group=s|name=WBSC|The World Baseball Softball Confederation, which currently governs both baseball and softball, was created by a 2013 merger of two former governing bodies – the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation. Baseball and softball were governed separately at all Olympics before 2013.}}

}}

Art competitions were held between the 1912 and 1948 Games, and medals were awarded.{{cite web |title=When the Olympics Gave Out Medals for Art |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-the-olympics-gave-out-medals-for-art-6878965/ |website=Smithsonian |date=2012-07-24 |last1=Stromberg |first1=Joseph |access-date=2024-01-28}} In 1952, art competition medals were removed from the official national medal counts.{{cite web |title=ABC TV's The Art Of explores the surprising history of art competitions at the Olympics |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-01/olympic-games-art-history-the-art-of-abc-tv/104165190 |website=ABC News |date=2024-07-31 |last1=McGillivray |first1=Mary |access-date=2024-08-05}} Olympic medals have also been awarded for feats of alpinism{{cite web | first1=Volker | last1=Kluge | first2=Thomas | last2=Lippert | title=The Olympic Alpinism Prize and a promise redeemed | website=International Society of Olympic Historians | date=2013 | url=https://isoh.org/wp-content/uploads/JOH-Archives/JOHv21n3n.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127200156/https://isoh.org/wp-content/uploads/JOH-Archives/JOHv21n3n.pdf | access-date=2024-01-27| archive-date=27 January 2024 }} and aeronautics.{{cite web | last=Borja | first=Elizabeth | title=The Year Aeronautics Was an Olympic Event | website=National Air and Space Museum | date=2016-08-05 | url=https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/year-aeronautics-was-olympic-event | access-date=2024-01-27}}

• 20px Aeronautics (1936)
• 20px Alpinism (1924, 1932, 1936)
• Art competitions (1912–1948)

{{Further|Demonstration sport#Summer Olympics}}

Between 1924 and 1992, the IOC officially recognized demonstration sports, allowing host countries to organize demonstrations of non-Olympic sports during the Games; no demonstration sports were held in 1976 or 1980 due to the IOC temporarily eliminating them.

The following sports or disciplines have been demonstration sports at the Summer Olympic Games for the years shown, but have never been included on the Olympic program as a medal event.{{cite web | title=Demonstration sports : history at the Olympic Summer Games / The Olympic Studies Centre | website=Olympic World Library | date=2024-01-19 | url=https://library.olympics.com/doc/SYRACUSE/619826 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119230639/https://library.olympics.com/doc/SYRACUSE/619826 | archive-date=2024-01-19 | url-status=live | access-date=2024-01-27}}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• 20px American football (1932)
• 20px Australian football (1956)
• 20px 20px 20px Budō (1964)
• 20px Gliding (1936)
• 20px Korfball (1928)
• 20px La canne (1924)
• 20px Pesäpallo (1952)
• 20px Roller hockey (1992)
• 20px Savate (1924)
• 20px Swedish (Ling) gymnastics (1948)
• 20px Water skiing (1972)

{{div col end}}

American football (1904) and Korfball (1920) first appeared as unofficial sports before becoming demonstration sports.

Gliding was promoted from a demonstration sport to an official Olympic sport for the 1940 Summer Olympics, but the Games were cancelled due to World War II.{{cite book |last= Welch |first= Ann |title= The Story of Gliding |edition=2nd |publisher= John Murray |year= 1980 |isbn = 0-7195-3659-6 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/flugwerft/collections/sailplanes/olympia-meise/ |title=DFS-Olympia-Meise |work=Deutsches Museum |access-date=25 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080318183920/http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/flugwerft/collections/sailplanes/olympia-meise/ |archive-date=18 March 2008 |url-status=dead}} Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, will make its Olympic debut in 2028.

Several sports, while not officially recognized by the IOC as demonstration sports, have nonetheless been held alongside or as part of the Olympic program. Events held during Games prior to 1924 are considered demonstration sports by some scholars,{{cite journal | last=Yttergren | first=Leif | title=Baseball, glima and Gotlandic sport : An analysis of the demonstration sports in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics | journal=Diagoras: International Academic Journal on Olympic Studies | volume=2 | date=2018-11-16 | pages=103–122 | url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1263741&dswid=3997 | access-date=2024-01-27}}{{cite book |author= Bill Mallon, Jeroen Heijmans |title= Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mM0XzW03AcC&q=demonstration|year=2011|page=97|publisher= Scarecrow Press |isbn= 9780810875227 }} though not by the IOC. Bowling at the 1988 Games (along with badminton) was considered an exhibition sport in that it was not part of the official Olympic schedule and did not require IOC approval for staging, unlike demonstration sports.{{cite web | title=Competition Management by Sport | website=library.la84.org | date=2018-07-25 | url=http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1988/1988v1p2.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007205113/http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1988/1988v1p2.pdf | archive-date=2018-10-07 | url-status=unfit | access-date=2024-01-27 | page=362}}

Organizers of the 1900 and 1904 Olympic Games, which were staged in conjunction with the 1900 and 1904 World's Fairs, included numerous sporting events on an equal footing under their programmes.{{cite web |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/olympic/other.htm |title=Demonstration and unofficial sports |website=GBRathletics.com |access-date=10 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219030419/http://www.gbrathletics.com/olympic/other.htm |archive-date=19 February 2015 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Soltis |first=Greg |url=http://www.livescience.com/2782-olympic-events-history.html |title=Olympic Events Through History |website=Live Science |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=10 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222203733/http://www.livescience.com/2782-olympic-events-history.html |archive-date=22 February 2014 |url-status=live }} Historians generally regard many of these as not satisfying retrospective inclusion criteria to qualify as "official".{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=inAwCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 | author = Mallon, Bill | year = 1998 | title = The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc. | location = Jefferson, North Carolina | isbn = 978-0-7864-4064-1}} Through 1995, the IOC never made a determination regarding which events were Olympic and which were not,{{cite book|first1=Karl|last1=Lennartz|first2=Walter|last2=Teutenberg|title=Olympische Spiele 1900 in Paris|publisher=Agon-Sportverlag|location=Kassel, Germany|page=147|year=1995|isbn=3-928562-20-7|quote=In many works, it is read that the IOC later met to decide which events were Olympic and which were not. This is not correct and no decision has ever been made. No discussion of this item can be found in the account of any Session.}} although the present IOC website generally conforms to historians' views.

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• 20px Angling (1900)
• 20px Ballooning (1900)
• 20px Boules (1900)
• 20px Bowling (1988)
• 20px Cannon shooting (1900)
• 20px Chess (2000)
• 20px Cycle polo (1908)
• Fire fighting (1900)
• 20px Gaelic football (1904)
• 20px Glima (1908, 1912)
• Gotland sports (1912)
• 20px Hurling (1904)
• 20px20px Indian sports (1936)
• 20px Kaatsen (1928)
• Kite flying (1900)
• 20px Life saving (1900)
• 20px Longue paume (1900)
• Military exercise (1900)
• 20px Motor racing (1900, 1936)
• 20px Motorcycle racing (1900)
• Pigeon racing (1900)
• 20px Pistol dueling (1906, 1908)
• Wheelchair racing (1984–2004)
• 20px Wushu (1936, 2008)

{{div col end}}

File:Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament Czech Republic vs Slovakia 2.jpg was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and then moved to the Winter Games in 1924.]]

Before 1924, ice sports like figure skating and ice hockey were held at the Summer Olympic Games.{{cite web |title=A History of Winter Olympic Games: Celebration and Contrariety |website=saltlakecity.coolattractions.com |publisher=WorldWeb Travel Guide |year=2000 |access-date=1 August 2008 |url=http://www.saltlakecity.coolattractions.com/history.html |archive-date=13 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213233128/http://www.saltlakecity.coolattractions.com/history.html |url-status=dead }} These two sports made their debuts at the 1908 and the 1920 Summer Olympics respectively, but in 1924 they were moved to the first edition of the Winter Olympic Games and became permanent fixtures on the sports program for the Winter Olympics from then on.

The 1924 International Winter Sports Week, later dubbed the first Olympic Winter Games and retroactively recognized as such by the IOC, consisted of nine disciplines in six sports.{{cite web |title=Chamonix 1924 |url=http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Games/All-Past-Olympic-Games/Winter/Chamonix-1924/ |website=International Olympic Committee |access-date=13 March 2010}}

A sport or discipline must be widely practised in at least 25 countries, and on three continents, to be eligible for inclusion on the Olympic program for the Winter Games.

The following sports (and disciplines) make up the current Winter Olympic Games official program and are listed alphabetically, according to the name used by the IOC. The figures in each cell indicate the number of events for each sport that were contested at the respective Games (the red cells indicate that those sports were held at the Summer Games); a bullet ({{bigbullet}}) denotes that the sport was contested as a demonstration or unofficial sport.

Three out of the eight sports consist of multiple disciplines.

{{sticky table start}}{{sort under}}

{{sticky table end}}

{{reflist|group=w|refs=

{{refn|group=w|name=Alpine 26|Men's and women's alpine combined events have been included in the 2026 program on a provisional basis, subject to further review.{{cite web |title=Milano Cortina 2026 set to become the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games in history |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/milano-cortina-2026-set-to-become-the-most-gender-balanced-olympic-winter-games-in-history|website=International Olympic Committee|access-date=6 August 2022}}}}

}}

{{Further|Demonstration sport#Winter Olympics}}

The following sports or disciplines have been demonstration sports at the Winter Olympic Games for the years shown, but have never been included on the Olympic program as a medal event.{{Cite web | title=Demonstration sports : history at the Olympic Winter Games / The Olympic Studies Centre | website=Olympic World Library | date=2022-05-20 | url=https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/172548/demonstration-sports-history-at-the-olympic-winter-games-the-olympic-studies-centre?_lg=en-GB | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119230723/https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/172548/demonstration-sports-history-at-the-olympic-winter-games-the-olympic-studies-centre?_lg=en-GB | archive-date=2024-01-19 | url-status=live | access-date=2024-01-27}}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• 20px Bandy (1952)
• 20px Ice stock sport (1936, 1964)
• 20px Ski ballet (acroski) (1988, 1992)
• 20px Skijoring (1928)
• 20px Sled-dog racing (1932)
• 20px Speed skiing (1992)
• 20px Winter pentathlon (1948)

{{div col end}}

• 20pxDisabled skiing (1984, 1988)

{{sticky table start}}{{sort under}}

{{sticky table end}}

File:1904 tug of war.jpg was contested at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was later dropped from the Olympic program but remains a recognized sport.]]

Many sports have their governing bodies recognized by the IOC, but are not contested at the Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.arisf.sport/ioc.html|title=IOC Recognised International Sports Federations|website=arisf.sport|access-date=15 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019182027/https://www.arisf.sport/ioc.html |archive-date=19 October 2020 |url-status=live}}

Such sports, if eligible under the terms of the Olympic Charter, may apply for inclusion in the program at future Games, through a recommendation by the IOC Olympic Programme Commission, followed by a decision of the IOC Executive Board and a vote of the IOC Session. When Olympic demonstration sports took place, a sport usually appeared as such before being officially admitted.

An International Sport Federation (IF) is responsible for ensuring that the sport's activities follow the Olympic Charter. When a sport is recognized by the IOC, the IF becomes an official Olympic sport federation and joins either the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF, for summer Olympic sports), the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF, for winter Olympic sports), or the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF, for non-Olympic sports).

A number of recognized sports are included in the program of the World Games, a multi-sport event run by the International World Games Association, an organization that operates under the patronage of the IOC. Since the start of the World Games in 1981, 16 sports and disciplines that have been competed there – badminton and baseball (1992), beach volleyball and softball (1996), taekwondo, trampoline, triathlon, women's water polo and women's weightlifting (2000), rugby sevens (2016), karate and sport climbing (2020), breakdancing (2024), and flag football, lacrosse sixes and squash (2028) – have subsequently been added to the Olympic program.

The governing bodies of the following sports currently not contested at the Olympic Games are recognized by the IOC:{{cite web |title=Recognised Federations |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/recognised-international-federations |website=International Olympic Committee |access-date=6 August 2022}}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• 17px Air sports¹
• 17px Auto racing
• 17px Bandy
• 17px Billiard sports¹
• 17px Boules¹
• 17px Bowling
• 17px Bridge
• 17px Cheerleading¹
• 17px Chess
• 17px Dancesport^1,2
• 17px Floorball¹
• 17px Flying disc¹
• 17px Ice stock sport
• 17px Karate^1,2
• 17px Kickboxing¹
• 17px Korfball¹
• 17px Lifesaving¹
• 17px Motorcycle racing
• 17px Mountaineering and climbing
• 17px Muaythai¹
• 17px Netball
• 17px Orienteering¹
• 17px Pelota vasca²
• 17px Polo²
• 17px Powerboating^1,2
• 17px Racquetball¹
• 17px Sambo
• 17px Sumo
• 17px Tug of war^1,2
• 17px Underwater sports¹
• 17px Water skiing and wakeboarding^1,3
• 17px Wushu¹

{{div col end}}

¹ Official sport at the World Games.

² Discontinued Olympic sport.

³ Water skiing and wakeboarding share the same governing body.

A sport can be contested at the Olympics even if most of its disciplines are not. For example, roller sports (governed by World Skate) are represented at the Olympics by skateboarding, but other disciplines such as inline skating or roller skating have not yet been added.

In addition, though not a sporting federation, the International Paralympic Committee, which hosts the annual Paralympic Games following the Olympics, is recognized by the IOC.{{cite web |title=Who organises the Paralympic Games? |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/faq/games-ceremonies-and-protocol/who-organises-the-paralympic-games |website=International Olympic Committee |access-date=2024-08-19}}

• Association of Summer Olympic International Federations
• Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations
• Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations

{{reflist|30em}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/index_uk.asp International Olympic Committee - Sports]
• [http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/commissions/programme/index_uk.asp IOC Olympic Programme Commission]
• [http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/if/index_uk.asp International Sports Federations]

{{Sports at the Olympics}}

{{Summer Olympic sports}}

{{Winter Olympic sports}}

{{Olympic Games}}

{{International Olympic Committee}}

{{Authority control}}

Sports

Category:Sports at multi-sport events by competition