Olympic Sports, WHI-ČáS
Olympic Games, athletic festival that originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the late 19th century. Before the 1970s the Games were officially limited to competitors with amateur status, but in the 1980s many events were opened to professional athletes. Currently, the Games are open to all, even the top professional athletes in basketball and football (soccer).
Olympic Sports Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Kathy Whitworth was an American athlete who was one of the great players of women’s professional golf. Whitworth......
Hayley Wickenheiser is a Canadian ice hockey player who is widely considered the greatest female hockey player......
Bradley Wiggins is a Belgian-born British cyclist who was the first rider from the United Kingdom to win the Tour......
Wightman Cup, trophy awarded the winner of women’s tennis matches held annually from 1923 to 1989 between British......
Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman was an American tennis player who dominated women’s competition before World War I. Known......
wild-water racing, competitive canoe or kayak racing down swift-flowing, turbulent streams called wild water (often......
Jimmy Wilde was a Welsh professional boxer, world flyweight (112 pounds) champion from 1916 to 1923. (Read Gene......
Mac Wilkins is an American world-record-holding discus thrower (1976–78). He was the first man ever to break the......
Jess Willard was an American prizefighter, world heavyweight boxing champion from April 5, 1915, when he knocked......
Esther Williams was an American swimming champion who became one of the most popular and profitable Hollywood movie......
Percy Williams was a Canadian sprinter, winner of two upset gold medals at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.......
Serena Williams is an American tennis player who revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful style of play......
Venus Williams is an American tennis player who—along with her sister Serena—redefined the sport with her strength......
Helen Wills was an outstanding American tennis player who was the top female competitor in the world for eight......
Wilma Rudolph was not a newcomer to Olympic competition, having won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100-metre relay at......
Wimbledon Championships, internationally known tennis championships played annually in London at Wimbledon. The......
windsurfing, sport that combines aspects of sailing and surfing on a one-person craft called a sailboard. The earliest......
Hans Günter Winkler was a German equestrian champion who was the most decorated Olympic show jumper of all time,......
Katarina Witt is a German figure skater who was the first woman to win consecutive Olympic gold medals (1984 and......
Women’s British Open, golf tournament conducted annually that is recognized by the Ladies Professional Golf Association......
Garfield Arthur Wood was a U.S. driver and builder of racing motorboats, also credited with devising the small,......
Tiger Woods is an American golfer who dominated professional golf in the late 1990s and early 2000s, becoming the......
World Athletics, organization of track-and-field federations representing more than 200 countries and territories.......
World Cup, in golf, trophy awarded to the winner of an annual competition for two-man professional teams representing......
World Cup, in skiing, trophy awarded annually since 1967 to the top male and female Alpine skiers. In World Cup......
Dave Wottle is an American runner and education administrator who won a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.......
wrestling, sport practiced in various styles by two competitors, involving forcing an opponent to touch the ground......
Mickey Wright was an American golfer who is widely considered the sport’s greatest female competitor, known for......
Wu Minxia is the most-decorated female athlete in the history of diving and became the most-decorated Chinese athlete......
Ireen Wüst is a Dutch former speed skater whose 13 Olympic medals, including 6 gold, have made her the most-decorated......
Yang Yang is a renowned Chinese short-track speed skater who at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City,......
Lev Ivanovich Yashin was a Russian football (soccer) player considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper in......
Ye Shiwen is a Chinese swimmer, who specialized in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley (IM). In IMs the......
Lyubov Yegorova is a Russian cross-country skier who was one of the two most decorated performers at the 1994 Olympic......
Yokuts Valley, winter sports area in Placer county, northeastern California, U.S. It lies just northwest of Lake......
Steve Yzerman is a Canadian American professional ice hockey player who—as the longest-serving captain in National......
Babe Didrikson Zaharias was an American sportswoman who was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, achieving......
Tony Zale was an American professional boxer, world middleweight (160 pounds) champion during the 1940s. (Read......
Matthias Zdarsky was a ski instructor who was considered the father of Alpine skiing and who was probably the first......
Leonid Ivanovich Zhabotinsky was a Soviet weightlifter who won gold medals in the heavyweight class (+90 kg [+198......
Nikolay Zimyatov is a Soviet cross-country skier who was the first man in the sport to win three gold medals at......
Galina Zybina was a Soviet shot-putter and javelin thrower who set eight consecutive world records in the shot......
Emil Zátopek was a Czech athlete who is considered one of the greatest long-distance runners in the history of......
Armin Zöggeler is an Italian luger, winner of two Olympic gold medals (2002 and 2006). He was the first competitor......
Věra Čáslavská was a Czech gymnast who won a total of 34 medals, including 22 golds, at the Olympic Games and at......