Olympic Sports, MOS-POM
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
Moscow 1980 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Moscow that took place July 19–August 3, 1980. The Moscow......
Annemarie Moser-Pröll is an Austrian Alpine skier who held the all-time record of six women’s World Cup championships,......
Edwin Moses is a former American hurdler who dominated the 400-meter hurdles event for a decade, winning gold medals......
motor-paced race, in bicycle racing, a form of competition in which each bicycle racer competes behind a motorbike......
Mr. T is an actor and professional wrestler known for his tough appearance and his iconic roles in television and......
William Muldoon was an American wrestling champion and boxing trainer. (Read Gene Tunney’s 1929 Britannica essay......
Munich, city, capital of Bavaria Land (state), southern Germany. It is Bavaria’s largest city and the third largest......
Munich 1972 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Munich that took place August 26–September 11, 1972. The Munich......
Ira Murchison was an American track star, noted for his exceptional speed from the starting block. In 1951 Murchison......
Andy Murray is a Scottish tennis player who was one of the sport’s premier players during the 2010s, winning three......
Thomas Muster is an Austrian tennis player who, at the 1995 French Open, became the first competitor from his country......
Halil Mutlu is a Turkish weight lifter and world record-holder who won three consecutive Olympic gold medals (1996,......
Laurence E. Myers was an American all-around runner who set records in every race from the 50-yard dash to the......
Eero Mäntyranta was a Finnish Nordic skier who took part in four Olympic Games, winning a total of seven medals.......
John Naber is a former American swimmer who won four gold medals—all in world-record time—and a silver at the 1976......
Rafael Nadal is a Spanish tennis player who emerged in the early 21st century as one of the game’s leading competitors,......
Arshad Nadeem is the first Pakistani track-and-field athlete to win an Olympic medal—a feat he accomplished with......
Marie-Thérèse Nadig is a Swiss Alpine skier who won surprise victories over the pre-Olympic favourite, Austrian......
Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Nagano, Japan, that took place Feb. 7–22, 1998. The......
Ilie Nastase is a Romanian tennis player known for his on-court histrionics and outstanding Davis Cup play. He......
Competing in the finals of any Olympic event is an accomplishment that only a highly select group of elite athletes......
Martina Navratilova is a Czech American tennis player who dominated women’s tennis in the late 1970s and the ’80s.......
Born in Livorno, Italy, in 1894, the fencer Nedo Nadi enjoyed an unusual advantage early on. His father, Giuseppe......
Byron Nelson was an American professional golfer who dominated the sport in the late 1930s and ’40s. Known for......
New York City Marathon, 26.2-mile footrace held every November through the five boroughs of New York City. The......
Jack Nicklaus is an American professional golfer, a dominating figure in world golf from the 1960s to the ’80s.......
Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann is a German speed skater who dominated the sport throughout the 1990s, capturing eight......
Nordic skiing, techniques and events that evolved in the hilly terrain of Norway and the other Scandinavian countries.......
Sondre Norheim was a Norwegian skier who revolutionized ski design and ski equipment and helped to standardize......
Greg Norman is an Australian professional golfer who was widely successful worldwide from the 1970s to the 1990s.......
Paavo Nurmi was a Finnish track athlete who dominated long-distance running in the 1920s, capturing nine gold medals......
Diana Nyad is an American distance swimmer and journalist who, in 2013, became the first person to complete a swim......
Matti Nykänen was a Finnish ski jumper who was arguably the finest performer in the history of his sport. He was......
Lorena Ochoa is a Mexican golfer who was one of the leading players in the Ladies Professional Golf Association......
Al Oerter was an American discus thrower, who won four consecutive Olympic gold medals (1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968),......
Apolo Anton Ohno is an American short-track speed skater who was the most-decorated American athlete in the history......
For someone who needed a teammate’s misfortune to even make the team in 1972, tiny Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut had......
Ruben Olivares is a Mexican professional boxer, world bantamweight (118 pounds) and featherweight (126 pounds)......
Olympia, ruined ancient sanctuary, home of the ancient Olympic Games, and former site of the massive Statue of......
Olympic Games, athletic festival that originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the late 19th century. Before......
- Introduction
- Women, History, Sport
- Corruption, Scandals, Bribery
- Sports, Nations, Medals
- Torch, Rings, Anthem
- Ancient Greece, Sports, Medals
- London 1908, Sports, Medals
- Berlin 1936, Nazi Germany, Jesse Owens
- Rome 1960, Italy, Sports
- Munich, Terror Attack, Medals
- Barcelona, Spain, 1992
- Beijing 2008, China, Sports
- Winter Sports, Medals, Nations
- Alpine Skiing, Figure Skating, Bobsleigh
- Innsbruck, Austria, 1964
- Lake Placid, 1980, US
- Nagano, Japan, 1998
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 2010
What do Paris, Helsinki, Atlanta, Beijing, and Tokyo have in common? They all have hosted the Olympics. As the......
flag consisting of a white field bearing five equal interlocking rings of blue, dark yellow, black, green, and......
Nicola Olyslagers is the first Australian woman to jump 2 meters (6 feet 6.74 inches) in the high jump. At the......
Yobes Ondieki is a Kenyan distance runner who surprised observers in 1993 by setting a world record in the 10,000......
One Ton Cup, international racing trophy for sailing yachts of about one-ton displacement. From 1907 to 1955 the......
Henri Oreiller was a French skier and auto racer who won a double championship in the downhill and combined events......
orienteering, outdoor competitive sport that is similar to cross-country running, but with emphasis on map-reading......
Origins of the Olympic Winter Games, The first organized international competition involving winter sports was......
Bobby Orr is a Canadian American professional ice hockey player who was the first defenseman to lead the National......
Naomi Osaka is a tennis player and activist who, with her victory at the 2018 U.S. Open, became the first player......
Oslo 1952 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Oslo that took place Feb. 14–25, 1952. The Oslo Games......
Micheline Ostermeyer was a French athlete who won gold medals in the shot put and the discus throw at the 1948......
Kristin Otto is a former German swimmer and the first female athlete to win six gold medals at a single Olympic......
Sylke Otto is a German luger who won gold medals at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. Otto began lugeing at age......
Francis Ouimet was an American amateur golfer whose success did much to remove the British upper-class stigma from......
Alex Ovechkin is a Russian ice hockey player who won the Hart Memorial Trophy three times (2008, 2009, and 2013)......
Steve Ovett is a British athlete, who, along with his great rival, Sebastian Coe, dominated middle-distance running......
Jesse Owens was an American track-and-field athlete who became one of the sport’s most legendary competitors after......
Parry O’Brien was an American shot-putter who developed a style that revolutionized the event. He held the world......
Shaquille O’Neal is a former basketball player who was the dominant center of his era. O’Neal helped the Los Angeles......
Willie O’Ree is the first Black hockey player to play in a National Hockey League (NHL) game. He debuted with the......
One of the so-called Flying Finns who long dominated distance running, Paavo Nurmi was perhaps the greatest runner......
Manny Pacquiao is a professional boxer, media celebrity, and politician who became world-famous for winning boxing......
paddle tennis, small-scale form of tennis similar to a British shipboard game of the 1890s. Frank P. Beal, a New......
Charley Paddock was an American sprinter, world record holder for the 100-metre dash (1921–30) and the 200-metre......
Leander Paes is a former tennis player from India who became one of the most successful doubles players in tennis......
Alan Page is an American gridiron football player, jurist, and writer who in 1971 became the first defensive player......
Charles Ferdinand Pahud de Mortanges was a Dutch equestrian who was one of the most successful riders in Olympic......
Pak Se-Ri is a South Korean professional golfer who was one of the leading players on the Ladies Professional Golf......
Arnold Palmer was an American golfer who used an unorthodox swing and an aggressive approach to become one of golf’s......
pankration, ancient Greek sports event that combined boxing and wrestling, introduced at the XXXIII Olympiad (648......
László Papp was a Hungarian boxer who is considered one of the world’s greatest middleweight fighters. He was the......
parallel bars, gymnastics apparatus invented in the early 19th century by the German Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, often......
Paris, city and capital of France, situated in the north-central part of the country. People were living on the......
- Introduction
- Climate, Rainfall, Humidity
- Ile Saint Louis, Seine, Architecture
- History, Culture, Landmarks
- Culture, History, Architecture
- City of Lights, Culture, History
- Shopping, Markets, History
- Culture, Art, Romance
- Metro, Buses, Trains
- Education, Culture, Institutions
- Medieval, Discord, 12th-16th Century
- Revolution, Monarchy, Enlightenment
Paris 1900 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Paris that took place May 14–October 28, 1900. The Paris Games......
Paris 1924 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Paris that took place May 4–July 27, 1924. The Paris Games......
Park In-Bee is a South Korean golfer who in 2013 became the second player to win the first three major tournaments......
Candace Parker is a former professional basketball player who was one of the superstars of the WNBA in the early......
Sophie Pascoe is a New Zealand swimmer and the country’s most successful Paralympian, having won a total of 19......
Patrick family, Canadian family who as managers, owners, and league officials helped establish professional ice......
Floyd Patterson was an American professional boxer, the first to hold the world heavyweight championship twice.......
Chris Paul is an American professional basketball player who became one of the premier stars of the National Basketball......
Sally Pearson is a retired track athlete and Olympian considered to be one of the most successful Australian hurdlers......
Claudia Pechstein is a German speed skater whose nine Olympic medals (five gold, two silver, and two bronze) made......
Eusebio Pedroza was a Panamanian professional boxer, world featherweight (126 pounds [57 kg]) champion from 1978......
David Pelletier is a Canadian pairs figure skater who, with his partner Jamie Salé, was awarded a gold medal at......
John Pennel was an American pole-vaulter who was the first to jump more than 5.18 m (17 feet) and was a world-record......
pentathlon, athletic contest entailing five distinct types of competition. In the ancient Greek Olympics, the pentathlon......
Willie Pep was an American professional boxer, world featherweight (126 pounds) champion during the 1940s. Pep......
Bruno Peyron is a French yachtsman who set a number of sailing records and was a three-time winner (1993, 2002,......
PGA Championship, one of the world’s four major golf tournaments (along with the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open,......
Michael Phelps is an American swimmer, who is the most-decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals, which......
Scottie Pippen is an American professional basketball player who won six National Basketball Association (NBA)......
Oscar Pistorius is a South African track-and-field sprinter and bilateral below-the-knee amputee who, at the 2012......
Jacques Plante was an innovative French-Canadian hockey player, one of the most successful of all goaltenders in......
platform tennis, sport that is a combination of tennis and squash, devised in 1928 by American sports enthusiasts......
Gary Player is a South African who was one of the world’s best professional golfers in the post-World War II era.......
Yevgeny Plushchenko is a world-champion Russian figure skater and the first athlete to cleanly land the quadruple......
pole vault, sport in athletics (track and field) in which an athlete jumps over an obstacle with the aid of a pole.......
pommel horse, gymnastics apparatus, a leather-covered form 1.6 meters (63 inches) long, 34 to 36 cm (13.4 to 14.2......