English Club : Learn English : Vocabulary : Sports : 2012 London Olympics

The Modern Olympics:
Olympic Games Revived

The idea to revive the Olympic Games was suggested in the mid-nineteenth century, and by 1894 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was formed. Then in 1896 the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. The modern version of the games involves two competitions; the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics. These are separate events which take place in different years and in different locations. The Summer Olympics is a much bigger competition and includes events such as athletics (or 'track and field'), swimming, diving, boxing, wrestling, cycling, basketball, sailing, rowing, football, hockey, tennis, equestrian, shooting, weightlifting, gymnastics, etc. It occurs every four years. The Winter Olympics includes events such as skiing, ski jumping, speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey, curling, bob sleigh, etc. The Winter Olympics also occurs every four years (but separated from the Summer Olympics by two years).

Since 1960, the Paralympic Games have been held in the same year as the Olympic Games. The Paralympics are for athletes with physical disabilities, with events ranging from basketball, archery and tennis for wheelchair athletes to swimming and running events for athletes missing one or more limbs. There are both Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, and they are held just after their respective Olympic Games.

Word	Example sentence	Meaning
athletics	Which athletics events did you compete in at school?	'track and field' events of running, jumping, throwing, etc.
bob sleigh	The world record for speed in a bob sleigh is over 200 km per hour.	sport of making timed runs in a sled down a narrow, twisting, iced track
curling	Curling involves a lot of strategy, and has even been called 'chess on ice'.	sport similar to bowls in which players slide heavy stones over ice, aiming at a target area
cycling	In some cycling events the riders go slow for most of the race, but then sprint at the end.	sport of racing on bicycles
diving	Many people love to watch the diving as it's one of the most graceful and beautiful sports.	sport of jumping into water in a stylized manner
equestrian	Equestrian events are the only ones in which males and females compete as equals.	of or relating to horseback riding
figure skating	Figure skating competitions are scored by a panel of judges.	sport involving the performance of stylized movements while wearing skates on ice
football	The type of football played at the Olympics is also called soccer.	team game in which a ball is kicked in order to pass it and score goals; soccer
gymnastics	Gymnastics events are scored by a panel of judges.	sport involving the performance of stylized exercises
hockey	Hockey is a popular sport in India and Pakistan.	team game in which a ball is a hit with a stick in order to pass it and score goals
ice hockey	Ice hockey is popular in North America and in Northern Europe.	team sport similar to hockey, but played in skates on an ice rink
International Olympic Committee (IOC)	The IOC organizes both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics.	the group of officials who run the Olympic Games and lead the Olympic Movement
revive	The little boy nearly drowned, but he was revived on the beach by a doctor.	to bring someone back to life, or bring something into use again
rowing	The rowing events take place on a river far from the main stadium.	sport of racing in rowboats
sailing	Most people find the sailing events a little boring to watch.	sport of racing in sailboats
shooting	There were 17 shooting events in the 2004 Olympics; 10 for men and 7 for women.	sport of pistol and rifle shooting
skiing	Alpine skiing has fast, downhill events while cross-country skiing has slower, long-distance events.	sport of racing over snow on skis
ski jumping	Many people think ski jumping is one of the most exciting winter sports.	sport in which contestants ski over a take-off ramp and jump as far as they can
speed skating	Speed skating events are staged on an ice-covered oval track 400 metres long.	sport of racing over ice on skates
take place	Where will the next competition take place?	to happen; occur
track and field	Most track and field events are held in the main Olympic Stadium.	sports events of running, jumping, and throwing
weightlifting	There were no Olympic weightlifting events for women until the 2000 Sydney Olympics.	sport in which contestants attempt to lift heavy weights mounted on barbells