olympic-sports Page index.xml - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

World Cup Day 20: The yappy Dutch are finally silenced
The last eight, usually the best part of any tournament if only because it’s the last time you get multiple matches in one day (or night as the case may be this time), didn’t disappoint at World Cup 2023. The darlings of everyone are out, and Spain are learning quickly. Let’s spin this right round b...

You won’t have 15-year old figure skaters to kick around anymore
Anyone remember the hot garbage fire that was the Olympic figure skating finals in February? For those who don’t, allow me to jog your memory — 15-year-old star Kamila Valieva, the center of a Russian Olympic Committee doping scandal, sobbing after falling twice as the pressure of the PED investigat...

There is at least one thing heart-warming about the Beijing Games
The world’s top-ranked woman in 500-meter speed skating is headed to the Olympics to represent America. Erin Jackson, 29, made history in 2018 as the first Black woman to make the U.S. Olympic team in long-track speed skating only four months after picking up the sport. She made history again in Nov...

Big tennis doesn’t want players to be polite to each other
Everybody loves rivalries, trash-talking, and lighthearted ribbing in sports. Nobody wants to see it go too far, but competition and mutual respect that lead to heated confrontations on the field are pure entertainment. Big egos and confidence are a big factor in several athletes’ mindsets, and that...

Deadspin fixes: The Olympics
After the semifinals of the men’s 110-meter hurdles in Tokyo, eventual silver medalist Grant Holloway talked in an NBC interview about the challenge of sitting around the Olympic Village, waiting for what seemed like an eternity for his chance to take his spot on the grandest stage in athletics....

Introducing the new Olympic sports that will totally bring in a new audience, dude
Back in 2016, the IOC added five new sports to Tokyo 2020. The move was seen by many as a way for Olympic organizers to appeal to the young people of the world — who are totally rad, bro....

Deadspin fixes NBA’s Out-of-Bounds Rule: Reward the defense
NBA basketball. It’s fantastic!...

Skeleton Rider Messes Up Immediately
Alexander Tretiakov is one of the best skeleton riders in the world, but he will not be in Pyeongchang. His 2014 gold medal was stripped for doping, and he was banned from all future Olympics. So today’s IBSF World Cup race in Innsbruck, Austria, might just have been his last chance at a major medal...

All The Olympic Sports Should Be Outdoors
“Indoors” does not care what the season is. Seasons do not exist indoors. That is the whole reason we have indoors. When you stick a seasonal specifier like “Summer” or “Winter” in front of your event, your event has to take place in that actual season, which is outdoors. That is science. Therefore ...

Skeleton Slider Nails Broom Left On Track During Run
Skeleton is a very cool and insane sport where people go down icy tracks head first at a billion miles per hour with their arms tucked to their sides that you could never convince me to attempt. The sport is difficult enough on its own: there's no need for added obstacles. But that's just what Canad...

Olympic Diver Tom Daley Announces He's Dating A Man
Nineteen-year-old British diver Tom Daley, who won a Bronze at the London Games and became both heartthrob and gay icon, announced in a Youtube video this morning that he's in a relationship with another man. ...

Everything You Never Needed To Know About Rhythmic Gymnastics
We love gymnastics. It gets the highest ratings of any summer event. Every four years we fall in love with a new "America's Sweetheart." They get the Wheaties box. The team goes down in history....

Why Isn't Synchronized Trampoline In The Olympics?
Last week we talked about the sports that haven't yet made it to the Olympics. In this week's excerpt from Slate's podcast Hang Up and Listen, Josh Levin makes the case for synchronized trampoline—another contender—to join the ranks of Olympic events. Especially if it saves the participants from a...

Everything You Never Needed To Know About Modern Pentathlon
Here's a great way to make some extra cash:...

Everything You Never Needed To Know About Racewalking
Remember watching When Harry Met Sally, and thinking to yourself "What the hell are they doing?" as you watched Billy Crystal in spandex walking fast and funny through Central Park with Bruno Kirby? That was racewalking, son....

Everything You Never Needed To Know About Trampoline
Trampolining is not just for cute foxes in viral videos—it's a crazypants real sport that made its Olympic debut in 2000. As Canadian Karen Cockburn, the bronze medalist at those games, said after winning her medal, "A lot of people don't really know what trampoline is, they think it's a toy you jum...

Discontinued Olympic Sports
As we head towards the homestretch of the potential disaster that is the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, sometimes it's illustrative to look back at what used to be. (Cue Boyz II Men). Wipe away tears. Yep, discontinued Olympic events, they used to have an underwater/holding your breath contest. Those wer...