Winter sports

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Several winter sports. Left to right, top to bottom: bobsleigh, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, skiing, and snowboarding

Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. [1] Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold areas during winter, but artificial snow and artificial ice allow more flexibility. Playing areas and fields consist of either snow or ice.

Contents

Artificial ice can be used to provide ice rinks for ice skating, ice hockey, para ice hockey, ringette, broomball, bandy, rink bandy, rinkball, and spongee in a milder climate. The sport of speed skating uses a frozen circular track of ice, but in some facilities the track is combined in an enclosed area used for sports requiring an ice rink or the rink itself is used. Alternatively, ice cross downhill uses a track with various levels of elevation and a combination of bends. Long distance skating (a.k.a. "marathon skating") such as tour skating is only performed outdoors and uses the available natural ice from frozen lakes, ponds, and marshes. Tour skating at times includes speed skaters, though tour skates are more common.

Common individual sports include cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, speed skating, figure skating, luge, skeleton, bobsleigh, ski orienteering and snowmobiling.

Common team sports include ice hockey, ringette, broomball (on either an indoor ice rink, or an outdoor ice rink or field of snow), curling, rinkball, and bandy. Based on the number of participants, ice hockey is the world's most popular winter team sport, followed by bandy. [2]

Winter sports at times have their own multi-sport events, such as the Winter Olympic Games and the Winter Universiade.

History

Skating in the 17th century SCENEONICE.jpg
Skating in the 17th century

Snow and ice during the winter time has enabled sliding as a means of transportation, using sledges, skis and skates. This also led to different pastimes and sports being developed in the winter season as compared to other times of the year. Naturally, winter sports are more popular in countries with longer winter seasons.

1901 Davos travel poster Affiche Davos Jahres-Kurort 1560 m.jpg
1901 Davos travel poster

In the European Alps, St. Moritz became a popular winter resort in 1864. [3] [4]

In the early days of the Olympics there was not much differentiation between the summer and winter games. These confusions would span from around the late 1890s until the early to mid 1900s. During this time, some sports considered to be winter sports and played or performed during the Olympic Winter Games today, would be held during the Olympic Summer Games. It was originally wanted to keep all of the Olympic sports together under one event and program, but due to environmental demands of some sports, it had to be separated. [5]

While most winter sports are played outside, ice hockey, speed skating and to some extent bandy have moved indoors starting in the mid-20th century. Indoor ice rinks with artificial ice allow ice skating and hockey to be played in hot climates.

Outdoor winter sports will likely be severely impacted because of climate change in the next century. [6] [7]

List of winter sports

Note: the Olympic rings next to a sport indicates that this particular sport is included in the Winter Olympic Games, as of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The Paralympic logo indicates the same for a sport not in the Olympics but in the Winter Paralympic Games.

Ice skating

Skiing

United States biathlete Jeremy Teela at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Jeremy Teela 2002 Olympics.jpg
United States biathlete Jeremy Teela at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Ski jumping at Salpausselka in Lahti, Finland in 2010 Salpausselka 08.jpg
Ski jumping at Salpausselkä in Lahti, Finland in 2010

Sledding

An East German bobsleigh in 1951, Oberhof track, Germany Bundesarchiv Bild 183-09740-0004, Oberhof, II. Wintersportmeisterschaften, Bobfahren.jpg
An East German bobsleigh in 1951, Oberhof track, Germany

Sports that use sleds going down ice tracks or pulled by something:

Snowboarding

Snowmobiling

A snowmobile tour at Yellowstone National Park. SnowmobilesYellowstone.jpg
A snowmobile tour at Yellowstone National Park.

Team sports

Based on the number of participating athletes, bandy is the second most popular winter sport in the world for men Bandy in Medeu Kazakhstan.JPG
Based on the number of participating athletes, bandy is the second most popular winter sport in the world for men

Other sports

Recreational sports

Snowman Bonhomme de neige (MuseumBellerive).JPG
Snowman

Some sports are competed in (or simply enjoyed) on a more casual basis, often by children:

Notable winter sporting events

World Cup

World championships

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hockey</span> Sports played with hockey sticks

Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers of players, apparel, and playing surface, they share broad characteristics of two opposing teams using a stick to propel a ball or disk into a goal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice skating</span> Self-propulsion of a person over ice, wearing bladed skates

Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be performed on naturally frozen bodies of water, such as ponds, lakes, canals, and rivers, and on human-made ice surfaces both indoors and outdoors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skiing</span> Recreational activity and sport using snow skis

Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice skate</span> Boots with blades attached to the bottom for propelling the bearer across a sheet of ice

Ice skates are metal blades attached underfoot and used to propel the bearer across a sheet of ice while ice skating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Championship</span> Index of articles associated with the same name

A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice rink</span> Place for ice skating and sports

An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The growth and increasing popularity of ice skating during the 1800s marked a rise in the deliberate construction of ice rinks in numerous areas of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada Olympic Park</span> Sports venue in Calgary, Canada

Canada Olympic Park (COP), formerly known as Paskapoo Ski Hill, is a ski hill and multi-purpose training and competition facility located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, owned and operated by WinSport. It is currently used both for high performance athletic training and for recreational purposes by the general public. Canada Olympic Park was one of the venues for the 1988 Winter Olympics, being the primary venue for ski jumping, bobsleigh, and luge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter sport in Australia</span> Overview of winter sports practiced in Australia

Winter Sports in Australia encompasses a great variety of activities across the continent of Australia, including winter sports played in snow and ice such as ice hockey. Climate varies considerably from the tropical North to temperate South in Australia, and sporting practices vary accordingly. Ice and snow sports like Skiing in Australia are conducted in the high country of the Australian Alps and Tasmanian Wilderness. Australia has relatively low mountain ranges, but a long history of participation in recreational skiing and the Winter Olympic Games. Australians have won olympic gold in ice skating, skiing and snow-boarding events. Australia's generally flat geography and usually mild winter climate otherwise provide ideal conditions for international non-snow/ice winter sports and team games like rugby union football, rugby league football, and association football (soccer), which are all popular sports during the Australian winter and in which Australia has enjoyed considerable international success. Australian rules football is a home-grown winter football code with a wide following throughout Australia. Many other sports are also played or watched in Australia through the winter season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in Calgary</span>

Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is home to a deep-seated tradition of winter sports. Much of this stems from its location, with proximity to the Alberta Rocky Mountains and Banff National Park. After hosting the 1988 Winter Olympics, the city has also had winter sports and training facilities. Beyond winter sports, Calgary has several professional and amateur sports teams and is a major world pro rodeo center, with the city's Stampede Park holding the annual Calgary Stampede.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crashed Ice</span> World tour in ice cross downhill

Red Bull Crashed Ice was a world tour in ice cross downhill, a winter extreme sporting event which involves downhill skating in an urban environment, on a track which includes steep turns and high vertical drops. Racers speed down the course's turns, berms, and jumps. Competitors, having advanced from one of the tryouts in the prior months, race in heats of four skaters, with the top two advancing from each heat. The events were held from 2001 to 2019; the ATSX now oversees ice cross downhill events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rinkball</span> Team sport played on ice, using sticks, ice skates, and a ball

Rinkball is a winter team sport played on ice with ice skates and is most popular in Finland, where it is known as kaukalopallo. This ball sport originated in Sweden in the 1960s and from there landed in Finland in the 1970s.

For the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, a total of six sports venues were used. Alpine skiing events took place for the first time and were held in three different locations. Riessersee held the speed skating and some of the ice hockey matches while the bobsleigh events took place south of the lake. The ski jump and its neighboring stadium played host to the cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, and ski jumping events. Even though figure skating and some of the ice hockey matches took place outdoors at the ice stadium, the ice itself was artificially refrigerated to prevent ice thawing.

For the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, a total of twelve sports venues were used. A thirteenth venue which was a reserved luge course was constructed, but never used in actual competition. Construction on all of the venues used took place between 1968 and early 1971 in time for the test events. The Tsuskisamu Indoor Skating Rink was not completed until late 1971 or early 1972 because the number of teams scheduled to compete at the 1972 Games was not known. At the actual luge venue used, a malfunctioning starting gate during the first run led to the results being cancelled and rerun being ordered. The results of this event led to the only tie in Olympic luge history. The ski jumps at Miyanomori and Okurayama served as host venues for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships thirty-five years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 1980 Winter Olympics</span>

For the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, United States, a total of seven sports venues were used. All five of the venues used for the 1932 Winter Olympics were also used at the 1980 Winter Games with adjustments. These adjustments included electronic scoreboards, increased refrigeration, and the addition of a separate luge track. This was the last Winter Olympics where there were separate bobsleigh and luge tracks. The closest finish in Olympic history in cross-country skiing led skiing officials to time future events in hundredths of a second rather than tenths of a second. This would also apply to biathlon events. Eric Heiden won five gold medals at the speed skating oval while the "Miracle on Ice" took place between Americans and Soviets at the Olympic Center. In the late 1990s, the luge track was demolished and a new combination track was constructed in time for the only Winter Goodwill Games held. The sliding venue was named to the American National Register of Historical Places in February 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics</span>

The compactness of the venue locations for the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2018 Winter Paralympics, hosted by the county of Pyeongchang, South Korea was one of the winning arguments of the bid. The Games were gathered around two main venues: these were the mountain resort of Alpensia in Pyeongchang for the outdoor (snow) sports and the coastal city of Gangneung for the indoor (ice) sports There were also two stand-alone mountain venues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lviv bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics</span>

Lviv 2022 was a bid by the city of Lviv and the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Lviv withdrew its bid on 30 June 2014. The IOC ultimately selected Beijing as the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 31 July 2015.

The list of the venues of the 2026 Winter Olympics were part of the candidacy file.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukraine at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Ukraine competed at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon, South Korea, from January 19 to February 1, 2024. It was Ukraine's fourth appearance at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, after the country had competed at every Games since the inaugural edition in 2012.

References

Citations

  1. "winter sports, noun". Chambers 21st Century Dictionary. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  2. "Bandy destined for the Olympic Winter Games!". Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  3. Potter, Everett (21 November 2019). "St Moritz, The Birthplace Of Winter Sports". Forbes . Retrieved 4 March 2022. You can make a strong case that the origins of modern winter sports lie here, starting in the 1860's with hotelier Johannes Badrutt, who welcomed a steady stream of well-heeled British guests to his small Kulm Hotel.
  4. Ben Cocking (2020). Travel Journalism and Travel Media: Identities, Places and Imaginings. Springer Nature. p. 9. ISBN   9781137599087. The launching of the Cook excursions in Britain (1841), the appearance of the first Baedekker guide (1843), the inauguration of a winter "season" in Saint Moritz (1864), the creation of Yellowstone (1877): these were the important markers of its growth path [mass tourism].
  5. Martínková, Irena; Parry, Jim (27 November 2020). "Olympic Winter Games, 'Cold Sports', and Inclusive Values". The International Journal of the History of Sport. 37 (13): 1236–1251. doi:10.1080/09523367.2020.1860942. ISSN   0952-3367. S2CID   233215108.
  6. Bradford, Nick (2019) The Future of Winter Sports and Recreation National Environmental Education Foundation
  7. Bürki, Rolf (2003) Climate Change and Winter Sports: Environmental and Economic Threats CIPRA.org
  8. "Cross country for the Winter Olympics" . Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  9. "Snow Golf". Strictly Snow Games. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  10. "Snow golf means joys, laughter and feast in Chitral". 6 February 2019.
  11. "World SheenAab Jung Federation". Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  12. "Snow Bowling". Strictly Snow Games. Retrieved 21 January 2017.

Sources