Olympic Sports, HAM-JON
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
Dorothy Hamill is an American figure skater who won the gold medal for women’s figure skating in the 1976 Olympic......
Bethany Hamilton is an American professional surfer, author, and motivational speaker who lost her arm to a shark......
Hamish Hamilton was a British publisher who published works by some of the most renowned authors in Britain, the......
Scott Hamilton is an American figure skater, who was a four-time world champion and the 1984 Olympic gold medal......
Mia Hamm is an American football (soccer) player who became the first international star of the women’s game. Playing......
hammer throw, sport in athletics (track and field) in which a hammer is hurled for distance, using two hands within......
Chip Hanauer is an American powerboat racer who dominated hydroplane racing in the 1980s and ’90s. As children,......
Hanyu Yuzuru is a Japanese figure skater who at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, became the first Japanese......
hapkido, a Korean form of unarmed self-defense based on the circular foot sweeps and kicks of traditional Korean......
James Harden is one of the best shooting guards in the history of the National Basketball League (NBA), and he......
Harmsworth Cup, motorboat racing award established in 1903 by the British publisher Sir Alfred Harmsworth (later......
Padraig Harrington is an Irish professional golfer who won two British Open championships (2007 and 2008) and a......
Marvin Hart was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from July 3, 1905, to February 23, 1906.......
Thorleif Haug was a Norwegian Nordic skier who won three gold medals and a bronze at the inaugural Winter Olympics......
Tony Hawk is an American professional skateboarder who—through his technical innovations, successful equipment......
Bob Hayes was an American sprinter who, although he was relatively slow out of the starting block and had an almost......
Spencer Haywood is an American professional basketball player whose lawsuit forced the National Basketball Association......
Dominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender known for his unorthodox goaltending style. Hašek was the only goaltender......
Thomas Hearns is an American boxer who became, in 1987, the first person to win world titles in four weight divisions.......
John C. Heenan was an American heavyweight champion (i.e., of the United States and Canada) under the London Prize......
Eric Heiden is an American athlete who at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, U.S., became......
Carol Heiss is an American figure skater who from 1956 through 1960 dominated women’s competition. (Read Scott......
Helsinki, capital of Finland. It is the leading seaport and industrial city of the nation. Helsinki lies in the......
Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Helsinki that took place July 19–August 3, 1952. The Helsinki......
David Hemery is an English hurdler who held the 400-metre-hurdles world record of 48.1 sec (1968–72). His father’s......
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian-born American world champion figure skater and Olympic gold medalist who went on to......
Justine Henin is a Belgian tennis player, whose strong serve and powerful one-handed backhand elevated her to the......
Henley Royal Regatta, annual four-day series of rowing races held the first week in July on the River Thames, at......
heptathlon, athletics competition in which contestants take part in seven different track-and-field events in two......
Laurie Hernandez is an American gymnast who participated in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Hernandez......
Lleyton Hewitt is an Australian professional tennis player whose astonishing court speed, fierce determination,......
high jump, sport in athletics (track and field) in which the athlete takes a running jump to attain height. The......
Grant Hill is a former professional basketball player who played the position of forward for the Detroit Pistons......
Martina Hingis is a Swiss professional tennis player who became the youngest person in the “open” era to win a......
Marcel Hirscher is an Austrian skier who won a record eight consecutive World Cup overall championships (2012–19).......
Lew Hoad was an Australian tennis player who rose to prominence in the 1950s, winning 13 major singles and doubles......
George Hodgson was a Canadian swimmer who won two gold medals at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm and set several......
Ben Hogan was an American professional golfer who became supreme in the decade after World War II. His exceptional......
Steven Holcomb was an American bobsled pilot whose impressive results include a gold medal in the four-man event......
Larry Holmes is an American heavyweight boxing champion of the late 1970s and early ’80s who was known for his......
Dianne Holum is an American speed skater who assisted in the revival of the sport in the United States in the late......
Evander Holyfield is an American boxer, the only professional fighter to win the heavyweight championship four......
Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, one of the world’s oldest golfing societies, founded in 1744 by a group......
Bernard Hopkins is an American boxer who dominated the middleweight division in the early 2000s with a combination......
Yuto Horigome is a Japanese professional skateboarder who is the first-ever Olympic gold medalist in the men’s......
horizontal bar, gymnastics apparatus introduced in the early 19th century by the German Friedrich Ludwig Jahn,......
Tim Horton was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and entrepreneur. He was a defenseman in the National......
While many associate the modern Olympics with tradition, the quadrennial sporting event is continually changing.......
Gordie Howe was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who led the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cup championships......
Chris Hoy is a British cyclist and race-car driver whose six career Olympic gold medals are among the most won......
Clara Hughes is a former cyclist and speed skater who is the only athlete to have won multiple medals at both the......
Bobby Hull was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, notably for the National Hockey League (NHL) Chicago......
Kaillie Humphries is a Canadian American bobsled pilot who, with her brakewoman partner Heather Moyse, was the......
Held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, the 16th Olympiad coincided with one of the signal events of Cold War history:......
hurdling, sport in athletics (track and field) in which a runner races over a series of obstacles called hurdles,......
Alfred Hutton was an English fencing master. He organized numerous fencing exhibitions, displays, and lectures,......
Gunder Hägg was a Swedish middle-distance runner who broke a total of 15 world records during his career. He set......
Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen is a Finnish Nordic skier who was Finland’s foremost female competitor in the sport. She......
Tatjana Hüfner is a German luger who won a gold medal in the women’s singles event at the 2010 Winter Olympics......
ice hockey, game between two teams, each usually having six players, who wear skates and compete on an ice rink.......
history of ice hockey, notable events and people in the development of ice hockey since its creation during the......
ice skating, the recreation and sport of gliding across an ice surface on blades fixed to the bottoms of shoes......
iceboating, a winter sport of sailing and racing on ice in modified boats. An iceboat is basically a sailboat that......
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, annual dogsled race run in March between Anchorage and Nome, Alaska, U.S. The race......
Juli Inkster is an American golfer who was one of the leading players on the Ladies Professional Golf Association......
Innsbruck 1964 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Innsbruck, Austria, that took place Jan. 29–Feb.......
Innsbruck 1976 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Innsbruck, Austria, that took place Feb. 4–15, 1976.......
Sabrina Ionescu is an American professional basketball player who is a standout guard, known for her all-around......
Yelena Isinbayeva is a Russian pole-vaulter who achieved numerous world records and became the first woman to clear......
Volmari Iso-Hollo was a Finnish runner, who won two successive gold medals in the Olympic Games (1932, 1936) for......
Vyacheslav Ivanov was a Soviet rower who became the first three-time Olympic gold medalist in the single scull......
John Jackson was an English bare-knuckle boxer who was influential in securing acceptance of prizefighting as a......
Marjorie Jackson is an Australian athlete who won two Olympic gold medals and tied or set 13 world records. During......
Peter Jackson was an outstanding professional boxer. A victim of racial discrimination (Jackson was black), he......
Lindsey Jacobellis is an American snowboarder who is one of the world’s top competitors in the alpine event known......
Helen Hull Jacobs was an American tennis player and writer who, in the 1920s and ’30s, became known for her persistence......
Irving Jaffee was an American speed skater who won two Olympic gold medals (1932). His first Winter Games title......
Jaromir Jagr is a Czech professional ice hockey player who was one of the most prolific point scorers in National......
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn was the German “father of gymnastics” who founded the turnverein (gymnastics club) movement......
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player who is widely considered one of the greatest all-around......
Carlo Janka is a Swiss Alpine skier whose clean, efficient style and poised determination helped establish him......
Dan Jansen is an American speed skater whose dominance in the sprint races of his sport was overshadowed by his......
javelin throw, athletics (track-and-field) sport of throwing a spear for distance, included in the ancient Greek......
James Jackson Jeffries was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from June 9, 1899, when he......
David Jenkins is an American figure skater who won a gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley,......
Hayes Alan Jenkins is an American figure skater who won a gold medal at the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo,......
Caitlyn Jenner is an American decathlete who won a gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal with a then......
Sixten Jernberg was a Swedish skier who was one of the most successful cross-country skiers of his era, amassing......
The performance of Jesse Owens at the Berlin Games is well known and rightfully acclaimed. He not only dominated......
Eder Jofre was a Brazilian professional boxer, world bantamweight and featherweight champion. (Read Gene Tunney’s......
Knut Johannesen is a Norwegian speed skater who was one of the outstanding competitors in the sport in the late......
Ingemar Johansson was a Swedish-born world heavyweight boxing champion. (Read Gene Tunney’s 1929 Britannica essay......
In the 1920s Johnny Weissmuller was celebrated as one of the United States’ greatest athletes and an Olympic champion.......
Dwayne Johnson is an American professional wrestler and actor whose charisma and athleticism made him a success......
Jack Johnson was an American boxer who was the first African American to become heavyweight champion. He is considered......
Magic Johnson is an American basketball player who led the National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers......
Michael Johnson is a former sprinter who was perhaps the most eminent figure in track and field in the 1990s. For......
Rafer Johnson was an American athlete and actor, who won a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Olympic Games......
Bobby Jones was an American amateur golfer who, in 1930, became the first man to achieve the golf Grand Slam by......
Marion Jones is an American athlete, who, at the 2000 Olympic Games, became the first woman to win five track-and-field......