Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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502

Gymnastics

in classic gymnastics, contestants

perform exercises on the floor and on

pieces of apparatus. this apparatus includes

a padded stand called a horse, wooden rings

hanging from straps, and arrangements of

bars. men and women do different exercises,

and each is excluded from certain events. For

instance, only men

compete on rings, and

only women use the

balance beam.

animal sports

Greyhounds, pigeons, camels, and sled

dogs compete in races, but horse racing is

the best-known animal sport. Horse racing takes

place over jumps as well as on flat ground. in harness

racing, the horse pulls its driver around a track in a two-wheeled

“sulky”, like the chariot of ancient times. other horse sports include

show jumping, eventing, dressage, and polo.

air sports

Flying, gliding, and

skydiving provide some of

the greatest thrills in sport.

pilots race airplanes and,

in aerobatics, perform

maneuvers. Glider, balloon,

and hang glider pilots use

warm air currents to move

around without power.

skydiving parachutists

“free fall” for thousands

of feet, linking hands in

formation before opening

their parachutes to

land safely.

In parasailing, a tow vehicle

lifts the participant into

the air with the aid of

a special parachute.

combat sports

modern combat sports originated

in the fighting sports of ancient

Greece, although people wrestled

for sport 15,000 years earlier.

Various styles of unarmed combat

evolved—boxing and wrestling in

the West and jujitsu in the East.

the martial arts, such as judo,

karate, aikido, and tae kwon do,

come from jujitsu.

WHEEl sports

competitions on wheels include

everything from roller-skating to Grand

prix automobile racing. physical skill and

fitness are most important in unpowered

wheel sports such as skateboarding,

cycling, and bicycle motocross.

compEtition

in individual competition,

contestants compete alone. some try

to beat a record; some measure their

performance against other contestants.

players compete “one-on-one” in sports

such as fencing, judo, and tennis.

several contestants compete together

in racing sports, such as horse racing

or the 100-meter dash. in some sports,

such as alpine skiing and archery,

contestants compete separately

to record the best timing or scores.

in other sports, such as diving

or gymnastics, judges decide

the scores.

tarGEt sports

Firing at targets began with archery, or bow-and-arrow

practice, about 500 years ago. in modern archery, competitors shoot a

series of arrows at a target from a range of distances. they score

10 points for arrows that hit the center, or bull, and get lower scores

the closer the arrow is to the edge of the target. another target sport

is shooting, in which competitors fire rifles or pistols at targets.

Women’s uneven

parallel bars

Men’s horse

vault

Men’s parallel bars

Women’s floor

exercises

Women’s balance beam

Men’s

pommel

horse

Skis enable the

wearer to slide

swiftly over snow.

Men’s

rings

Find out more

basketball

Dance

Health and fitness

lungs and breathing

olympic games

soccer

Archery target

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