If you're like most people, the Summer Olympics call to mind sports such as swimming, gymnastics and tennis -- the kind of crowd-pleasing events that draw millions of television viewers worldwide. But those favorites represent just a handful of the 26 sports, disciplines and events that make up the Summer Olympic Games.
Water Sports
Several types of water sports are part of the Summer Olympic games, including diving, swimming, synchronized swimming, water polo, rowing and canoeing. According to the official website of the London 2012 Olympic games, the Olympic sailing competition has 380 athletes competing in 10 different disciplines for 10 possible gold medals.
Bikes
The Olympic sport of cycling includes four different disciplines: mountain bike, road bike, track and BMX. The mountain bike competition began in 1996 -- exactly 100 years after the road bike and track competitions first debuted at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens. The BMX competition was first introduced at the 2008 Olympic games, and is the newest cycling discipline to gain acceptance.
Balls and Pucks
Olympic team sports include basketball, beach volleyball, hockey, football, handball. Two team sports -- baseball and softball -- were dropped from the Olympic Games after the 2008 Olympics. Two additional sports -- rugby and golf -- will make their official debut in 2016.
Horses
The equestrian competition is made up of three separate disciplines: dressage, jumping and eventing. Dressage is a demonstration of a horse and rider's overall skills, while jumping is a competition that involves jumping a horse over a series of obstacles. Eventing is a four-day test of an athlete's equestrian abilities that includes competitions in jumping and dressage.
Individual and Team Sports
Wrestling, weightlifting, triathlon, taekwondo, tennis, shooting, judo, modern pentathlon, fencing, athletics and archery are all featured in the Summer Olympic Games. Athletics includes various track and field disciplines like running, walking, jumping, pole vaulting and the javelin and discus throws. The modern pentathlon is an event that combines horseback-riding, shooting, running, swimming and fencing, while the triathlon event involves swimming, running and biking.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a perennial crowd favorite, and includes three different disciplines: artistic, rhythmic and trampoline. The artistic competition includes events such as the pommel horse, rings, balance beam and uneven bars, while the rhythmic competition has female athletes performing gymnastic routines using rings, ropes, hoops and balls. Trampoline is a relatively new sport, making its Olympic debut in the 2000 games.
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