Guestling Bradshaw CE Primary School

There will be twelve events in this year's program, five for men and five for ladies, plus two mixed events.

A biathlon is a race in which contestants ski around a cross-country course, which is total broken up by either two or four shooting rounds, half lying down, the other half standing. Depending on the shooting performance, extra distance or time is added to the contestant's total. As in most races, the contestant with the shortest total time wins.

For each shooting round, the biathlete must hit five targets; each missed target involves a penalty, which, depending on the particular event, could be skiing around a penalty loop, having a minute added to their time or having to use an extra cartridge to finish off the target.

Only skis and ski poles may be used, and they cannot exceed a regulation length. Athletes wear a special racing suit to help maintain their body temperature and reduce wind resistance. They have to carry their rifle on their back using special straps.

The biathlon has been a Winter Olympic event since 1960, although women did not take part until 1992. There are individual events for men and women, as well as relays and mass start events.

This was one of the original Winter Olympic events, although then it was only for men; women did not start competing until 2002!

There are three events that make up the Olympic bobsleigh program: one-man (monobob), two-man, four-man, one-woman (monobob) and two-woman.

Bobsleigh involves high-speed mountain descent on special artificially made ice tracks on controlled sledges (bobs). Olympic bobsleigh competition consists of four runs held over a two-day period. Medals are awarded based on the total time over the four runs, with the winner having the lowest overall time.

The sleigh runs on two sets of steel runners. The driver controls the sled with his hands and fingers, using rings that are attached to a steering mechanism by ropes. The athletes wear a specially made high-tech plastic composite helmet helps to prevent head injuries. Their shoes have spikes on the soles to give them grip during the push start.

Cross country skiing is the oldest type of skiing. It emerged from the need to travel over snow-covered terrain (to hunt or gather firewood for example) and developed into a sport at the end of the 19th century.

The first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, France, in 1924, included men’s cross-country skiing on 18 km and 50 km courses (women did not compete until the 1952 games). Other races have since been added and now twelve events feature in the program: individual and mass start races, the skiathlon, the relay, and individual and team sprints.

In the individual race, the skiers start at 30-second intervals, and the competitor who covers the distance in the shortest time wins.

In the mass start race, all skiers start at the same time. 60 to 80 athletes are arranged into rows of 7 to 11 people and start skiing when the pistol shot fires. This format is comparable to bicycle racing, where athletes use various strategies and tactics during the race, and demonstrate their sprinting abilities at the finish line. Men and women race in the free technique events, with men skiing 50 km and ladies skiing 30 km. The winner is the skier who finishes first. It is not unusual to have up to 10 athletes vying for the victory in a photo finish.

In the skiathlon, althletes race the first half of the course on classic technique skis, then exchange them for skating skis in the stadium and finish the event using the free technique. The timer does not stop while the skiers change skis, just like a Formula 1 pit stop! The first skier to cross the finish line wins the skiathlon. The course is usually laid out in such a way that the skiers pass through the stadium several times.

The relay is skied by teams of four athletes. The first and second legs are skied using the classic technique, and the third and fourth using free technique. The relay begins with a mass start. The switchover takes place in a specially designated zone in the stadium where team members tag each other. The team that crosses the finish line first after 4 legs wins.

The individual sprint events begin with a qualifying round, from which the top 30 are placed in quarterfinal heats. Six people start in each of the quarter finals, semi-finals, and final races. The two fastest competitors from each heat, plus the two third or fourth-place skiers with the best times (called the lucky losers), advance to the next round. Six skiers compete for the gold medal in the final round.

The team sprint is run as a relay, in teams consisting of two skiers who take turns completing three legs each - a total of 6 legs. Athletes perform the switchover in a specially designated zone inside the stadium. Teams are placed at the starting line in a way similar to the arrow formation used in the mass start. The team sprint is one of the most exciting events, in which the lead changes often and skiers sustain high speeds.

Curling originated in Scotland in the sixteenth century where it was first played in the winter on frozen ponds, marshes and lakes. The Stirling Stone, engraved with the date 1511, is considered to be the oldest curling stone in the world.

Curling first appeared at the 1924 Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix but was only formally accepted by the International Olympic Committee in 2006. It was a demonstration sport at some of the games, and has been an official Olympic sport since 1998.

Curling is a game played between two teams composed of four players each. The game is played on ice, and members of both teams deliver a 19.96 kg stone towards a circular target area, called the house, alternating with an opponent. The objective is to get the stone closer to the centre of the house than any stone of the opposition.

One game consists of ten ends. During each end, each team steers eight stones - two stones per person. After all 16 stones have been delivered the score is determined. Only one team can score per end. A team scores one point for each of its own stones that is closer to the centre of the house than any of the opposition’s stones. The team with the most points after 10 ends is the winner. There are events for men, women and mixed teams.

A broom is used to sweep the ice surface in front of the stone. Sweeping creates a film of water between the stone and the ice, which reduces friction, thereby reducing the stone’s deceleration and straightening its trajectory or curl. Curling brooms can have fabric, hog hair, or horsehair heads. There are also corn/straw brooms, although they are used rarely nowadays.

Special curling shoes have different soles. One has an extremely slippery sole made from Teflon, plastic or steel and is used on the sliding foot. The other is made from rubber and provides much needed traction on the ice.

Each playing surface is 45.72 m long and not more than 5 m wide, with a target — or house — at either end.

Figure skating is the oldest discipline in the Olympic Winter Games. As far back as 1908, figure skating competitions were included in the Olympics in London, and in 1920 at the Antwerp Games. Since the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, singles and pairs skating have been a key fixture of the Olympic Games.

In 1976 ice dancing was included in the Olympic program; prior to this (in 1972) it was the only part of the Olympics as a demonstration sport. The first Olympic champions in ice dancing in 1976 were the Soviet figure skaters Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov.

The Olympic Games program includes the following figure skating competitions: individual men’s and women’s events, pairs events, ice dancing and also team events. At the present time, only 5 sets of medals are contested in the Olympic figure skating program.

Single skating consists of a short program including 7 compulsory elements and a free program. A well-balanced free program should include jumps, spins, and steps.

Likewise, mixed pairs skaters first perform a short program (7 moves) and then a free program. Compulsory moves include lifts, spirals, throws and synchronized jumps. One of the most important factors in the judging is how a pairs’ movements mirror one another.

Ice dancing is the only discipline that allows the use of music with vocals. Dancers much adhere closely to the rhythm of the music and express the character of the music with appropriate emotion and feeling.

At present, ice dancing competitions, like those of other forms of figure skating, consist of two programs. The short program combines a compulsory dance—consisting of one or two parts—and certain proscribed elements. The theme and rhythm of the musical accompaniment is determined each season by the ISU the sport’s governing body, while the length of this dance—currently 2 minutes and 50 seconds—is similar to requirements of other forms of figure skating. The free dance has not undergone significant changes over the years and the basis of its scoring remains, the quality of the compulsory elements in close dancing positions, the unison the skaters display and their ability to express the character of the musical selection.

Team events in figure skating are a competition between the best national teams. Representatives of the singles and pairs skating perform a short and free program; in ice dancing they complete a short and free dance. Each team may have one sports pair and one dance pair, one male figure skater and one female figure skating.

Figure skaters wear custom-made boots to give their ankles both flexibility and support. The high strength carbon-steel blades have teeth in the toe to allow for pushing off when executing certain types of jumps. The ice needs to be of the best quality - the thickness over the whole rink should not vary by more than 5 mm!

Freestyle skiing first appeared as a demonstration event at the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games. Mogul skiing, over a bumpy slope, was added as an official medal event at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville. The aerials event was added for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, while ski cross had its debut at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

The Olympic freestyle events include mogul skiing, aerials, ski cross, ski halfpipe, and ski slopestyle. Ski halfpipe and ski slopestyle were added to the Olympics in 2011. Both men and women participate in each type of event. A total of ten sets of medals are awarded for freestyle.

The mogul event is a descent down a bumpy slope. Athletes are required to perform two jumps on their way through the course. The competitors receiving the highest score for their overall performance are declared the winners. Scores are determined by judges who evaluate how well the moguls are navigated and the quality and difficulty of the jumps. Judges also add points for speed according to a special formula.

The aerials event includes a qualifying round and a final round. In each, athletes complete two special ski jumps each. The athletes with the highest combined scores from the two jumps advance to the finals. Scores from the qualifying round do not carry over to the finals. For each jump, athletes are judged on their technique for jump takeoff, jump form, and landing.

The ski cross event includes a qualifying round and a final round. In the qualifying round, athletes race individually down a course approximately 1000 meters long with turns and obstacles. The athletes with the best times are then divided into groups of four and compete to determine who advances to the next round of competition. The two top finishers continue to compete, while the losers are eliminated. Athletes reaching the final round compete for the medals.

In the halfpipe, athletes perform on a halfpipe slope on freestyle skis, performing various tricks — somersaults, flips, grabs, and twists. The competition format includes qualifying and final rounds, with two runs per athlete in each round. Places are determined according to the total number of points in the final.

In the slopestyle, athletes perform on a slope with various types of obstacles (rails, quarter-pipes, and jumps). The technical characteristics of the course are dictated by the rules of the International Ski Federation. The competition follows an elimination format, with semifinals and finals, with two runs in each round. The top finisher wins.

It is believed the game was taken to North America by the English, where it was played by soldiers stationed in Canada. The first official men’s international ice hockey tournament at the Olympic games was held in 1920. Women's ice hockey has been included in the program since 1998.

Ice hockey games take place on an ice rink. A puck made of vulcanized rubber is used; it is sometimes frozen to reduce friction on the ice, making it move quicker. The game is a competition between two teams attempting to hit the puck into their opponent's goal using sticks, while preventing the puck from entering their own goal. The winning team is the one that scores the most goals. There must be six players on the ice from each team: two defenders, three forwards and one goaltender (goalkeeper). A player committing an offence is removed from the rink for a period of time.

The players wear protective clothing as the game is fast and furious, and falls and collisions are common.

Luge originally developed as a sport in Switzerland, where the first course was built at Davos in 1879. Four years later, the town hosted the inaugural international competition, with competitors racing along a 4km track from Davos to the village of Klosters. Luge made its Olympic debut at the Innsbruck Olympic Winter Games in 1964.

Luge is considered to be one of the most dangerous Olympic winter sports. It involves sliding at high speeds on single or two-person sleds on a special track of artificially frozen ice.

The athlete or athletes starts in a seating position and after pushing off lie down on their back on the sled with their feet stretched out in front of them. The rider steers the sled by moving his or her centre of gravity. The winner of the competition is the rider with the fastest time. During a run, the sled can reach speeds of over 140 km/h.

There are three classes of Olympic competition: men’s singles, women’s singles and doubles. In addition the program in Sochi has added a relay competition for the first time. Men and women compete on the same track, but the women’s starting line is further down the course than the men’s.

Individual competitions for men and women in the single sleigh are held for two days with two runs per day. The four times are added together, and the fastest total time determines the winner.

The double luge is a one-day competition, in which the fastest total time of two runs determines the winner. There is no rule that says men and women cannot compete together, but the doubles teams are generally men.

The relay team will consist of a woman (on a singles luge), a man (on a singles luge) and two men from the doubles luge. Each athlete must touch the special touch-pad at the end of their run, which automatically opens the gate for the next team member. When the third member of the team hits the touch-pad, this will determine the team’s total time.

Riders wear special helmets that extend under the chin to reduce resistance. Luge gloves are spiked at the fingertips to help riders as they accelerate at the start.

Nordic Combined individual events have been part of the Olympic program since the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924. The team competition was introduced at the Calgary Olympic Winter Games in 1988 with each team made up of three skiers. By the 1998 Nagano Olympics, this was increased to four skiers on each team.

Nordic Combined events include a ski jumping competition (1 jump) and a 10 km cross-country ski race. There are three men’s events in the Olympic program in Nordic Combined: the individual event with a normal hill (NH) ski jump, the individual event with a large hill (LH) ski jump, and the team event, with two jumps from the large hill for each team member and a 4×5 km relay.

The individual event, also known as the Gundersen race, takes place in two stages. The first stage is a jump from the normal or large hill, with each participant making one attempt. The second stage is a 10 km race. Points are scored for distance and style in the ski jumping section. The skiers with the most ski jumping points start first in the cross-country section, followed by the next best jumper after a gap that reflects the difference in their jumping scores, and so on. The first cross-country skier to cross the finish line wins the event.

The team event is similar to the individual event, except that teams of 4 people compete. In the first part of the event, each skier has one jump on a large hill. Points for all jumps count towards the team total. A difference of forty-five points translates to a one minute advantage in the second event, the 4×5 km cross-country relay. The Nordic Combined winner is the team whose skier crosses the finish line first.

Short track speed skating first appeared at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, as demonstration sport, and it was not until the 1992 games in Albertville that it became an official part of the Winter Olympics. It has become an integral part of the Games and short track spectators love the speed and intense competition between the athletes.

Short track is a type of speed skating in which the athletes compete to cover a 111.12 meter oval ice track as quickly as possible.

The Olympic races include 500m, 1000m, and 1500m races (for both men and women), and relay races at 3000m (women) and 5000m (men). Eight sets of medals are awarded.

Short track skaters compete on an elimination basis. Following the group start, skaters use various tactics to be the first to the finish line. The winner is the first over the line and time is not a deciding factor in victory.

The individual competitions involve 32 skaters participating in heats of four athletes at a time. From each group of four, the top two finishers advance to the next round. That continues until the final four are identified, who then compete for the medals.

The relay involves 8 teams of four skaters each. Each team decides for itself the number of laps each athlete will skate. The only exception is the last two laps, which must be covered by the same skater (as long as he has not been injured). The first two teams from each semi-final advance to the final.

In contrast to what is used for speed skating, the skate blades in short track are not positioned along the central longitudinal axis of the shoe sole. Rather, they are strongly shifted to the left of this axis.

Skelton racing involves plummeting head first down a steep and treacherous ice track on a tiny sled! As a racing sport it can be traced to the mid-19th century, when British tourists started sliding down snowbound roads in the Alps. British and American holidaymakers built the first toboggan run in Davos in 1882.

Although Skeleton has twice been included in the Winter Games when they were held in Switzerland, it did not become an Olympic discipline until 2002.

Skeleton involves a descent on a special track with artificially frozen ice in a sled. A skeleton sled has steel runners and a weighted frame without steering, in which the athlete lays face down and head first, controlling the sled using special spikes on their shoes.

The competition lasts for two days, with each athlete completing a total of four runs. Medals are awarded based on total time over the four runs, with the winner having the lowest overall time. If two athletes complete the competition in a tie, they are awarded the same place. There are singles competitions for men and women.

Ski jumping has been a part of the games since the very first Winter Olympics, in Chamonix in 1924. During the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck the large hill competition was introduced to the games. Women only started competed in ski jumping in 2014!

Four events make up the Olympic program: the men’s and women’s individual normal hill competition, the men’s individual large hill competition, and the men’s team competition.

The individual normal hill competition is an event in which athletes jump from a hill where the longest distance reached is around 105 meters. Athletes make two jumps. Only the athletes with the best results in the first jump make the second jump. The athlete with the highest total score is declared the winner.

The individual large hill competition is an event in which athletes jump from a hill where they may reach 140 meters or a little more. The competition is structured and winners selected the same way as in the normal hill event.

The team competition takes place on the large hill. In the final round the field is reduced to the eight teams with the highest scores on the first jump. The team with the highest total score for all jumps is declared the winner.

Snowboarding made its Olympic debut in 1998 at the Nagano Winter games, starting with the giant slalom and the halfpipe; further events were gradually added.

There are now eleven snowboarding events in the Winter Olympics: men’s and women’s events in the halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, snowboard cross, slopestyle, and parallel slalom, and for the first time this year, a team ski-snowboard coss.

The halfpipe competition is held on a special halfpipe-shaped course. Using the speed gained on the slope, snowboarders come up over the rim on the other side of the pipe and perform acrobatic aerial tricks.

In the parallel giant slalom events, two athletes engage in a head-to-head competition on parallel courses. The athletes with the best results in the qualifying round advance to the finals, and then compete on an elimination basis. The snowboarder who wins all the races wins the competition.

The snowboard cross event takes place on a course made up of various moguls, obstacles, banks, and jumps. Athletes are subject to elimination in qualifying runs. Results in the qualifying round determine snowboarders’ places in the final groups (the athlete with the best qualifying result gets starting number 1, and so on). In this stage, two groups of leaders run the course simultaneously, in an exciting battle over the right to advance to the final. The final group run determines who the medal winners are.

In the slopestyle, athletes perform on a slope featuring various forms of obstacles (rails, quarterpipes, and jumps). The technical characteristics of the course are dictated by the rules of the International Ski Federation. The competition is formatted in an elimination system with semifinals and finals, with two runs in each round. The snowboarder with the best results wins.

In the parallel slalom, athletes descend parallel courses marked with blue and red flags. The athlete who covers the distance the fastest (while following the course rules) wins. The courses must match each other as much as possible in terms of relief, snow cover, number of turns, and other factors.

Athletes use specially developed, flexible boards for the halfpipe and slopestyle to allow them to keep their balance and perform acrobatic tricks. On the other hand, slalom boards are stiff and narrow - ideal for sharp turns and high speeds.

Men’s speed skating was first included in the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, although women did not compete until 1960. Team pursuit became part of the Olympic program in 2006.

In speed skating, athletes travel a defined distance as fast as possible. The traditional length of the track is 400 meters.

Speed skating at the Olympic Games consists of ten individual distance events and two team pursuit races. Men compete in 500, 1000, 1500, 5000, and 10,000 meter events, and complete 8 laps in the team pursuit race. Women compete in 500, 1000, 1500, 3000, and 5000 meter events and in a 6-lap team pursuit race.

In the individual events, skaters race in pairs on separate tracks (the inner and outer lanes). Athletes switch lanes at every lap in order to skate an equal distance. The 500-meter race is skated twice, with both races taking place on the same day. The final result is based on the total time taken over the two races.

In the team pursuit races, two teams of three members each take part in each race. The teams start all at once from different sides of the track. Each skater in a team leads the group for a time, skating in front to take on all the air resistance. Meanwhile, his partners fall in behind him. The race comes to an end only when the last skater on a team crosses the finish line.

For the first time this year there is also a mixed NOC team sprint, with two men and two women, all from different countries are put together in groups.