Summer Olympics A-Z Book

AArchery: sport of shooting with bows and arrows.

B Boxing: the

act of fighting with the fists, with or without boxing gloves.

C Cycling: a race on lightweight bicycles

with low handlebars, conducted for specified distances or against time.

D Discus: a circular

disk, usually wooden with a metal rim, used for throwing for distance in athletic competition.

E

Equestrian: horseback riding

F Fencing: sport of fighting with swords.

G Gymnastics:

exercises that develop physical strength and mental capacity.

H

High Jump: a field event where athletes, use a running start, compete in jumping for height over a crossbar supported by two upright poles.

I International Olympic Committee: conducts the Olympic Games

and constantly improves them, guides the development of amateur sports, and helps strengthen friendship among the athletes of all countries.

J

Javelin: a light spear, usually made of wood, used in throwing for distance.

K Kayaking: an Eskimo

canoe with light framework, made watertight. A closure secured around the waist of the person. Propelled with a double-bladed paddle.

L London, England:

where the 2012 Summer Olympics took place.

M Modern Pentathlon: an athletic contest comprising five different events, a

300-meter freestyle swim, a 4000-meter cross-country run, a 5000-meter equestrian steeplechase, épée fencing, and pistol target-shooting at 25 meters, the winner being the contestant with the highest total score.

N Nervous: what

athletes feel when competing for an Olympic medal.

O Olympia, Greece: where the first Olympics were held thousands of years ago.

P Pommel Horse:

similar to a vaulting horse but having two graspable pommels on top. Used by men for hand-supported balancing, rotating, and swinging maneuvers.

Q Quick: what athletes

need to be to win a medal.

R Running: moving legs

more rapidly than at a walk. Both feet are off the ground.

S Swimming: to move

in water by movements of the limbs.

T Tennis: a game played

on a rectangular court by two players or two pairs of players equipped with rackets. A ball is driven back and forth over a low net that divides the court in half.

U Uneven Bars: a pair of

parallel bars set at different heights; used in women's gymnastics

V Volleyball: a game for

two teams in where two teams keep a ball in motion, from side to side over a high net, by striking it with the hands before it touches the ground.

W Wrestling: a sport in

which two opponents struggle hand to hand in order to pin or press each other's shoulders to the mat.

X eXtra Practice: what

athletes need do to be the best!

Y Young: what athletes

are when competing in the Olympics.

Z Zeus: During the first

Olympic Games, athletes devoted their performance to honor Zeus.