Best Olympic sport
Summer and winter Olympic sports head to head. Which is the most thrilling to watch?
Tier list by PairTier · 26 items
- Athletics — Running, jumping and throwing events held at every modern Olympics since 1896.
- Swimming — Pool races across four strokes, part of every modern Summer Games since 1896.
- Artistic gymnastics — Apparatus and floor routines judged on difficulty and execution; on the programme since 1896.
- Football — The world's most popular sport, played at almost every Summer Games since 1900.
- Basketball — Team sport on the Olympic programme since 1936; 3x3 basketball was added in 2020.
- Tennis — Played at the first Games in 1896, dropped after 1924 and restored as a full medal sport in 1988.
- Cycling — Track, road, mountain bike and BMX events; track and road cycling date back to 1896.
- Rowing — Crew and single sculls racing on still water, a fixture of the Summer Games since 1900.
- Boxing — Olympic combat sport since 1904, with women's events added in 2012.
- Wrestling — Greco-Roman and freestyle bouts; wrestling was part of the first modern Games in 1896.
- Judo — Japanese martial art that debuted at the 1964 Tokyo Games.
- Fencing — Foil, épée and sabre duels, contested at every modern Summer Games.
- Diving — Springboard and platform dives judged on form and difficulty; Olympic since 1904.
- Volleyball — Six-a-side indoor volleyball, an Olympic sport since 1964.
- Beach volleyball — Two-a-side volleyball on sand, a medal sport since 1996.
- Handball — Fast indoor team sport; the indoor game has been on the Olympic programme since 1972.
- Equestrian — Dressage, eventing and show jumping, where men and women compete against each other.
- Archery — Target shooting with recurve bows at 70 metres.
- Alpine skiing — Downhill, slalom and other speed and technical races on snow; Olympic since 1936.
- Cross-country skiing — Endurance skiing over distances and sprints, part of every Winter Games since 1924.
- Ice hockey — Fast, physical team sport, first played at the Olympics in 1920.
- Figure skating — Jumps, spins and choreography on ice; the oldest sport on the Winter Olympic programme.
- Biathlon — Cross-country skiing combined with rifle shooting; an Olympic event since 1960.
- Ski jumping — Athletes fly off a ramp judged on distance and style; at every Winter Games since 1924.
- Speed skating — Long-track races on a 400-metre oval, at every Winter Games since 1924.
- Curling — Stones slid across ice towards a target; a full medal sport since 1998.