| Even if you're a big fan of sports, you might be less | | | | also earned the moniker "chess on ice". The game |
| familiar with certain Winter Olympic sports. That's | | | | includes brooms and granite stones. Curling includes |
| understandable, and especially if you live south of the | | | | two teams with four players on each team. The |
| equator. But to better appreciate the Winter Games, | | | | teams play on a sheet of ice with a rectangular |
| it's helpful to have a basic understanding of some of | | | | shape. Players use "sweepers" to guide huge polished |
| the sports played in them. Here are some that you | | | | (granite) stones down the ice. The goal is for the |
| might be somewhat unfamiliar with: | | | | stone to stop at the target located at the end of |
| 1. Bandy. | | | | the piece sheet-known as the "house". At the end of |
| This is actually a demonstration sport that first | | | | the match, the team with the most points is |
| appeared in the 1952 Winter Olympics, while making a | | | | victorious. Interestingly, Curling appeared in the 1924 |
| return in 2010. This sport resembles hockey | | | | Winter Olympics, and then reappeared in 1998. |
| somewhat, although the skaters try to shoot a ball, | | | | 4. Skeleton. |
| rather than a puck, into the goal of the opposing | | | | In 2002, this event became a part of the Winter |
| team. The sport also has some similarities to soccer. | | | | Olympics for the first time since 1948. Participants |
| Each team has 11 players, while the field is the same | | | | ride a small sled down the track. But there's a catch! |
| size as a soccer field. Also, the game includes two | | | | Differing from a similar Olympic event, the athlete lies |
| halves that are both 45 minutes. | | | | face-down, and faces forward. Basically, it's a version |
| 2. Biathlon. | | | | of the Luge, in which the athlete lies on his back. This |
| While a gun is probably the least likely piece of | | | | sport definitely isn't for the faint of heart-the sled |
| equipment you'd expect to see in a Winter Olympics | | | | contains no tool for steering or braking! Athletes can |
| event, it's needed for the Biathlon. This event is a | | | | whiz by at top speeds of 80 mph (130 km/hr). |
| combination of cross-country skiing and target | | | | 5. Speed Skiing. |
| shooting. The first competition was among Norwegian | | | | This is another demonstration sport returning to the |
| soldiers, back in 1767! The cross-country part of the | | | | 2010 Winter Olympics. Basically, it involves skiing |
| event includes a distance of 7km-20km. Meanwhile, | | | | downhill in a straight line-as quickly as you can. In |
| the shooting part requires athletes to shoot at | | | | fact, Speed Skiing is one of the fastest land sports |
| targets 50 meters away. The targets are roughly | | | | that aren't motorized. |
| twice as large when shooting while prone (lying on | | | | Having a better understanding of these Winter |
| your front), than when standing. The first Winter | | | | Olympic sports will allow you to enjoy the games |
| Olympics Biathlon event took place in 1960. | | | | better. Now you know that Skeleton isn't just |
| 3. Curling. | | | | something holding our bodies together! |
| Also referred to as "Kurling" by Europeans, Curling has | | | | |