Olympics

Tara Nott Cunningham attempts a snatch during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Tara Nott Cunningham's Guide to Watching Weightlifting

The gold medalist offers a cheat sheet on her sport's rules, maneuvers and slang

Butch Johnson draws his bow during the Olympic Men's Archery competition in 2000 in Sydney, Australia.

Butch Johnson's Guide to Watching Archery

The gold medalist offers a cheat sheet on his sport's rules, maneuvers and slang

J. Allyn Rosser is an American poet and currently teaches at Ohio University.

Summer Olympics Look, a Poem

Poet J. Allyn Rosser's new piece on watching the Olympic Games

Olympic organizers plan to conduct 5,000 drug tests—an unprecedented number—during the London Games.

The Top Athletes Looking for an Edge and the Scientists Trying to Stop Them

Behind the scenes there will be a high-tech, high-stakes competition between Olympic athletes who use banned substances and drug testers out to catch them

There are few soccer players better suited to play goalie than the perfectly named Hope Solo. A self-described loner, she is the best player on the U.S. women's soccer team, and its most outspoken.

Hope Solo Drops Her Guard

As her controversial new memoir will show, the leader of the U.S. women’s soccer team has always defended her turf

The Games may not exist at all were it not for the perseverance of the Brits.

The Little-Known History of How the Modern Olympics Got Their Start

Acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford connects the modern Games to their unlikely origin—in rural England

Frank Deford of Real Sports for HBO.

Frank Deford on Bloggers, the Olympics and 51 years of Sportswriting

The legendary writer for Sports Illustrated dishes on, among other things, the changing relationship between athletes and the journalists who cover them

None

Spanx on Steroids: How Speedo Created the New Record-Breaking Swimsuit

After Olympic officials banned the swimsuit that caused records to fall at the 2008 games, scientists are back with a new outfit that might break even more

The B.A.A. team in the stadium in Athens.

The Men Behind the First Olympic Team

Mocked by their peers and kicked out of Harvard, the pioneering athletes were ahead of their time... and their competition in Athens

For every hybrid sport that gets the Olympic seal of approval, there are dozens of others languishing in obscurity.

Hybrid Sports in a League of Their Own

From underwater hockey to chess boxing, could these unheralded hybrid sports be ready for prime time?

Shaun White, Snowboarding

Top 13 U.S. Winter Olympians

These athletes took home gold, but also stole our hearts. Choose your favorite winter Olympian in our poll

In a far-off corner of the Peloponnese, clan wars left the hill town of Vathia in ruins.

The Peloponnese: The Ancient Olympics Meet the Wild West

Ghost towns and ancient history await travelers who take the four-hour drive from Athens to this ancient peninsula

Hungarian water polo player Ervin Zador's eye is injured during the closing minutes of a game against the Soviets.

Blood in the Water at the 1956 Olympics

Political turmoil between Hungary and the Soviet Union spills over into an Olympic water polo match

Smith (center) and Carlos (right) raised their arms and Norman wore a badge on his chest in support.

Olympic Athletes Who Took a Stand

For 40 years, Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos have lived with the consequences of their fateful protest

A view of the ancient ruins of the Stadium at Olympia with its centerpiece 210-yard track.

No Bob Costas? Why the Ancient Olympics Were No Fun to Watch

Spectators braved all manner of discomfort—from oppressive heat to incessant badgering by vendors—to witness ancient Greece's ultimate pagan festival

Left-right: Zola Budd, Mary Decker, Maricica Puică, 3000 m, 1984 Olympics

Fallen Star

When Mary Decker crashed to the ground at the Los Angeles Olympics 20 years ago this month, a young photographer was there to catch the anguish

Page 9 of 9