olympics

China's Xie Siyi and Wang Zongyuan in the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard diving final at the Tokyo Olympics.

When Tom Daley heads to the showers post-dive, the diving pool gets a little shower of its own. Here’s why.

Renowned landscape architect Charles Downing Lay beat the odds to become a champion town planner at the 1936 Games in Berlin.

LeBron James's most recent Olympics appearance at the 2012 London Games.

LeBron James’s last Olympic basketball appearance was back in 2012. But he and his fellow NBA players have good reasons for skipping the Games.

Ecuador's Angie Paola Palacios Dajomes during a weightlifting competition on July 27.

“Tokyo 2020” is all over the 2021 Olympics coverage—athlete gear, advertisements, etc. Why didn’t anyone change it?

Players from Canada and Spain face off during an Olympic match on July 26, 2021.

Spend a few minutes watching Olympic water polo, and you’ll realize the players' bonnets have holes in them. If they’re not keeping water out, what are they for?

Simone Biles is the most decorated female gymnast in history, and this super slow-motion video demonstrates why.

Serena Williams poses with her gold medal after winning at the 2012 London Olympics.

And how much gold is in an Olympic gold medal, anyway? Not enough to make it worth melting down for parts.

When were the first modern Olympic Games held? How many Olympic medals does Michael Phelps have?

The fiery cauldron at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The Summer Olympics opening ceremony wouldn’t be complete without a cauldron lighting—revisit past ones in this supercut.

Kerri Walsh Jennings during a match against Brazil at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Women’s beach volleyball players aren’t the only Olympic athletes who compete in bikini-style uniforms. But do they have to?

Rhythmic gymnast Laura Zeng competes for the U.S. at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Rhythmic gymnastics is all about ribbons and balls, while artistic gymnastics is all about flips and tricks. But there’s a little more to it than that.

Runners Kenzo Yashima, Yahei Miura, Shizo Kanakuri, and Zensaku Motegi.

After Shizo Kanakuri pulled out of a race during the 1912 Olympics, he unintentionally became mythologized as the “Japanese who vanished.”

Synchronized swimmer Becky Dyroen in action during the 1992 US Olympic Team Trials.

When synchronized swimming was first introduced as an Olympic event, it came in three varieties: duet, eight-woman and … solo?

Simone Biles performs at the U.S. Olympic trials in St. Louis.

Is it too much to say that Simone Biles is not only the best Olympic gymnast, but the greatest gymnast of all time? We don't think so.

Members of the 1922 Everest expedition at Base Camp.

From 1924 to 1936, the International Olympic Committee handed out medals for a sport so dangerous that the vast majority of recipients weren't alive to collect them.

Erriyon Knighton, center, after winning his heat at the Olympic trials on June 26, 2021.

Florida sprinter Erriyon Knighton will be the youngest competitor on the U.S. men’s track and field team at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Some artists have won Olympic medals for making medals.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the Olympics bestowed medals on artists for excellence in medal-making. Even if they were dead.

A duelist takes aim in New York City in 1909.

The 1906 and 1908 Olympic Games featured a thrilling new attraction—one that could maim participants and spectators alike.

The U.S. tug-of-war team at the 1908 London Olympics.

Since the first modern Games in Athens in 1896, the Olympics have included everything from pistol dueling to croquet.

American athlete Tommie Smith, wearing black socks, celebrates after crossing the finish line of the men's 200-meter final ahead of Australian Peter Norman and compatriot John Carlos during the Mexico Olympic Games.

When Tommie Smith and John Carlos each raised a black-gloved fist on the Olympic podium, 50,000 people fell silent. Then, the booing started.

And they’ve paired up with 17-year-old soon-to-be Olympic surfer Caroline Marks to promote her message.

The organizing committee for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo collected 78,985 tons of used electronics to make medals for the upcoming games.

When other methods didn't cut it, Megan Absten invented her own.

For most athletes, winning a medal at the Olympics would be the pinnacle of their career. But these athletes didn't stop at just one. They excelled under pressure and earned themselves a spot in the annals of their respective sports as the Most Decorated

Why Do They Spray Water in the Olympic Diving Pool Between Dives?

Charles Downing Lay, the Man Who Won an Olympic Medal for Town Planning

Why Do So Many NBA Stars Skip the Olympics?

Why Are the 2021 Olympics Still Being Called 'Tokyo 2020?'

The Real Reason Water Polo Players Wear Those Caps

Watch Simone Biles Hit a Physics-Defying Triple-Double in Super Slo-Mo

How Much Is an Olympic Gold Medal Worth?

How Much Do You Know About the Olympic Games?

It's Lit: Watch Almost 100 Years of Summer Olympic Cauldron Lightings in This Supercut

Why Do So Many Female Athletes Compete in Bikini-Style Uniforms?

Artistic vs. Rhythmic Gymnastics: What’s the Difference?

Shizo Kanakuri, the Japanese Olympian Who "Vanished" Midrace and Crossed the Finish Line 54 Years Later

When Solo Synchronized Swimming Was an Olympic Sport

12 Amazing Facts About Simone Biles

Peak Performance: The Most Hazardous Sport In Olympic History

Erriyon Knighton—Who Has Broken Two of Usain Bolt's Records—Will Be America's Youngest Male Track Olympian Since 1964

When the Olympics Gave Out Medals for Making Medals

Bullet Time: When Pistol Dueling Was an Olympic Event

11 Surprising Sports that Have Appeared in the Modern Olympic Games

Tommie Smith and John Carlos Shocked the World—and Sacrificed Their Careers—By Protesting Racism at the 1968 Olympics

American Girl Doll Introduces Joss Kendrick, First Doll With a Hearing Aid

The New Tokyo 2020 Olympic Medals Are Made From Recycled Electronics

How to Tie Your Shoes With One Hand, According to a Paralympian

The Most Decorated Winter Olympians in History