Understand Olympic events, read results and explore the history behind the Games. Start with a viewing guide, choose a sport or follow the evidence from ancient Olympia to the modern torch relay.
Follow the Games
Winter Olympics: A Viewer’s Guide to Events and Results
Find the event format, read the result and make a manageable Winter Olympics viewing plan.
Summer Olympics: How to Follow Sports, Schedules and Results
Understand Olympic event names, qualification rounds and medal results, then organize your viewing.
Understand the sports and performances
Beach Volleyball: Rules, Scoring and What to Watch
Follow a beach volleyball match through its scoring, contacts, service order and basic tactics.
Olympic Luge: Events, Timing and Reading a Run
Identify Olympic luge events, add run times and use split gaps to understand where a race changes.
Olympic Snowboarding: Disciplines, Scoring and Race Formats
Tell snowboard racing from judged events, compare disciplines and understand which performances count.
Michael Phelps: Olympic Career and Results Explained
Trace Michael Phelps’s Olympic results by Games and distinguish individual medals, relay medals and record claims.
Skiing Wind Tunnels: What Aerodynamic Testing Reveals
Understand what a skiing wind tunnel measures, calculate a drag example and evaluate whether results transfer to snow.
Explore the history and site
Ancient Olympics: Events, Athletes and the Evidence
Understand the ancient Olympic festival, its contests and participation limits, and evaluate historical evidence.
Olympic Torch Relay: Origins, Lighting and the Journey
Separate the Olympic flame, torch, relay and cauldron, understand their origins, and follow an official route.
Ancient Olympia: Understanding the Site and Its Reconstructions
Orient yourself among Olympia’s sanctuary and sporting buildings, then assess what a digital reconstruction can show.
Payment wearables
Payment-Enabled Wearables: Check Compatibility Before You Buy
Compare device and card compatibility, setup and recovery, with the PyeongChang 2018 accessories as historical context.
Historical coverage
These dated reports preserve earlier announcements and contemporary coverage. Read product availability, proposals, statistics and service claims in their original historical context.
Old Navy Team USA collection — 2017 announcement
Cold-weather accessories announced for the 2018 Games.
Pyeongchang cultural theme — 2017 coverage
Background and cultural imagery anticipating the 2018 Winter Games.
Team USA beret — Torino 2006
A contemporary fashion report about the team’s headwear.
Torino event security — 2006 announcement
A historical description of a company’s Olympic event services.
Jennie Finch — 2004 profile coverage
A contemporary report about the softball medalist’s public appearances and engagement.
Rowing hull simulation — 2004 report
A historical account of computational fluid dynamics applied to rowing equipment.
Olympic ceremonies — Athens and Beijing coverage
Historical material on ceremony presentation and team clothing.
Speedo Fastskin FSII — 2004 unveiling
Coverage of the United States swim team’s Athens-era suits.
Nike Olympic uniforms — 2004 unveiling
A historical announcement of track and field uniform design.
Swatch and Olympic timing — 2004 coverage
An archival timing and watch-company report from the Athens period.
Athens 2004 video game — launch announcement
Historical coverage of the officially licensed console game.
Athens theme-song proposal — 2004 report
An archival report of a proposed music commission.
Michelle Kwan — 2002 magazine coverage
A brief contemporary notice of a Newsweek Winter Games profile.
Salt Lake Olympic Village security — 2002 report
A historical system-design announcement.
Snow sports retail sales — 2008 report
Historical equipment and apparel retail figures.