know your olympic sports

Know Your Olympic Sport

Know Your Olympic Sport: Doping

Okay, it's not an official event -- not yet

Who's Got the Drugs?

Anybody notice something missing? Where are all the drugs? Despite all the attention going into the games, Beijing has been relatively clean (air pollution not withstanding).

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Know Your Olympic Sport

The Beckham of Field Hockey?

Bending it like that guy, special shoes, and one very hot training chamber are all part of the making of a modern player


Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” by introducing the next David Beckham explaining why field hockey players are always wet.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Know Your Olympic Sport: Equestrian

The largest athletes need high-tech toys too

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. In this edition of "know your Olympic sport," we focus on the largest athletes in Beijing and how to keep them cool (not you, Yao).

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Filming Beijing

Bringing every action packed second to millions of viewers takes some serious gadgetry


Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. But enough with the obscure sports, for now.

In this edition of “know your Olympic sport,” we focus on the technology enhancing our viewing experience (plus a darn cool video clip of a dog show).

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Synchronized Swimming Show Down

A high-tech, swimsuit-bound light show has landed Spain's team in hot water

How did the heck did we miss this one? When profiling the science behind synchronized swimming we covered everything from hair products to underwater speakers. But the technology making a buzz in the pool at Beijing is actually a set of underwater lights – get this – attached to the swimsuits.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Bend It: The Science of Gymnastics

A slew of high-tech innovations have vaulted gymnastics to the forefront

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” with more than you need to know about gymnastics.

Inside we’ll provide a trick to help you finally touch your toes, expose a fault in major equipment and challenge our readers to win back a gold for America.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Know Your Olympic Sport: Michael Phelps (i.e. Swimming)

Brett Zarda looks at the athletes, the water, and the technology

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of "know your Olympic sport," by answering some and posing some questions about the science of Michael Phelps (and swimming).

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Olympic Softball (One Last Time)

A look at the advanced tools players are using to stay sharp—even as softball's last hurrah nears a close

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” by fielding some softballs.

With its Olympic license being revoked after these games, let’s pay tribute to Jennie Finch by profiling a pitching machine, a method to improve your eyesight and little bit more about softball’s secret weapon.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Volleyball (On the Sand and In the Gym)

Smacking a ball over a net calls for some surprising technology

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” (check out the whole series here) by serving up some volleyball.

Inside we’ll provide thermal imaging, a new ball and a sock for the sand. Let us begin!

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Know Your Olympic Sport

The Secrets of Synchronized Swimming

Think it's a sissy sport? Think again. A look at the arduous training, high-tech speakers and super-strong hair paste involved in keeping those swimmers peak

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” by diving into synchronized swimming.

Inside we’ll explain what the sport has in common with the war on terror and why every swimmer worth her hair bun abides by the power of horse cartilage. Go ahead, check it out. Nobody is looking, and we won’t tell.

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