The Olympics. A to W of Events

Last month I read an excellent book by David Goldblatt and Johnny Acton called How to Watch the Olympics. I can recommend it as essential reading before London 2012 begins.
Here are some things I learnt about the 29 sports that will be contested over 17 days.

Archery
If you hear someone shouting 'Fast!' it is not an attempt to increase the pace of shooting but to stop it.

Athletics
The women's discus record is longer than the men's - uniquely in Olympic sport. The women throw a discus half the weight.

Badminton
Shuttlecocks have been recorded at speeds in excess of 260km an hour.

Basketball
First full appearance in 1936.

Boxing
For men Super Heavyweight is the top weight division at 91kg plus.

Canoeing
16 Golds up for grabs.

Cycling
The Keirin is a track cycling event invented in Japan in the late 1940s.

Diving
The take-off is of equal importance to the flight and entry.

Equestrianism
In 1956 it achieved the unique feat of becoming the only Olympic event to have been held, in total, in a different country from the rest of the games. Australia's strict quarantine laws resulted in Stockholm being used as the venue.

Fencing
3 types of weapon. The épée duel is closest in style to classical dueling.

Football
The men's event is essentially an under 23s tournament, with 3 older players allowed.

Gymnastics
Trampoline has been at the Olympics since 2000.

Handball
Matches are officiated by two referees.

Hockey
The J-shaped sticks are all right-handed.

Judo
Cuba's women have done well in modern times to challenge the dominance of Japan and China.

Modern Pentathlon
The only sport specifically created for the Olympics.

Rowing
The lanes, though marked by buoys, are optional. Crews can take any course they like as long as they don't interfere with others.

Sailing
Great Britain tops the all-time Gold tally with 24. Hooray!

Shooting
Live pigeon shooting made a one-off appearance at the Paris 1900 games. Nearly 300 pigeons were killed.

Swimming
Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer ever with a total of 14 Gold medals.

Synchronised swimming
The Russians are the swimmers to beat.

Table Tennis
Early versions of the game had names such as 'Whiff Waff' and 'Flim Flam'.

Taekwondo
Means 'the way of the foot and the fist'.

Tennis
Steffi Graff won a Golden Slam in 1988. The Olympic title and her Grand Slam.

Triathlon
The UK's Alistair Brownlee is one of the favorites for the men's event.

Volleyball
Indoor and Beach. In indoor volleyball the libero is a specialist position. They can only play in the back row and are not allowed to serve or spike the ball.

Water Polo
Olympic Presence: Men since 1900. Women since 2000.

Weightlifting
China is likely to dominate the women's event.

Wrestling
The competition for each weight division takes place on a single day.