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Metric in Sports: Summer Games Fast Facts

Summer Games Fast Facts
Credit: NIST/Adobe Stock

 

Archery

Archery
Credit: Adobe Stock

Archery is a sport that involves an archer shooting arrows with a bow at a target. Recurve bows varies in length but average about 173 cm. Arrows also vary, with an average of about 56 cm long. The distance between the 122 cm diameter target and the athlete is 70 m (± 30 cm). Archers aim to hit the 12.2 cm diameter center ring. In the international games, team members and coaches must stand 1 m behind the shooting line during the competition. 

International archery competition features individual, mixed team and team events. This sport is governed by the World Archery Federation. 

Fun Fact: The length of the target bow varies according to the height of the archer. 

 

Basketball 

Basketball
Credit: Adobe Stock

Basketball is a sport played between two teams of five players each on a rectangular court. Each team tries to score by tossing the ball through the opponent’s basket. International competition follows the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) governing body rules and regulations. 

The floor surface is required to be a minimum of 32 000 mm in length and 19 000 mm in width. The basketball court measures 15.2 m by 28.7 m. The basket ring has a minimum inside diameter of 450 mm and is positioned 3 050 mm above the floor. The basket net may be no more than 450 mm long and gaps must be less than 8 mm. The game clock is required to indicate time in minutes (m) and seconds (s), including 0.1 s increments during the last minute of the quarter and overtime. The shot clock counts down time in seconds (s). 

The spherical basketball is inflated so that when it’s dropped on the court from 1 800 mm, the underside of the ball rebounds to between 1 035 mm and 1 085 mm. Women’s competitive basketball circumference range between 715 mm to 730 mm and 510 g to 550 g in mass. Men’s competition basketballs are between 750 mm to 770 mm in circumference and 580 g to 620 g in mass.  

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Diving

Diving
Credit: Adobe Stock

Diving off the 10 m diving platform is similar to diving from the roof of a three-story building. Springboard divers bound from a board that is 50 cm in width, or about the size of four standard compact discs placed side by side. The 10 m diving platform is almost two meters wide, about the width of a full-sized pickup truck.

 

 

 

Fencing 

Fencing
Credit: Adobe Stock

Fencing is a sport involving two people with swords for defense according to a set of movement and rules. Fencing is a series of one-touch bouts held in an indoor arena 14 m long, usually 1.5 m to 2 m wide There are three different types of fencing swords: foil, épée, and sabre. The heaviest weapon used in fencing is the epee, which weighs 756 g or about as much as two empty ceramic coffee mugs.  

 

 

 

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Gymnastics

Gymnastics
Credit: Adobe Stock

Gymnastics floor exercises are performed on a mat measuring 12 m by 12 m, roughly twice the size of a boxing ring. Gymnasts execute precise movements on a balance beam that is only 10 cm wide,  about the width of a paperback novel. The rings in men's gymnastics are place 250 cm off the floor, which is about the height of a standard ceiling.

 

 

 

 

Pentathlon

Pentathlon
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The modern Pentathlon is a sport consisting of five events: pistol shooting, fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, and cross-country running.  

  1. Equestrian show jumping involves jumping over 12 obstacles with a maximum height of 120 cm. The complete obstacle course ranges from 335 m to 450 m in length.  

  1. Fencing is a series of one-touch bouts with epée swords which is held in an indoor arena 14 m long, usually 1.5 m to 2 m wide. The winner is the first athlete to hit their opponent.  

  1. Freestyle swimming is a race where athletes swim over 200 m and are grouped according to their personal best time. 

  1. Cross-country running competitors in the modern pentathlon must run 4 000 m around a track. 

  1. Combined pistol shooting and cross-country run is a two-discipline event where athletes will run 3 200 m in total. The event begins with a 20 m run to a shooting range where the athletes are required to hit 5 targets from 10 m, after which the athletes complete a 1 000 m run. And then the sequence is repeated 2 more times.  

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Soccer
Credit: Adobe Stock

Soccer is a game in which two teams of 11 players, use any part of their bodies except their arms and hands to move the ball  into the opponents’ goal post. The ball is about 68 cm to 70 cm in circumference and 410 g to 450 g in mass. A soccer game lasts 90 minutes and is divided into two halves. The pitch is 90 m to 120 m long and 45 m to 90 m wide; for international matches, it is 100 m to 110 m long and 64 m to 75 m wide. Fun Fact: It is known as “football” internationally. 

 

 

Table Tennis (Ping-Pong)

Table Tennis - Ping Pong
Credit: Adobe Stock

Table tennis is a sport played by one or two players at each end of a flat table divided into equal halves by a net. The aim is to hit the ball with rackets so that it goes over the net and bounces once on the opponent’s side so that the opponent cannot return the ball. The table playing surface is 76 cm from the ground, is a rectangle shape (2.74 m long by 1.53 m wide) and is surrounded by a 2 cm thick perimeter border. The net is 8 m long and stands at a height of 15.25 cm. The ball has a diameter of 40 mm and weighs about 2.7 g. The paddle (or racket) is about 15 cm wide and 17 cm long. 

 

 

 

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Tennis

Tennis
Credit: Adobe Stock

Tennis is a sport in which two opposing players or pairs of players use rackets to hit a ball to bounce it over a net on a rectangular court. Points are awarded to a player (single) or pair of players (doubles) whenever the opponent fails to correctly return the ball within the dimensions of the court.  In international competition, balls range between 6.54 cm to 6.86 cm and 56.0 g to 59.4 g in weight. An international tennis court is 23.77 m long. The singles tennis court width measures 8.23 m, while a doubles court measures 10.97 m. The net is 1.07 m in height. Tennis balls can reach impressive speeds during a serve, toping over 210 km/h. The game is governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

 

 

Track and Field 

Track events
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Track and field events are a major part of both international and high school games. They encompass a variety of races that test the speed, endurance and agility of athletes. Delve into the Track and Field Webpage to learn more about track and field. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Volleyball

Volleyball
Credit: Adobe Stock

Volleyball is a sport played by two teams with six athletes each in which the players hit the ball back and forth using their hands over a high net, with the aim of making the ball touch the surface of the court on the opponent’s side. Volleyballs used in the international games have a circumference of between 65 cm to 67 cm and weigh between 260 g to 290 g.The court is rectangular (18 m long and 9 m wide) split equally into two halves by a net that is 4.43 m (men’s) or 2.24 m (women’s) in height. All court lines are 5 cm wide. The attack line is located 3 m from the net. The game is governed by the International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB). 

 

 

Water Polo

Water polo, woman team and pool for training, game or competition for fitness
Credit: Adobe Stock

Water polo is a team sport that combines the speed of swimming, strength of wrestling, and the strategy of soccer and basketball. Water polo players pass and carry a ball in a pool that is 1.8 m deep, or approximately the height of a standard upright refrigerator.

 

 

 

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Weightlifting

Weightlifting
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Weightlifting is a competitive sport where individual athletes lift weights attached to barbells. Athletes focus on maximizing the weight they can lift, squat, or bench press in kilograms (kg). The combined weight of the bar, discs, and collars are recorded for a lift. The women’s bar is 2.01 m long and weighs 15 kg, while a men’s bar is 2.2 m long and weighs 20 kg. Weight discs range from 0.5 kg (white) up to 25 kg (red) and are located on opposite sides of the bar to balance the lift load. A collar that weights 2.5 kg is placed at each end of the bar to secure the weight plates. Two primary lift techniques include the “snatch” and the “clean and jerk.” An athlete has 3 lift attempts. The highest combined total weight lifted is designated the winner. When attempting a lift, athletes are required to stay within the 4 m by 4 m (16 m2) lifting platform. Athletes compete within 5 weight categories: 

  • Women’s international competitive categories: 49 kg, 59 kg, 71 kg, 81 kg, and +81 kg. 

  • Men’s international competitive categories: 61 kg, 73 kg, 89 kg, 102 kg, and +102 kg. 

Fun Fact: in July 1993 a lifting record of 2 422.2 kg was recorded, which is about the same weight as 4 cows or 10 L of snow.

Wrestling

Wrestling
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Wrestling is a sport played by two competitors which involves forcing an opponent to touch the ground with some part of the body other than their feet. Points are awarded to the competitor that achieves a throw, hold, or takedown. International competitive matches include two 3-minute periods that take place on a mat with a circular competition zone. 

In wrestling, measurement is important because there is a focus on strength-to-weight ratio. International competitive categories include:  

  • Women’s freestyle international competitive categories: 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 68 kg, and 76 kg. 

  • Men’s freestyle international competitive categories: 57 kg, 65 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg, and 125 kg. 

  • Men’s Greco-Roman international competitive categories: 60 kg, 67 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg, 97 kg, and 130 kg. 

Fun fact: Wrestling is one of the world’s oldest sports. 

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Created July 21, 2023, Updated August 21, 2024