Olympics

  • Runners race on a purple track with the Olympic ring logo on it.
    Olympics

    How the Olympic track is designed for speed

    Experts explain the unique design behind the Olympic track in Paris and how it's been engineered for record-breaking times.
  • Three runners race on a reddish brown track.
    athletes

    Do ‘super spikes’ really make athletes run faster?

    What role do new-generation high-tech "super spikes" play in athletic performance? Probably a big one, new research suggests.
  • The Eiffel Tower in Paris is lighted at night and has white Olympic rings on its front.
    Olympics

    Can the Olympics ever really be green?

    Organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics are committed to creating the most sustainable Games ever. But can the event ever truly be green?
  • A worker stands next to a snow machine spraying artificial snow onto the side of a hill
    climate change

    Almost all the snow at the Winter Olympics will be fake

    Climate change may pose the biggest challenge at this year's Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Games will be the first to use almost 100% artificial snow.
  • A swimmers does the butterfly stroke through the swimming pool
    Olympics

    What makes an Olympic swimming pool super fast?

    When it comes to Olympic-caliber swimming pools, everything—air flow, depth, and more—are in place with speed in mind, Jud Ready explains.
  • A single person in a sea of empty chairs in the stands at the Tokyo Olympics with a "Tokyo 2020" sign in red and white
    athletes

    Will Olympic athletes perform worse without fans in the stands?

    The Tokyo Summer Olympics won't have crowds of fans cheering the athletes on because of the COVID-19 pandemic. How will that affect athletes performance?
  • A device attached to the upper arm has a container for gathering blood
    blood tests

    Single drop of dried blood can reveal athlete doping

    A new method that uses blood droplets can detect athletes who have taken performance-enhancing drugs. Researchers say it might be tested at the Olympics.
  • A protester holds a piece of fabric with 5 Xs mimicking the color and arrangement of the Olympic rings
    Olympics

    Can the Olympics recapture public support in Japan?

    The Japanese people's lack of support for the Summer Olympics can be summed up with one question, says Kiyoteru Tsutsui. "Why are we doing this now?"
  • A swimmer moves through the pool
    athletes

    For Olympic cheaters, drugs vary by sport

    For some Olympic athletes, the temptation to dope is high. An expert sheds light on the different performance-enhancing drugs used by athletic cheaters.
  • shot putter holds ball at neck
    athletes

    Can the wrong food ruin an Olympic athlete’s performance?

    Depending on the sport, some Olympic athletes could eat whatever food they wanted for breakfast and perform fine. Others, not so much.
  • luge Olympian
    decisions

    Speedy decisions set Olympians apart

    "What sets elite athletes apart from us is not necessarily their bodies, their strength, or their agility."
  • Akwasi Frimpong of Ghana skeleton Olympics
    rewards

    How to predict which Olympic athletes won’t choke

    The bigger the reward, the more likely athletes are to choke. Here's what happens in the brain.