Rackets, Rings & Greens

Tennis is played on grass, clay, or hard courts, crowned each year by its four Grand Slam tournaments.

Badminton's shuttlecock can be struck faster than the ball in nearly any other racket sport.

Table tennis, widely nicknamed ping pong, is played at high speed on a small table.

Squash is played inside a four-walled court, with players striking the ball off the walls to keep it live.

Golf uniquely rewards the lowest score, aiming to sink a ball into each hole in as few strokes as possible.

The Masters, one of golf's four majors, is held annually at Augusta National Golf Club.

The Ryder Cup pits US against European golfers as a team event, with no individual prize money at stake.

Racquetball is played in a fully enclosed court using a hollow rubber ball instead of a felt tennis ball.

Pickleball blends tennis, badminton, and table tennis and has become one of America's fastest-growing sports.

A caddie carries a golfer's clubs and is traditionally expected to know every detail of the course.

A hole-in-one, sinking the ball directly from the tee, ranks among golf's rarest achievements.

Boxing bouts inside the roped ring end by knockout or are settled on the judges' scorecards.

Mixed martial arts blends striking and grappling, with bouts ending by knockout, submission, or decision.

Wrestling's grappling and takedowns make it one of the oldest recorded competitive sports.

Judo, a Japanese martial art built on throws and grappling, became Olympic in 1964.

Karate, a striking-based Japanese martial art, finally debuted at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020.

Taekwondo, a Korean martial art built around kicking, became an Olympic sport in 2000.

Sumo wrestlers compete in a circular ring, winning by forcing an opponent out or to the ground.

Fencing is contested using three distinct bladed weapons, each with its own strict scoring rules.

Kickboxing developed by blending Western boxing punches with kicking techniques from martial arts.

Muay Thai, called the art of eight limbs, permits strikes with fists, elbows, knees, and shins.

Archery, shooting arrows at a target, ranks among the oldest sports still on the Olympic program.

Bowling rewards knocking down all pins in every frame, the requirement for a perfect game.

Croquet, hitting balls through hoops with a mallet, has been a popular garden pastime since the 1800s.

Curling players slide stones toward a target and sweep the ice ahead of them to guide their path.

Snooker is played on a large pocketed table using more balls than traditional pool.

Darts players throw at a circular target, with traditional matches counting down from 501 to exactly zero.