This tournament is only for the national teams, but there are also many cups and tournaments
for clubs.For example:UEFA cup or Cup winners Cup.
One of the world cup legends is Pelé.He was a very good soccer player.He began his proffesional soccer career in 1956 playing for Santos a brazilian club.Than, when he was 17, he won for first time World Cup Trophy.In these days
the best players are: Beckham, Bierhoff, Zidanne, Ronaldo.




Badminton

Badminton is indoor, but it could be also outdoor game, which is played by two or by four players.
They need a net, lightweight rackets and a shuttlecock.Players hit the shuttlecock over the net with rackets.A point can be only by the serving side.If the serving side fails it loses the serve.A game is played to 15 points, but in women singles only to 11 points.
At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona badminton was contested as an official olympic sport.


Archery

Archery has been popular as an amatour sport in England.The oldest archery tournament was in 1673.
In the early 1900s archery became an olympic sport for men and women at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.Archery was modernized in 1992.After this year olympic round consists of an ranking round, an elimination round and a team finals round.The individuals event includes 64 archers.
All shooting at the same time at targets 70m away.Archers with the highest scores compete for medals.
Field shooting simulates hunting game, with small targets situated in the natur.






Hall of Fame

As soon as the Games became world famous, the number of memorable winners began to rise.For example Jim Thorfl, an American Indian won both decathlon in Stockholm in 1912.He was one of the greatest athletes in the first half of the 20-th century.At the Olympics in 1948, Bob Mathias, who was only 17, won the decathlon.He was the only one, who repeated it second time at Helsinki Games in 1952.There appeared one more great sportsman.Emil Zátopek from Czechoslovakia.He became and still is the only man, who won 5000m, 10 000 race and marathon in a single Olympics.
In 1976 Nadja Comaneci, marvelous 14 year old gymnast from Romania, won 3 gold medals and recorded 7 perfect scores during the competition.
The Winter Games were also witnesses of many magnificent performances.
The Austrian Toni Sailer won all 3 gold medals in men´s Alpine skiing in 1956 in Cortina da´Ampesso in Italy.
Sonja Henie from Norway, who is still one of the greatest skaters, won 3 gold medals.She was the first skater, who changed her athletic success into a lucrative career in entertaiment.
In 1980 the U. S. hockey team snatched the gold medal from favoured Soviets and also Eric Heiden won all 5 gold medals in men´s speed skating.




Skiing

It is a winter sport, which is famous for about 5000 years. The sport did not become popular form of recreation until the 20-th century.Now milions of people
enjoy skiing for its sense of freedom. There are two types of skiing: Alpine, or Downhill and Nordic or Cross-Country. There are four events in Alpine ski racing:slalom ( sometimes called special slalom ), giant slalom (GS), super giant slalom (super G) and downhill. The different events require different
techniques and different equipment. It is very hard sport for body. The professionals have problems with their knees. The most famous skiers were:Alberto
Tomba who was very good at slalom, Luc Alphand, or Giradelli, who was for five times World Cup winner. Bobsledding

It is a winter sport, which first became popular in the 19-th century in saint Moritz.In bobsledding teams of two, or four compete for gold, silver and bronz medal.
The most critical part of a bobsled run is the start.Team members sprint, while pushing the sled forward, for about 75 m.The captain, or driver of a bobsled team occupies the front position and steers the sled and the brakeman in the rear position operates the brake.
The first organized bobsled competition was in Saint Moritz in 1848.
Bobsled national teams competed in the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Ice hockey

It is a fast winter sport, in which two teams of skaters use long sticks, to drive a rubber disk into a goal. Ice hockey is played in about 30 countries.It is especially popular in Canada, where the modern game developed and, where is the
most famous league (NHL).