Who says you have to be on your feet to be an Olympic champion? While many athletes sprint, jump, and tumble their way to glory, there's a whole category of Olympic sports where sitting down is the name of the game. Yes, you read that right—seated sports. Whether it's rowing your way to victory or gracefully guiding a horse through an obstacle course, these events prove that you can win gold without breaking a sweat standing up.
There are many more Olympic sports that involve sitting down than you think. Some of these may be a bit of a stretch to say they are sitting sports, but at least there is some sitting involved.
The obvious Summer Olympic Games Sitting Sports
- Cycling — track, road and BMX
- Equestrian — dressage, jumps and eventing
- Canoe and kayak — sprint and slalom
- Rowing
- Sailing
And a less obvious one:
- Modern pentathlon — horse riding is one of the five events (for now).
Winter Olympics Sitting Sports
Paralympic Sitting Sports
- Sitting Volleyball
- Wheelchair Sports — Basketball, Fencing, Rugby, Tennis plus some other sports have wheelchair classes.
- Boccia
- Track and Road Cycling
- Equestrian
Discontinued Sitting Sports
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Motorboating — was an official sport in 1908 (and a demonstration sport in 1900). The sport involved racing motorboats around a course on the water.
Demonstration Sitting Sports
- Fishing — a fishing event (angling) was an unofficial event at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris.
- Gliding / Aeronautics — The sport of Aeronautics, more accurately described as gliding, was on the Olympic program only once, as a demonstration sport at the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games.
Possible New Sitting Sport
Related Pages
- Trivia about Olympic Sports
- Water sports at the Olympic Games, also Sports played on grass
- List of Olympic Sports
- More Olympic Games Trivia
- Oldest competitors per sport
- Youngest competitors per sport
- Discontinued Olympic Sports
- Olympic Games Quiz Night Questions
- Tokyo Olympics Fun Facts
- More Sports Trivia