How many sports are at Rio 2016?

There will be two more sports at Rio 2016, compared to London 2012. So it’s golf and rugby for a grand total of 28 sports and 41 disciplines.

This next point is very important sports trivia knowledge: Some sports include disciplines, while some sports are disciplines.

Aquatics? Sport
Swimming? Discipline
Golf? Sport & Discipline (new)

More about Olympic sports

Canadian Graham DeLaet is one of the top-ranked golfers on the PGA Tour.

Graham DeLaet is one of Canada’s top-ranked golfers on the PGA Tour, and could become an Olympian in 2016.

Still confused? It’s ok, we got you. Of course, swimming, diving, water polo, and synchronized swimming are conventionally thought of as sports, but at the Olympic Games fall under the ‘sport’ of aquatics. Semantics, maybe. It’s just a way to organize.

Cycling? Sport
Track Cycling? Discipline
Rugby 7s? Sport & Discipline (new)

Canada’s Pan Am rugby double gold – women | men

Captain Jen Kish of the national women's rugby sevens team. (Photo: Ian Muir / Rugby Canada)

Captain Jen Kish of the national women’s rugby sevens team. (Photo: Ian Muir / Rugby Canada)

Sports at Rio 2016

(disciplines in italics)
Aquatics – Diving, Swimming, Synchronized Swimming, Water Polo, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Canoe – Slalom, Sprint, Cycling – BMX, Road, Track, Mountain Bike, Equestrian – Dressage, Eventing, Jumping, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics – Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline, Handball, Hockey (Field), Judo, Modern pentathlon, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Table tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball – Beach, Indoor, Weightlifting, Wrestling – Greco-Roman, Freestyle.

The hierarchy can go: Sport > Discipline > Event ie. Cycling > Track Cycling > Team Pursuit, or Aquatics > Diving > 10m platform
But! Some sports have no discipline and only one event, like basketball.

There are 15 sports and disciplines at the Olympic Winter Games, with some new events planned for PyeongChang 2018.

The summer list will change

In June 2015 the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee shortlisted eight sports for their Games. Tokyo 2020 will decide what to propose to the IOC in September 2015, a final vote will be in August 2016. The IOC has also approved moving to an ‘event-based’ programme, more on that here.

Cover photo: John Moonlight – Captain, men’s rugby, Brooke Henderson – golfer