Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Governing body | FIS |
| Events | 15 (men: 7; women: 7; mixed: 1) |
| Games | |
|
|
|
|
Freestyle skiing is an exciting sport where skiers perform amazing tricks, jumps, and turns on snow. It has been a part of the Winter Olympic Games since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France.
Contents
History of Freestyle Skiing at the Olympics
Freestyle skiing first appeared at the Olympics as a demonstration sport in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. This meant it was shown to the public but didn't award official medals. Back then, there were three events: moguls, aerials, and ballet.
In the 1992 Winter Olympics, moguls became an official medal sport. Aerials and ballet were still demonstration events. Then, at the 1994 Winter Olympics, aerials also became an official medal event. The ski ballet competition was removed from the Olympic program.
More exciting events were added later! For the 2010 Winter Olympics, ski cross joined the program. In ski cross, skiers race against each other down a course with jumps and turns. For the 2014 Winter Olympics, two more events were added: half-pipe and slopestyle. Half-pipe involves performing tricks in a U-shaped snow structure, while slopestyle skiers go down a course with various obstacles like rails and jumps.
A famous moment in freestyle skiing history happened when Alexandre Bilodeau from Canada won the men's moguls gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. He had also won the same event at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, making him the first freestyle skier to win two Olympic gold medals in a row.
In 2022, Big air was added, where skiers perform huge jumps and tricks off a large ramp. Also, a new Team Aerials event for mixed teams was introduced. For the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics, Dual moguls will be added for both men and women.
Freestyle Skiing Events
Freestyle skiing has many different events where athletes show off their skills. Some events focus on speed and racing, while others are all about incredible jumps and tricks.
Men's Events
Here are the freestyle skiing events for men at the Winter Olympics:
- Moguls: Skiers go down a bumpy course, performing two jumps. They are judged on speed, turns, and jumps.
- Aerials: Athletes ski off a ramp and perform flips and twists high in the air before landing.
- Ski Cross: Four skiers race at the same time down a course with jumps, rollers, and turns. The first one to the finish line wins.
- Half-pipe: Skiers perform tricks as they go back and forth in a large U-shaped snow structure.
- Slopestyle: Athletes ski down a course with different obstacles like rails, boxes, and jumps, performing tricks on each one.
- Big Air: Skiers launch off a massive jump, performing complex aerial tricks before landing.
- Dual Moguls: Two skiers race side-by-side down a mogul course.
Women's Events
Women compete in many of the same exciting freestyle skiing events as men:
- Moguls: Skiers navigate a bumpy course, showing off their turns and two jumps.
- Aerials: Athletes launch into the air from a ramp, performing amazing flips and twists.
- Ski Cross: Four skiers race head-to-head down a challenging course.
- Half-pipe: Skiers perform aerial tricks as they move from one side of the U-shaped half-pipe to the other.
- Slopestyle: Athletes perform tricks on various obstacles throughout a specially designed course.
- Big Air: Skiers perform spectacular aerial maneuvers after launching from a large jump.
- Dual Moguls: Two skiers race simultaneously down a mogul course, competing for speed and style.
Mixed Team Events
A newer and very exciting event is the mixed team aerials, where teams made up of both men and women compete together.
- Team Aerials: Teams of skiers (usually three, with at least one man and one woman) perform aerial jumps, and their scores are combined. This event was added in 2022.
Medal Table
This table shows which countries have won the most medals in freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics. The numbers are accurate as of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Canada (CAN) |
12 | 12 | 6 | 30 |
| 2 |  United States (USA) |
11 | 13 | 9 | 33 |
| 3 |  Switzerland (SUI) |
6 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| 4 |  China (CHN) |
5 | 8 | 4 | 17 |
| 5 |  Australia (AUS) |
4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 6 |  Norway (NOR) |
4 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| 7 |  Belarus (BLR) |
4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 |  France (FRA) |
3 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
| 9 |  Sweden (SWE) |
2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 10 |  Finland (FIN) |
1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 11 |  Ukraine (UKR) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 |  Japan (JPN) |
1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 13 |  New Zealand (NZL) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 |  Czech Republic (CZE) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Uzbekistan (UZB) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 16 |  Russia (RUS) |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 17 |  Germany (GER) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 18 |  Austria (AUT) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Unified Team (EUN) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 20 |  Republic of China (ROC) (ROC) |
0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 21 | Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 22 |  Estonia (EST) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Great Britain (GBR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Kazakhstan (KAZ) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (24 entries) | 57 | 57 | 58 | 172 | |
See also
In Spanish: Esquí acrobático en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
- Freestyle skiing
- List of Olympic medalists in freestyle skiing
- List of Olympic venues in freestyle skiing
- FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships
- FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup
- Aerial skiing
- Mogul skiing
- Ski ballet
- Ski cross
- Half-pipe
- Slopestyle
