The gate configuration is changed each night before an event and is off limits to competitors until then. This year, the penalty for touching one of these gates has been dropped from 5 seconds to 2 in hopes of preventing a repeat of incidents at the Atlanta Games in which a total of a dozen boaters capsized trying to avoid the five-point penalty they incurred by running too close to a gate. While kayakers are sealed into their craft, canoe paddlers must kneel as they tackle the turbulent flow. In pro boxing, referees allow more blood to spill and boxers to fall, and are reluctant to stop matches, which often have millions of dollars riding on them. Players can log four miles in a match.
Studies show badminton players make almost twice as many shots as tennis players.
The most elegant Olympic sport is experiencing a renaissance among pre-teen enthusiasts in the United States. Recently mandated plastic face guards fogged up and even broke, so the rule isn't enforced. Women's wrestling debuts in 2004. Hold the handle like a pen and turn the paddle down. Sept. 23-25 .