NewOlympicSportsforWomen.doc

New Olympic Sports for Women We’ve got the complete guide to the eight new women’s events at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Find out more about each event, who the contenders are, who has qualified from Canada and when to catch each event. Hammer Throw Added to the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, as an event for men only, it has taken a century for women to get the chance to throw the hammer too. The hammer is a nine-pound metal ball attached by wire to a triangular handle. The athlete stands inside a five-meter-diameter circle and can make as many as three turns before launching the hammer as far as she can. The athlete with the farthest throw wins the competition. Who to watch: Mihaela Melinte of Romania holds the world record with a throw of 249 feet 2 inches. Canadian qualifiers: No qualifiers yet. When to catch the event: 22 September - October 1, 2000 Modern Pentathlon The Modern Pentathlon includes 5 events which are performed one after the other in a single day. The competition begins with pistol shooting. Each pentathlete fires 20 times in 40 seconds at a target 10 meters away. Then, she fences in a round-robin competition. Next she swims 200 meters in a pool, followed by riding an unfamiliar horse over 15 jumps in a ring. Finally, she runs a 3 km cross-country course. Legend has it that this event is based on the story of a French cavalry officer who had a message to deliver and had to surmount many obstacles before finally completing his mission. We’ll see what kind of a message these women can deliver in Sydney. Who to watch: The pentathlon world rankings have Janna Dolgacheva-Shubenok from Belarus in the top spot. Canadian qualifiers: No qualifiers yet. When to catch the event: 30 September - 1 October, 2000 Pole Vault With the quality of the women’s performances and records being broken constantly, this sport will be a great addition to the Olympic Games. Perched at 12 feet above the ground, each athlete has three opportunities to clear the bar. If t