To make it onto the Olympic programme, a sport first has to be recognised: it must be administered by an International Federation which ensures that the sport's activities follow the Olympic Charter. If it is widely practised around the world and meets a number of criteria established by the IOC session, a recognised sport may be added to the Olympic programme on the recommendation of the IOC's Olympic Programme Commission.
Germany gets the ultimate gold medals for this year's Olympic Game in Women Speed skating
By the age of eight, Shizuka Arakawa was a figure skating prodigy who could already perform a triple salchow. Seventeen years later, at the Turin 2006 Games, she finally won Olympic gold.