With just over two weeks until the Summer Olympics kick off in Rio de Janeiro, excitement and anticipation for the games are at their peak. Featuring over 400 events and thousands of athletes, the Olympic games are a phenomenon that many would love to experience in full, but is often too immense and hectic to be able to catch every minute of the action. Around 35 sports are featured in the summer Olympics, and while all of them should be seen by spectators at one point or another, here are the ones that you definitely do not want to miss.
1. Women's Gymnastics
Comprised of four events--floor exercise, balance beam, uneven bars, and vault--the women's gymnastics competition is one of the most popular among viewers. Expect to see continued success from Team USA, made up of Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kochien, and 2012 medalists Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas.
2. Men's Gymnastics
Like their female counterparts, men gymnasts also compete in the floor and vault events. However, they also have four different events will blow spectators' minds: pommel horse, parallel bars, rings, and horizontal bar. These athletes rely on insane upper body strength to hoist themselves up and around during routines, and the best we can do is watch in awe of it all.
3. Beach Volleyball
Regular team indoor volleyball would have been included on this list if it wasn't trumped by the beach volleyball event. Not only is there only teams of two players as opposed to six with regular volleyball, but the sandy surface makes jumping, diving and running to balls that much more difficult.
4. Diving
Imagine falling into a pool of water from 10 meters high. You need to keep your splash upon hitting the water minimal, and oh yeah, you need to make graceful turns, flips and spins while in the air. It's a rare sport that only requires a few seconds to execute, but extensive training to be able to pull it off. Bonus points for those athletes in the synchronized diving competition, because it's an even harder feat to pull off with a partner.
5. Trampoline
A childhood pastime is an Olympic sport, giving people everywhere the belief that they can win a gold medal. This event gets rare TV coverage, but when you do see it on, make sure to take it all in. The acrobatics and gymnastics involved are stunning, but mostly it will make you wish you could call yourself an Olympian for jumping up and down on a giant trampoline.
6. Table Tennis
Also known as ping pong, this sport that many play for fun with buddies is taken to another stratosphere in the Olympics. The competitors are only a few feet away from each other, but smack the ball and paddle with remarkable force. Frankly, it's how we all wish we could play ping pong, but lack the coordination to do so.
7. Handball
In case you didn't know, the game that everyone played in elementary school is indeed an Olympic sport, and a competitive one at that. Originally played outdoors, the event was introduced to the Olympics in 1936. It then became an indoor event, and has been a feature of the summer Olympics since the 1972 games in Munich, Germany.
8. Water Polo
Water polo is essentially handball but in a pool. It requires the strength and endurance to not only constantly tread water, but swim to get open for a pass and moving the ball around the team to net a goal. You may think it looks a bit ridiculous at first glance, but when you stop to think about the strength needed to play, you'll be amazed.
