Freestyle is one of the youngest among Olympic sports. He entered the official program of the Winter Olympics in 1992 in Albertville, and four years before that, demonstration competitions were held in Calgary. Freestyle includes three disciplines - mogul, acrobatic jumping and ski ballet. So far, only two types have entered the Olympic program; ballet competitions are not held at the Olympics.
Translated from English, the word "freestyle" means "free style". This is free skiing. This sport is administered by the International Ski Federation.
Athletes began to perform various acrobatic skis for a long time. The first somersault was recorded back in the 20s of the last century. However, for a long time, fans of classic skiing did not want to recognize freestyle as an independent sport. They did not take him seriously and considered him a kind of show. Athletes have successfully attracted tourists to mountain resorts.
The first official competitions in the new sport were held in 1971. By this time, the best masters of acrobatics and moguls have achieved excellent technique. The competition rules were developed and approved seven years after the first competition. Four sets of awards are played at the White Olympiads. Competitions in both mogul and acrobatic jumps are held among men and women.
The first Olympic freestyle discipline was the mogul. This type has a lot in common with traditional skiing types, but competitions are held on special hilly tracks. In the "pre-Olympic era" these tracks arose spontaneously. Bumps appeared from the frequent turns of the skiers in the same place. The modern mogul track is 250m long and steeper than the slalom track. In addition, the athlete must perform 2 acrobatic jumps. Not only the speed of passing the distance is taken into account, but also the technique of making turns and jumps.
At the next Olympic Games in Lillihammer, there were already two types of freestyle. The mogul was joined by acrobatic jumps. Athletes jumped from three trampolines of different heights. The largest one has a height of 3.5 m, the middle one - 3.2 m and the smallest one - 2.1 m. At the 1994 Games in Nagano, there were already seven ski jumps, and athletes could choose them to their taste. In any acrobatic jumping competition, the results of two jumps are taken into account. The panel of judges awards points for the take-off technique, the quality of the jump itself and the acrobatic element. The difficulty factor of the jump is also taken into account. During the construction of trampolines for acrobatic jumps, rather stringent safety requirements are imposed. The area on which the athletes land must be covered with loose soft snow.
