Olympic Freestyle Skiing
Freestyle skiing began in the 1960's as a reaction against the strict rules of alpine skiing. There was no room in alpine skiing for athletes to perform jumps or other tricks. Social change and freedom of expression led to new and exciting skiing techniques. Freestyle skiing, or "hot-dogging" as it was referred in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s, was a type of free-form exhibition with few rules and a high degree of danger. Although freestyle skiing was often criticized because of the injuries involved, the sport was officially recognized in 1979 by the International Ski Federation.
A new dimension was added in February 1986 with freestyle skiing holding its first-ever FIS World Championship in Tignes, France. They were held for a second time in 1989, and have been staged every two years since. A freestyle World Cup circuit was introduced, and, for 12 years, the United States has won the World Cup Freestyle Nations Cup. However, Americans have won just 9 of 42 Olympic medals awarded during that time.
Freestyle skiing was introduced at the Olympics as a demonstration event at the Calgary Games in 1988. Mogul skiing became part of the official program for the Albertville Games in 1992, and aerials were added in 1994 during the Lillehammer Games. Originally just a mix of alpine skiing and acrobatics, freestyle skiing developed over the decades into one of the most amazing present-day Olympic sports.