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.
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.