Spectrum #32: Order these sports by when they joined the Olympics — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from September 15, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these sports by when they joined the Olympics, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Golf returns
- Skateboarding
- Triathlon
- Snowboarding
- Beach volleyball
- BMX racing
Triathlon was already in place; Golf returns opened 4 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Beach volleyball is the earliest of the six at 1996 and Skateboarding the latest at 2020. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Triathlon (2000) and BMX racing (2008) — 8 years apart. Everything above that line belongs on the earliest side and everything below it on the latest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Beach volleyball (1996) and Snowboarding (1998) are only 2 years apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Earliest to Latest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beach volleyball | 1996 |
| 2 | Snowboarding | 1998 |
| 3 | Triathlon | 2000 |
| 4 | BMX racing | 2008 |
| 5 | Golf returns | 2016 |
| 6 | Skateboarding | 2020 |
Previous: Spectrum #31 (Mon, Sep 14) · Next: Spectrum #33 (Wed, Sep 16)
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.