A total of 300 gold medals will be up for grabs in Sydney as athletes from over 30 different sports take to the various arenas, stadiums, diamonds, pools, lakes -- even beaches -- that will play host to Olympic events at the 2000 Summer Games.

From archery to wrestling, the action promises to be hot and heavy over the next few weeks, and while sports fans will get their usual fill of track and field, swimming, gymnastics and boxing, there are a few new events being added to the Olympic roster this time around.

The two main additions this year will be the ancient Korean martial arts form taekwondo and the endurance sport of triathlon. Also being added to the Olympic docket are a few lesser-known events. Synchronized diving makes its debut in Sydney, as well as trampoline gymnastics. Three new cycling races are also on tap, with Japanese keirin racing among them.

Taekwondo

Appropriately enough, taekwondo is being added to the Millennium Games as a full medal sport 2,000 years after it was first developed . A demonstration sport in both Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in '92, modern taekwondo has its roots back in the 1950s in Korea when different variations of the sport were combined to create the combat sport that is practiced today.

The name of the sport itself, which translates to "the way of the hands and feet," provides a key as to what tae-kwondo is all about. The hands and feet are used for both defending and attacking, with points scored by landing kicks to your opponent's head and body or punches to the body only. The sport can be brutal, with combination kicks used frequently, and competitors are required to wear body protectors, headgear and protection for the groin, forearms and shins.

A taekwondo bout pits a blue ("chung") fighter against a red (" hong") opponent and there are typically three three-minute rounds. A person can win a bout by either knockout, points, default or the disqualification of an opponent. A legitimate strike to an opponent's head, abdomen, or side of the body (scoring areas are designated by markings on the body protector) earns one point. As in boxing, blows below the belt are not allowed.

Although there are three judges involved in a taekwondo match, the referee often plays a vital role in determining the outcome of a bout as he can award penalties. The most common fouls -- known as "kyong-go" -- are usually warnings for infractions such as stepping out of the ring, grabbing, holding, pushing, turning your back on an opponent and faking injury.

The more serious penalties -- "gam jeom" -- carry a 1-point deduction. "Gam jeom" offenses include throwing an opponent, bringing down an opponent by grabbing his/her foot, hitting an opponent in the back, or fiercely attacking an opponent's face with your hands.

An opponent is disqualified after accumulating a total of three penalty points in a match. A referee will also halt a match when one or both competitors end up in the red-alert area which borders the 12-meter-square ring.

Knockdown rules are similar to boxing, with the referee starting a 10-count. A ref can also begin counting out a fighter if he/she simply seems unwilling or unable to go on. With the exception of a gold-medal match, the referee also decides a winner, based on who he felt was superior and showed the most initiative, if both opponents are tied in points after three rounds. When a gold is at stake, there is a fourth sudden-death round and then the referee comes into play if a deadlock still exists.

At Sydney, there will be four weight classes each for men and women. Not surprisingly, South Koreans are expected to dominate the event, but countries such as Iran, Turkey, Taiwan and China have also been successful in the past. Kyoteru Higuchi (men's 57-kg) and Yoriko Okamoto (women's 62-kg) are the lone Japanese qualified for the Games. Competition takes place from Sept. 27-30.

Triathlon

While not nearly as brutal as taekwondo, triathlon is certainly no less grueling. The first triathlon was held in San Diego in 1974, and since then the sport has grown by leaps and bounds throughout the world.

A triathlete is required to excel in three sports -- swimming, cycling and running -- and must also be able to push himself/herself to the limits of physical exhaustion. The competition in Sydney is what's known as an Olympic triathlon, consisting of a 1.5-km swim and 40 km of cycling capped off with a 10-km run. Other distances are used in the sprint, long-course and ultra versions of the event. Changeovers speeds are vital in triathlons, much like a pit stop in Formula One.

The entire race will take place in and around beautiful Sydney Harbour. There have been reports that some competitors are worried about the specter of shark attacks during the ocean swim. While Sydney Games officials have downplayed this as being an extremely remote possibility, what more motivation does an athlete need to get out of the water as fast as possible? We may see the first Olympic results sheet in history with the designation "DNF -- eaten."

The women's race will be one of the events that opens Olympic competition on Day 1 of the Games, while the men hit the water (and pavement) the following day. The United States, Canada, New Zealand and Britain have done well in the past but the host Australians are currently favored in both the men's and women's categories. Names to watch for include Aussies Greg Bennett, Peter Robertson and Chris Hill on the men's side and Michellie Jones, Emma Carney, Jackie Gallagher and Nicole Hackett among the women. Japan has three competitors entered in each category.

Keirin cycling

No, it's not a trip on the bike down to the store for a six-pack of local brew. Keirin cycling began as a betting sport developed in the 1940s in Japan and is still wildly popular today at racetracks throughout the country.

A keirin race is run over eight laps on an oval track. Riders follow a motorcycle for the first 5 1/2 laps, starting out at 25 kph and then accelerating to 45 kph. The motorbike then leaves the track with 2 1/2 laps left and the cyclists sprint for the finish.

Japanese pro Yuichiro Kamiyama, who has won over 500 career races and picked up an astounding billion-and-half yen in prize money on the local circuit, could be in line for a medal here, but it won't be easy. Kamiyama, who rode in the men's sprint in Atlanta at the '96 Games, will have to get used to a slightly different track in Sydney. He'll also be up against the top riders in the world, including reigning world champion Jens Fiedler of Germany, Anthony Peden of New Zealand, Frenchman Frederic Magne, fellow-Japanese Ota Shinichi, Italy's Roberto Chiappa and Martin Nothstein of the U.S. Narihiro Inamura -- no slouch himself with earnings over 400 million yen this year alone -- will also represent Japan in the event along with Tomohiro Nagatsuka.

Other new track cycling races this year include a Madison 60-km tactical team event and an Olympic team sprint for men, as well as a women's 500-meter time trial. Action in the Dunc Gray Velodrome takes place Sept. 16-21.

Synchronized diving

Diving has been part of the Olympic movement since 1924, but now comes a new twist (pardon the pun). As the title implies, this unique event consists of two-person teams diving simultaneously from the 10-meter platform and 3-meter springboard.

Competitors in both the men's and women's divisions make a series of dives and are awarded up to 10 points, depending on elegance and skill, with scores adjusted for degree of difficulty. Nine judges will be on hand with four rating the execution of the individual dives and five grading them based on the synchronization of the pair. Key elements involved will be things such as the duo maintaining the same height on their dives, speed of rotation and entry into the water.

China, Russia, Germany, Australia, Mexico and the Ukraine are expected to take most of the medals in the competition, which runs from Sept. 22-30.

Trampoline gymnastics

American George Nissen built the world's first trampoline in his garage back in 1936, and it seems the springy surfaces have been a backyard staple ever since. Where would today's NBA mascots be without them, or at least their miniature cousins? And did you know that various air forces and space agencies have used George's "toy" to train their pilots and astronauts? I didn't think so.

Another interesting fact: the term "gymnastics" is derived from the Greek word "gymnos," which means naked. Combine that with a trampoline and some interesting imagery certainly springs to mind.

Actual trampoline competitions (clothing required) began in the United States after World War II and spread to Europe in the 1950s. But now the tramp is about to hit the big time in Sydney, where Russia, France and Belarus are favored to clean up in the men's and women's individual categories. Japan's Daisuke Nakata and Akiko Furu will also be bouncing for medals when the event makes its Olympic debut Sept. 22-23.

Some of the sport's top stars can reach heights of up to 10 meters and execute triple somersaults. Five judges will be watching for style (form) and difficulty, with style carrying three times as much weight to discourage competitors from attempting anything too dangerous.

So, there you have it. If you find yourself getting bored with the standard Olympic fare, try checking out one of the new sports on the block.