Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games/Olympic Events

100m

 * Press and hold when "Ready?" appears on the screen for a Super Starting Dash build-up.
 * Swing down right when "Go" appears on the screen for a quick start. If you held  until this point and swung  down at the right time you should get a Super Starting Dash.
 * Swing up and down to run. The faster you swing, the faster your character will run.
 * Press to perform your character's Special Action, giving them a little boost.
 * Press right toward the end of the race (before reaching the finishing line) and your character will perform a jump with their chest out. This action is a must for close races.
 * Characters with high Max Speed and Acceleration should come in handy when playing the 100m event. Characters like Sonic and Daisy have an advantage in this event that other characters don't.

110m Hurdles

 * Press and hold when "Ready?" appears on the screen for a Super Starting Dash build-up.
 * Swing down right when "Go" appears on the screen for a quick start. If you held  until this point and swung  down at the right time you should get a Super Starting Dash.
 * Swing up and down to run. The faster you swing, the faster your character will run.
 * Press to jump over hurdles. Press it right before the yellow line for a Perfect jump. The more Perfect jumps you get, the faster your character will go.
 * Press to perform your character's Special Action, letting your character skip a few hurdles.
 * Press right toward the end of the race (before reaching the finishing line) and your character will perform a jump with their chest out. This action is a must for close races.
 * Unlike the 100m event, you don't need to rely on speedy characters for 110m Hurdles - it's all about timing your jumps right here.

4×100m Relay

 * Press and hold when "Ready?" appears on the screen for a Super Starting Dash build-up.
 * Swing down right when "Go" appears on the screen for a quick start. If you held  until this point and swung  down at the right time you should get a Super Starting Dash.
 * Swing up and down to run. The faster you swing, the faster your character will run.
 * Press to perform your character's Special Action, giving them a little boost. Each character has their own Special Action, so make sure to use all four during the race.
 * Swing down to pass the baton to the next team member. Do this right after the circle closes in on your character for a Perfect pass.
 * Press right toward the end of the race (before reaching the finishing line) and your character will perform a jump with their chest out. This action is a must for close races.
 * Though this event partially depends on the Perfect baton passes (baton passes that aren't Perfect slow your whole team down), a team of characters with high Max Speed and Acceleration would definitely give you the upper hand in this event.