Sports

Discover the most popular sports worldwide, from football to cricket. Explore the global reach of the sports that dominate the world.

American football, referred to as football in the United States and Canada, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. It involves physical exertion and skill by passing, running, or kicking the ball.

Origin

United States

Focus

tactics, endurance, physical strength, strategizing

First Played

November 6, 1869

Type

Outdoor
Team sport
Ball game

Archery

Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to propel arrows. It involves shooting arrows at a target for accuracy from a set distance.

Origin

Late Stone Age

Focus

Accuracy, Precision, Concentration, Control

First Played

Around 10,000 BC

Type

Target Archery
Field Archery
3D Archery
Clout Archery
Crossbow Archery
Flight Archery

Athletics

Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking.

Origin

Ancient Greece

Focus

Endurance, Speed, Strength

First Played

776 BC

Type

Track and Field
Road Running
Race Walking
Cross Country Running

Badminton

Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Points are scored by striking the shuttlecock with the racquet and landing it within the opposing side's half of the court.

Origin

Mid-18th century; British India

Focus

Agility, Speed, Endurance, Tactics

Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two opposing teams who take turns batting and fielding. The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball which a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat.

Origin

United States

Focus

Tactics, Hand-eye coordination, Speed, Flexibility

First Played

19th Century

Type

Team Sport
Bat-and-ball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport where two teams, most often consisting of five players each, score points by throwing a spherical ball through the opposing team's hoop.

Origin

United States

Focus

Tactics, Endurance, Precision, Speed, Teamwork

First Played

December 1891

Type

Team Sport
Ball Sport

Bobsleigh

Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport invented by the Swiss in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled.

Origin

Switzerland

Focus

Precision, Speed, Teamwork

First Played

Late 19th Century

Type

Winter Sport
Team Sport

Bowling

Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls or throws a bowling ball toward pins or another target.

Origin

Ancient Egypt

Focus

Precision and Control

Boxing is a combat sport in which two people, wearing protective gloves, throw punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time in a boxing ring.

Origin

Ancient Greece

Focus

Tactics, Endurance, Strength, Speed, Agility

First Played

3rd Millennium BC

Type

Combat Sport
Olympic Sport

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players. It is set on a cricket field centred on a 20-metre (22-yard) pitch with two wickets.

Origin

England, late 16th century

Focus

Tactics, Teamwork, Endurance, Skill

First Played

Late 16th century, England

Type

Test
One Day International
Twenty20

Cycling

Cycling is a sport involving the use of bicycles. It is a widely practiced physical activity that can be done for recreation, transportation, or competitive sport.

Road Cycling
Track Cycling
Mountain Bike Racing
Cyclo-cross
BMX
Time Trial

Darts

Darts is a sport in which small missiles are thrown at a circular target (dartboard) fixed to a wall. It's usually a competitive game in which two or more players bare off against each other.

Origin

United Kingdom

Focus

Precision, Accuracy, Tactics

First Played

19th Century

Type

Precision sports
Target sports
Pub games

Equestrian

Equestrianism, more often known as horse riding or horseback riding, refers to the skill and sport of riding, driving, steeplechasing or vaulting with horses.

Origin

Ancient Greece

Focus

Control, precision, endurance

First Played

As early as 680 BC in the Olympic Games

Type

Dressage
Show Jumping
Eventing

Fencing

Fencing is a sport in which two competitors fight using 'rapier-style' swords, winning points by making contact with their opponent.

Origin

Spain

Focus

Strategy, Agility, Quick Reflexes

First Played

Modern fencing first played in the 18th century

Team Sport
Ball Game
Outdoor

Golf

Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.

Origin

15th century, Scotland

Focus

Accuracy, strategy, skill

First Played

15th century

Type

Outdoor
Ball sport
Precision sport

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport that includes exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and endurance. It is governed by the International Gymnastics Federation.

Origin

Ancient Greece

Focus

Balance, Strength, Flexibility, Coordination, Endurance

First Played

Early 19th Century

Type

Artistic
Rhythmic
Trampoline
Acrobatic
Aerobic
Parkour

handball

Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outfield players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the other team. A standard match consists of two periods of 30 minutes, and the team that scores more goals wins.

Origin

Denmark

Focus

Teamwork, Tactics, Endurance, Speed, Skill

Hockey is a sport in which two teams play against each other by trying to manoeuvre a ball into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.

Origin

England

Focus

Strategy, Speed, Skill, Teamwork

First Played

19th Century

Type

Field Hockey
Ice Hockey
Indoor Hockey
Roller Hockey

Horse Racing

Horse racing is a sport where jockeys ride horses in races, often over a set distance, for competition. It is one of the oldest known sports, dating back to ancient civilizations.

Origin

Central Asia

Focus

Endurance, Speed, Tactics

First Played

4500 BC

Type

Flat racing
Jump racing
Harness racing
Endurance racing

Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey is a fast-paced, physical sport often played in a rink where two teams of skaters use sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score points.

Origin

Canada

Focus

Tactics, Endurance, Speed, Strength, Skill

Judo is a modern martial art, combat and Olympic sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. It emphasizes the principle of using one's opponent's strength against them and adapting well to changing circumstances.

Origin

Japan

Focus

Tactics, Endurance, Strength, Flexibility

First Played

1882

Type

Combat sports
Martial arts
Olympic sports

Kayaking

Kayaking is a water sport that involves paddling using a double-bladed oar and a small boat known as a kayak. The boats come in a variety of sizes and types, depending on their intended use, but most kayaks feature an enclosed deck that covers the legs.

Origin

North America

Focus

Balance, Strength, Endurance, Navigation

First Played

4000 BC

Type

Recreational
Sea
Whitewater
Racing

Kitesurfing

Kitesurfing is a surface water sport combining aspects of wakeboarding, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, skateboarding, and sailing into one extreme sport.

Origin

Dominican Republic

Focus

Endurance, Balance, Strength, Tactics

First Played

1980s

Type

Water sport
Extreme sport
Individual sport
Team sport

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a team sport that involves passing, catching, and carrying a small rubber ball using a long-handled stick with a net at one end.

Origin

Native American communities in the Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains region of the United States

Focus

Teamwork, Strategy, Agility, Speed, Endurance

First Played

Early 17th Century

Type

Field Lacrosse
Box Lacrosse
Women's Lacrosse

MMA

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport that allows striking and grappling, both standing and on the ground, using techniques from various combat sports and martial arts.

Origin

Ancient Greece

Focus

Tactics, Endurance, Strength, Flexibility, Speed

First Played

648 BC

Type

Combat sport
Martial art

Motocrosss

Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.

Origin

United Kingdom

Focus

Endurance, Speed, Skill, Strength, Control

First Played

1924

Type

Off-road
Motorcycle racing

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a martial art and combat sport that originated in Thailand. It is characterized by stand-up striking and various clinching techniques, known as 'the art of eight limbs'.

Origin

Thailand

Focus

Tactics, Endurance, Toughness, Discipline

First Played

13th century

Type

Combat sport
Martial art

Rowing

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water.

Origin

Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome

Focus

Endurance, Power, Technique, Teamwork

First Played

First modern competition in 1715

Type

Sweep rowing
Sculling

Rugby

Rugby is a team sport that originated in England in the early 19th century. It is played between two teams of 15 players (in Rugby Union) or 13 players (in Rugby League) who aim to carry or kick the ball to the opponent's goal line to score points.

Origin

England

Focus

Strategy, Endurance, Strength, Teamwork

First Played

Early 19th century

Type

Contact sport
Team sport
Ball sport

Sailing

Sailing is a sport that involves moving a boat by using the force of the wind. The sport requires knowledge of wind patterns, tide, and weather and involves various tactics and strategies.

Origin

Prehistoric times, Middle East

Focus

Tactics, Endurance, Skill

First Played

Ancient times

Type

Fleet Racing
Match Racing
Team Racing
Offshore Racing
Olympic Racing

Skateboarding

Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation.

Origin

United States

Focus

Balance, Coordination, Creativity

First Played

1940s - 1950s

Type

Outdoor
Extreme sport

Skiing

Skiing is a means of transport using skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport.

Origin

Prehistoric Scandinavia

Focus

Endurance, Speed, Technique

First Played

Primitive forms of skiing are estimated to have been practiced in prehistoric times in Scandinavia.

Type

Alpine
Nordic
Freestyle

Snooker

Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions.

Origin

India

Focus

Strategy, Precision, Control

Snowboarding is a winter sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow while standing on a board attached to a rider's feet, using a special boot set onto a mounted binding.

Origin

United States

Focus

Balance, Agility, Speed, Strength

First Played

1965

Type

Freestyle
Freeride
Alpine
Snowboard racing
Slopestyle
Big air

Softball

Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a field that has shorter dimensions and is typically played at a faster pace. It was invented in 1887.

Origin

United States

Focus

Tactics, Speed, Coordination, Endurance

First Played

1887

Type

Team Sport
Ball Sport

Speed Skating

Speed skating is an Olympic sport where competitors race each other on ice skates. It is done on a rink where skaters race in pairs against the clock.

Origin

Netherlands

Focus

Speed, Endurance, Technique

First Played

19th century

Type

Short track speed skating
Long track speed skating

Squash

Squash is a racquet sport played by two (singles) or four players (doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their racquets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court.

Origin

United Kingdom

Focus

Tactics, Endurance, Speed, Agility

Surfing is a surface water sport in which the wave rider, referred to as a surfer, rides on the forward or face of a moving wave, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore.

Origin

Polynesia

Focus

Balance, Agility, Strength, Timing

First Played

Ancient times

Type

Recreational
Competitive

Swimming

Swimming is a sport that requires individuals to use their entire body to move through water. It is a popular all-round activity because it keeps your heart rate up but it is less stressful on your body. It builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness.

Origin

The sport originated from human's instinctive ability to swim, and has been practiced since prehistoric times. It was also included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.

Focus

Endurance, Strength, Technique

First Played

Prehistoric times, competitive swimming started in 19th century

Type

Freestyle
Backstroke
Breaststroke
Butterfly
Individual Medley
Relay

Table Tenis

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table using small rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net.

Origin

Victorian England

Focus

Speed, Reflexes, Tactics

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that emphasizes head-height kicks, jumping spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques. It combines combat and self-defense techniques with sport and exercise.

Origin

Korea

Focus

Speed, Flexibility, Balance, Strength

First Played

1940s

Type

Combat sport
Martial Art

Tennis

Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court.

Origin

Birmingham, England

Focus

Endurance, Speed, Agility, Strength, Strategy

First Played

Between 1859 and 1865

Type

Racket sport

Triathlon

Triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances.

Endurance sports
Individual sports
Multisport races

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.

Origin

United States

Focus

Teamwork, Coordination, Physical Fitness

Sports

Discover the most popular sports worldwide, from football to cricket. Explore the global reach of the sports that dominate the world.

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