Sport

Published: 23.09.2023

Sport

Sport is a form of physical activity or game. People do sport to improve health and physical skills, to simply enjoy doing an activity and sometimes entertain spectators. Hundreds of sports exist, there are also many competitions, races, tournaments and championships. Sports can also be organized into seasons, leagues, teams and clubs.

          To participate in sports, people should have a sense of sportmanship. This means that they should respect their teammates and opponents, play fairly and accept victory or defeat with grace. Rules ahould not be broken and players should not cheat in any way. Doping, the use of enhancing drugs, is not allowed by any sport. Violence is also not tolerated in any way and even sport fans need to behave respectfully, although rioting and hooliganis is a problem in some sports.

          There are many types of sports and sport categories. Sport can be divided in many ways.

PEOPLE - individual (shooting), partner (dancing), team (football)

PARTICIPATION - male, female and mixed (gender issues), parasport (for disabled people), youth sport (for children and adolescents), senior sport

REGION - local, regonal, national, international (worldwide), Olympic

POPULARITY - major sport (hockey), minor sport (fencing)

ENVIRONMENT - summer (swimming), winter (skiing), indoor (boxing), outdoor (rugby), all-season

FACILITIES - pool, track, ice rink, fiels, pitch, stadium, road (cycling), nature  (cross country course)

EQUIPMENT - ball sports, equestrian (horse riding), archery, carting

HISTORY - ancient sport (disc throwing), modern (cycling), future (pole dance), fictional (quidditch)

SERIOUSNESS - amateur (for fun, recreational), professional (can be their job), elite sport (top)

Sport in the UK

Many sports originated in the UK, such as football, boxing, cricket, darts, golf, tennis and water polo. The most popular sport is association football, but the UK is very diverse in sports. The division into national teams is very complicated in the UK and various sports have their own teams for England, Scotland, Wales, orthern Ireland or the whole Ireland, and also many combination, according to tradition.

          Sport is compulsory for all students up to the age of 16, but not much time is devoted to it. There are frequent complaints that state sector schools do too little to encourage sport and a healthy lifestyle. Sports culture is stronger in independent, fee-charging schools which have many elite competitors in almost all sports.

          The Premier League is the top level of the English football league system. Seven clubs have won the title, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City and Liverpool. Chelsea in a London football club founded in 1905, it is one of the most successful clubs. Manchester United is a Manchester football club founded in 1878, nicknamed the Red Devils, the most successful club in England. Arsenal is a London football club founded in 1886, it is one of the most successful clubs in England. Wembley Stadium was first built in 1922 in London and it is most known for football matches and Live Aid concert of 1985.

          The Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, it was founded in 1877. It is widely prestigious and it is held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London. It is the only major tournament still played on grass. It includes a strict all-white dress code for competitors and royal patronage. Strawberries and cream are traditionally consumed at the tournament.

Sport in the US

Sports are an im portant part of culture in the US. The most popular sports are American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey. The US is one of the most successful sports nations in the world based on Olympic Games, but unlike most other nations, the US government does not provide funding for it.

          Sports are particularly associated with education, with most high schools and universities having organized sports. College sports competitions play an important role in the American culture and various rituals have grown up around athletic contests. The local high school game represents the biggest event of the week for many communities. Many universities offer sports scholarships, over 126 thousand student receive at least partial sports scholarship.

          The NHL, National Hockey League, is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising of teams from the US and Canada. It was founded in 1917 in Montreal and it is the fifth wealthiest professional sport league. The NBA, National Basketball Association, is a professional basketball league in North America comprising of teams from the US and Canada. It was founded in 1946 in New York City and it is the third wealthiest professional sport league. The Ivy League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising of eight private research universities, some of the most prestigious in the world.

          There are many iconic stadiums in the US, for example the Astrodome in Houston or the Old Yankee Stadium in New York City.

The Olympic Games

The modern Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition. They are ormally held every four years.
          The creation of the competition was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, held in Olympia in Greece from the 8th century BC to the 4th century BC. The International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin. The first modern Games took place in Athens in 1896. Since 1994, the Summer and the Winter Olympic Games are alternatedevery two years.
           There are several Olympic rituals and symbols, such as the Olympic flag and torch and the opening and closing ceremonies.