Sport

A sport consists of a physical activity or skill carried out with a recreational purpose: for competition, for self-enjoyment, to attain excellence, for the development of a skill, or some combination of these. A sport has physical activity, side by side competition, and a scoring system. The difference of purpose is what characterises sport, combined with the notion of individual (or team) skill or prowess.

A classification of sports

Main article: List of sports

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One system for classifying sports is as follows, based more on the sport's aim than on the actual mechanics. The examples given are intended to be illustrative, rather than comprehensive.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Racing

• Human-powered (Running, swimming,....)
• Human-assisted (Cycling, rowing, canoeing, Human Built Engine, ...)
• Animal (Equestrianism, Greyhound racing, Pigeon sport, Rabbit Show Jumping...)

Opponent

• Combat (Wrestling, Judo, karate, boxing, fencing, tae kwon do...)
• Court (Tennis, badminton, volleyball, squash, Table tennis...)
• Team (Baseball, cricket and football (soccer) are the most popular globally, with baseball being popular in the Americas and in Japan, cricket in the Commonwealth of Nations and football being popular throughout the world. Other examples include: Rugby, ice hockey, field hockey, softball, basketball, American Football...)

Achievement

• Target (Archery, shooting ...)
• Display (Gymnastics, bodybuilding, equestrianism, diving...)
• Strength (Weight-lifting, triple jump, shot put ...)

Sports Which Fall Into Multiple Categories

• Biathlon
• Curling
• Paintball