“All work and no play makes John a dull boy” is a popular saying to emphasize that physical work alone cannot make one healthy. Some amount of sports activity is required especially for growing children. The term Sport means an activity or play that is usually governed by a set of rules and customs.  It refers to activities that are engaged in competitively where the physical capabilities of the competitors determine the winner or loser.

Sport also includes mind sports where the mental acuity plays a major factor. Motor sports are another category of sports where the equipment quality is a major determining factor.

The history dates back to some 4000 BC when the Chinese are the first to engage in sporting activities.

The popular sport in china’s ancient past appears to be Gymnastics.  Swimming and Fishing were well-developed in ancient Egypt as indicated by the monuments to the Pharaohs. Ancient Persians play polo and jousting and the Iranian martial art of Zourkhaneh.

In the time of Ancient Greece, Sports had become vital in their culture that they created the Olympic Games that were held once in four years in a small village called Olympia. 

From this time, Sports have been gaining popularity and also have become more regulated and organized. With growing industrialization, more citizens opt for being sports spectators and also participating in athletic activities as they have more leisure time.

There are a wide variety of sports available. Broadly the types of sport could be classified as

• Racing-oriented – Running, Swimming, cycling, Motorcycle racing, Horse racing etc
• Opponent-oriented – Wrestling, karate, Judo, Tennis, Badminton, Cricket, Football, Hockey etc
• Achievement-oriented – Archery, Shooting, Gymnastics, Weight-lifting, Long Jump, High Jump, Decathlon etc.,
• Mind-oriented – Chess, Scrabble

Sportspersons are expected to show Sportsmanship to prevent Violence. Sportsmanship is nothing but how each sports person behaves before, during and after each competition. Good Sportsmanship is vital whether one wins or loses a competition.