Sport
Sport is commonly defined as an athletic activity that involves a degree of competition, such as netball or basketball or cross-country Olympic skiing. Some games and many kinds of racing are called sports. A professional at a sport is called an athlete. Many people do sports with their friends. They need coaches to teach or train teams or individuals how to do better. Sports can be played indoors or outdoors and by individuals or team.
Sports is needed for health and can help reduce diseases such as heart attacks, many types of cancer, depression and anxiety, and dementia. Different types of sports help our body in different ways. For children, sports play an extremely important part in their lives by providing all round development of the child, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Some people like to watch other people play sports. Those who watch others playing sports are called fans. While some fans watch sports on television, others actually go to stadiums or other places where people pay to watch them in person. These fans are called spectators.
People engage in many kinds of sports, for example:
Sport Media
Sport in childhood. Association football, shown above, is a team sport which also provides opportunities to nurture physical fitness and social interaction skills.
The 2005 London Marathon: running races, in their various specialties, represent the oldest and most traditional form of sport.
The International Olympic Committee recognises some board games as sports including chess.
Show jumping, an equestrian sport
Motorised sports have appeared since the advent of the modern age.
International level female athletes at ISTAF Berlin, 2006
A runner gives a friendly tap on the shoulder to a wheelchair racer during the Marathon International de Paris (Paris Marathon) in 2014.