The Definition of Sport

Sports is the subject of many disputes; those between individual sportsman, between teams and within sports. This can be because they involve competing criteria, like strength, skill, stamina and so on. It may also be because there is some dispute as to what constitutes a sport, as in between rugby and cricket or football and basketball. Most of the disputes are over the term ‘sport’. Sport can be broadly defined as an organized competition, like basketball or netball. Many other types of physical activity and even some games are recognized as sports.

Cricket is probably the best known game that falls into the sports category, though football (soccer in America and Europe) is one of the most popular sports around the world. Other common types of sports are swimming, golf, wrestling, tennis, badminton, rowing, cycling, weightlifting, diving, surfing, skiing and hockey. Exertion is the physical exertion involved in sports and there is a lot of debate over what constitutes this, for example, football players may be exercising during games but not when they play hooky.

The common definition of sport is to play a particular activity in which the participants derive physical pleasure from. Though it is arguable as to whether a game is a sport or a non-sport, the criterion is usually agreed upon by the International Olympic Committee, governing sports events, whether they are games or matches. There are several disputes over which sports can be considered a sport, but most commonly the Olympic Committee of Association of American Sports and the World Professional Billiard Association define it as a sport when they are involved in the Olympic Games and the World Health and Safety Organization defines it as a recognized form of physical activity in which competitors are at least 16 years old who are supervised by a neutral third party. It is also necessary to state that any competition must include an element of skill, athleticism and relaxation and it should not be influenced by undue physical strength, although skill and athleticism may be regarded as qualities that should be measured in relation to natural abilities.