American football is a contact team sport in which two teams contest possession of an oval ball on a rectangular field and score by carrying, passing or kicking it into or through scoring zones. The offense gets four downs to gain 10 yards, and a touchdown is worth six points. It grew out of rugby
A contact team sport in which an offense gets four downs to gain 10 yards and a touchdown scores six points.
Archery is the sport of shooting arrows from a bow at a target, and the form seen at the Olympic Games is called target archery. Competitors shoot at stationary circular targets at fixed distances, and the international standard for the Olympic recurve bow is 70 meters at a 122-centimeter target face. Archery returned to the
Archery is the sport of shooting arrows at a target, and Olympic recurve archers shoot at 70 meters at a 122-centimeter face.
Association football, known in the United States and Canada as soccer, is a team sport in which two sides of up to eleven players try to score by getting a ball into the opposing goal, using any part of the body except the hands and arms for outfield players. It is played under the Laws
Association football, also called soccer, is a team sport in which two sides of up to eleven players try to score goals.
Athletics, also called track and field, is a group of sports built on running, jumping and throwing, in which competitors are judged by time, distance or height. It is governed worldwide by World Athletics, which had 214 member countries and territories in January 2026, and it is the original Olympic sport. History of athletics Athletics
Athletics, or track and field, is a group of running, jumping and throwing events governed worldwide by World Athletics.
Badminton is a racket sport in which players hit a feathered or synthetic shuttlecock over a high net, scoring when it lands in the opponent’s court or the opponent cannot return it. It is governed by the Badminton World Federation, which reported 204 member associations in January 2026, and it has been an Olympic medal
Badminton is a racket sport in which players hit a shuttlecock over a net, with games played to 21 points.
Baseball is a bat-and-ball team sport in which two teams of nine alternate between batting and fielding over nine innings. The batting team tries to score runs by hitting a pitched ball and circling the bases of a 90-foot diamond. The sport took its modern shape in the United States in the 19th century, and
A bat-and-ball team sport in which two teams of nine score runs by hitting a pitched ball and circling four bases.
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams try to score by shooting a ball through an elevated hoop. It was invented in December 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it is now governed worldwide by FIBA. Under FIBA rules each team puts five players on the court, and a field goal is worth two
A team sport invented in 1891 in which two teams of five score by shooting a ball through an elevated hoop.
Boxing is a combat sport in which two athletes in padded gloves try to score points by landing punches, or to win by knockout, within timed rounds in a ring. It has been an Olympic sport for men since 1904 and for women since 2012, and Olympic boxing now has a new governing body, World
Boxing is a combat sport in which two athletes in gloves score points by punching within timed rounds in a ring.
Cricket is a bat-and-ball team sport in which two teams of 11 players take turns to bat and field. The batting side scores runs by hitting the ball and running between two sets of wickets, and the bowling side tries to dismiss the batters. It is played on a grass oval with a 22-yard pitch
A bat-and-ball team sport in which two teams of 11 take turns batting and fielding on a grass oval with a 22-yard pitch.
Curling is a team sport played on ice in which players slide heavy granite stones toward a circular target called the house, and the team with the stone closest to the center scores. International games last ten ends, and teammates sweep the ice in front of a moving stone to influence its path. World Curling
Curling is a team sport in which players slide granite stones across ice toward a target, and the closest stones score.