Sports

Sports are a diverse range of competitive physical activities that are played for fun and enjoyment. A wide variety of different sports exist around the world, some with one contestant and others involving hundreds of participants at once. The nature of each sport, its rules, and the participation of both the players and spectators can affect the definition of sport.

Despite the fact that no one can say for certain when sport first evolved, there is evidence that games were popular among ancient peoples, including the Chinese and Aztecs. In ancient China, ball games were often played in rituals. Some ball games were not competitive and were performed as a form of entertainment. Ancient Egyptians, however, played sports with the use of weapons. Judo, a combat sport invented by Kano Jigoro in the 1880s, was developed to combine the best of Asian and Western techniques. In the early twentieth century, it gained European followers and became an Olympic sport.

Competitions in sports are usually governed by a set of rules and customs to ensure fair competition. These rules and customs help to determine the winner and the loser. In some sports, such as boxing, the result is decided by a panel of judges, whereas in others, a single individual or team can win a competition.