The Sports Portal
Sport in childhood. Association football, shown above, is a team sport which also provides opportunities to nurture physical fitness and social interaction skills.
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, through casual or organized participation, improve one's physical health. Hundreds of sports exist, from those between single contestants, through to those with hundreds of simultaneous participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. In certain sports such as racing, many contestants may compete, simultaneously or consecutively, with one winner; in others, the contest (a match) is between two sides, each attempting to exceed the other. Some sports allow a "tie" or "draw", in which there is no single winner; others provide tie-breaking methods to ensure one winner and one loser. A number of contests may be arranged in a tournament producing a champion. Many sports leagues make an annual champion by arranging games in a regular sports season, followed in some cases by playoffs.
Sport is generally recognised as system of activities based in physical athleticism or physical dexterity, with major competitions such as the Olympic Games admitting only sports meeting this definition. Other organisations, such as the Council of Europe, preclude activities without a physical element from classification as sports. However, a number of competitive, but non-physical, activities claim recognition as mind sports. The International Olympic Committee (through ARISF) recognises both chess and bridge as bona fide sports, and SportAccord, the international sports federation association, recognises five non-physical sports: bridge, chess, draughts (checkers), Go and xiangqi, and limits the number of mind games which can be admitted as sports. (Full article...)
Selected articles
- {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col" width=28|Pos
! scope="col" width=190|Team
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000009-QINU`"'
! scope="col" width=28|Pld
! scope="col" width=28 style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;"|HW
! scope="col" width=28|HD
! scope="col" width=28|HL
! scope="col" width=28|HGF
! scope="col" width=28|HGA
! scope="col" width=28 style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;"|AW
! scope="col" width=28|AD
! scope="col" width=28|AL
! scope="col" width=28|AGF
! scope="col" width=28|AGA
! scope="col" width=28 style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;"|GD
! scope="col" width=28|Pts
! scope="col" |Qualification or relegation
|-
| style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;"| 1
! scope="row" style="text-align: left; white-space:nowrap;font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;"| Aston Villa (C)
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |42
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |16
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |3
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |2
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |40
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |13
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |10
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |5
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |6
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |32
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |27
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" |+32
| style="font-weight: bold;background-color:#ff0;" | 60
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#ff0;" rowspan="1" |Qualified for European Cup 1981–82 First round
|-
| style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;"| 2
! scope="row" style="text-align: left; white-space:nowrap;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;"| Ipswich Town
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |42
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |15
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |4
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |2
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |45
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |14
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |8
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |6
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |7
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |32
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |29
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |+34
| style="font-weight: bold;background-color:thistle;" | 56
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" rowspan="3" |Qualified for UEFA Cup 1981–82 First round
|-
| style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;"| 3
! scope="row" style="text-align: left; white-space:nowrap;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;"| Arsenal
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |42
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |13
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |8
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |0
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |36
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |17
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |6
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |7
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |8
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |25
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |28
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |+16
| style="font-weight: bold;background-color:thistle;" | 53
|-
| style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;"| 4
! scope="row" style="text-align: left; white-space:nowrap;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;"| West Bromwich Albion
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |42
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |15
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |4
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |2
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |40
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |15
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |5
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |8
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |8
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |20
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |27
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |+18
| style="font-weight: bold;background-color:thistle;" | 52
|-
| style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;"| 5
! scope="row" style="text-align: left; white-space:nowrap;font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;"| Liverpool
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |42
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |13
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |5
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |3
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |38
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |15
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |4
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |12
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |5
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |24
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |27
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" |+20
| style="font-weight: bold;background-color:#66CDAA;" | 51
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:#66CDAA;" rowspan="1" |European Cup 1981–82 First round
'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000A-QINU`"'
|-
| style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;"| 6
! scope="row" style="text-align: left; white-space:nowrap;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;"| Southampton
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |42
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |15
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |4
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |2
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |47
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |22
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |5
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |6
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |10
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |29
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |34
| style="border-width:1px 1px 1px 3px;font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" |+20
| style="font-weight: bold;background-color:thistle;" | 50
| style="font-weight: normal;background-color:thistle;" rowspan="1" |Qualified for UEFA Cup 1981–82 First round
|}
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000000B-QINU`"'
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000000D-QINU`"'(Full article...)
'"`UNIQ--references-0000000F-QINU`"' - Disco Demolition Night was a Major League Baseball (MLB) promotion on Thursday, July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, that ended in a riot. At the climax of the event, a crate filled with disco records was blown up on the field between games of the twi-night doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. Many of those in attendance had come to see the explosion rather than the games and rushed onto the field after the detonation. The playing field was so damaged by the explosion and by the fans that the White Sox were required to forfeit the second game to the Tigers.
In the late 1970s, dance-oriented disco was the most popular music genre in the United States, particularly after being featured in hit films such as Saturday Night Fever (1977). However, disco sparked a major backlash from rock music fans—an opposition prominent enough that the White Sox, seeking to fill seats at Comiskey Park during a lackluster season, engaged Chicago shock jock and anti-disco campaigner Steve Dahl for the promotion at the July 12 doubleheader. Dahl's sponsoring radio station was 97.9 WLUP, so admission was discounted to 98 cents for attendees who turned in a disco record; between games, Dahl was to destroy the collected vinyl in an explosion. (Full article...) - A fight during a junior league ice hockey game between Frölunda HC and VIK Västerås HK
- The 2005 Sugar Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Auburn Tigers at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 3, 2005. It was the 71st edition of the annual Sugar Bowl football contest. Virginia Tech represented the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the contest, while Auburn represented the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In a defensive struggle, Auburn earned a 16–13 victory despite a late-game rally by Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech was selected as a participant in the game after winning the ACC football championship during the team's first year in the conference. Tech, which finished 10–2 in the regular season prior to the Sugar Bowl, defeated 16th-ranked Virginia and ninth-ranked Miami en route to the game. Auburn finished the regular season undefeated at 12–0. The Tigers defeated fourth-ranked LSU and fifth-ranked Georgia during the course of the season, and were one of five teams to finish the regular season undefeated; the others were Southern California, Oklahoma, Utah, and Boise State, with USC and Oklahoma being selected to play in the Bowl Championship Series national championship game. Auburn, by virtue of its lower ranking in the BCS poll, was left out of the national championship and was selected to play in the Sugar Bowl. (Full article...) - The 2008 ACC Championship Game was a college football game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Boston College Eagles. The game, sponsored by Dr Pepper, was the final regular-season contest of the 2008 college football season for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia Tech defeated Boston College, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship, 30–12. As of 2019, this is the last ACC Championship Game to not feature Clemson or Florida State from the Atlantic Division.
The Virginia Tech Hokies were selected to represent the Coastal Division by virtue of a tie-breaking head-to-head victory against division rival Georgia Tech and came into the game with an 8–4 record (5–3 in ACC play). Representing the Atlantic Division was Boston College, which had a 9–3 record (5–3 ACC). The two teams were the victors of a closely contested season in the ACC. Neither team clinched a spot in the game until the final week before the championship, and both had to rely on conference tie-breaking rules to earn a spot. The game was a rematch of the previous year's contest, which Virginia Tech won, 30–16. (Full article...) - Coronation portrait by Thomas Lawrence, 1821
- Roy of the Rovers is a British comic strip about the life and times of a fictional footballer and later manager named Roy Race, who played for Melchester Rovers. The strip first appeared in the Tiger in 1954, before giving its name to a weekly (and later monthly) comic, published by IPC and Fleetway from 1976 until 1995, in which it was the main feature.
The weekly strip ran until 1993, following Roy's playing career until its conclusion after he lost his left foot in a helicopter crash. When the monthly comic was launched later that year the focus switched to Roy's son Rocky, who also played for Melchester. This publication was short-lived, and folded after only 19 issues. The adventures of the Race family were subsequently featured in the monthly Match of the Day football magazine, in which father and son were reunited as manager and player respectively. These strips began in 1997 and continued until the magazine's closure in May 2001. (Full article...)
Selected pictures
- In gridiron football, the quarterback is the leader of the offensive team. At most levels, but especially at the college and professional level, the quarterback is one of the most visible and important roles on the team, being responsible both for calling plays and making decisions during the play. Shown here is Shea Smith of the Air Force Falcons during the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl.
- Ty Cobb (1886–1961), shown here sliding into third base on August 16, 1924, was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. He spent twenty-two seasons with the Detroit Tigers, including six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. During this time Cobb set ninety MLB records, though his abilities were sometimes overshadowed by his surly temperament and aggressive playing style. In 1936 Cobb was made an inaugural member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 1999 editors at the Sporting News ranked him third on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players".
- Boxing is a sport where two participants of similar weight attack each other with their fists in a series of one to three-minute intervals called "rounds". Modern boxing began in 1867 with the Marquess of Queensberry rules. Currently, there are two distinct branches of boxing: Professional and Olympic, which have different rules, but are similar in execution.
- Priit Narusk in the qualification for the Tour de Ski cross-country skiing competition in Prague.
- Maddison Elliott (b. 1998) is an Australian swimmer. She is S8 classified, having right side cerebral palsy as a result of a neonatal stroke. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, she became the youngest Australian Paralympic medallist by winning bronze medals in the women's 400 m and 100 m freestyle S8 events. She then became the youngest Australian gold medallist when she was a member of the women's 4×100 m freestyle relay 34 points team.
- Joe Oakley (right), being penalised by the official (centre) for "dabbing" his foot on the ground during a mountain bike trials competition. Trials riding is a mountain biking discipline in which the rider attempts to pass through an obstacle course without setting foot to ground. Originating in Catalonia, it is popular within Europe and has a small following worldwide.
- Simone Biles (born March 14, 1997), after receiving the gold medal for the all-around event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Biles also won golds in the vault and the floor events in Rio, a bronze medal on the balance beam, and a gold in the team all-around event as part of a U.S. team dubbed the "Final Five".
- Balzhinima Tsyrempilov is a World Cup-winning and former world number-one archer from Russia. He has competed in both the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, though he has not medalled.
- Horses race on grass at the 2006 Tambo Valley Races in Swifts Creek, Victoria, Australia. Horseracing is the third most popular spectator sport in Australia, behind Australian rules football and rugby league, with almost 2 million admissions to the 379 racecourses throughout Australia in 2002–03.
- Eugen Sandow (1867–1925) was a pioneering German bodybuilder. Born in Königsberg, Prussia, he joined a circus to avoid military service. Fellow strongman Ludwig Durlacher urged Sandow to travel to London and take part in a strongman competition, which he handily won. Sandow rose rapidly to fame and was soon touring Europe and the United States, being featured in a short film series that depicted him flexing. After a bout of ill health, Sandow focused on opening public gyms, inventing or improving exercise equipment, and training would-be military recruits as well as King George V. Sandow is now known as the "father of modern bodybuilding".
- BASE jumping is the recreational sport of jumping from fixed objects, using a parachute to descend safely to the ground. The acronym stands for four categories of fixed objects from which the jumps can be made: buildings, antennae, spans, and earth (cliffs). In this photograph, a BASE jumper launches himself from the top of the Sapphire Tower in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Richèl Hogenkamp (born 16 April 1992) is a professional tennis player from the Netherlands.
- The leaders of the women's road race, one of the cycling events at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, on 29 July 2012. The eventual medallists (left to right: Lizzie Armitstead (silver), Marianne Vos (gold) and Olga Zabelinskaya (bronze)) were photographed approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the finish line.
- Ed Walsh (1881–1959) was an American baseball pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Braves from 1904 to 1917. His career earned run average of 1.82 is the lowest major league ERA ever posted, but the record is unofficial since ERA was not an official statistic in the American League prior to 1913. After his playing career ended, he also served as an umpire and coach.
- A line-out at a rugby union match between Stade Toulousain and Lyon OU. When a player puts the ball out of the field of play, the opposing team is awarded a line-out; in the case of a penalty kick, the team that was awarded the penalty throws into the resulting line-out. A line-out is also awarded if a player in possession of the ball crosses or touches the touch-line while still in possession of the ball.
- The balance beam is a rectangular artistic gymnastics apparatus, as well as the event performed using the apparatus. Pictured is Daniele Hypólito in the final of the women's artistic gymnastics competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where Brazil finished in 8th place.
- Motocross is form of motorcycle or ATV racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The tracks are often quite large, natural, terrains with very few man made jumps, unlike Supercross, a sport that was originally derived from Motocross and is executed on a smaller track with many more extreme man made obstacles.
- Fredrik Pettersson (born 1987) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player, pictured while with Frölunda HC and now playing for HC Donbass in the Kontinental Hockey League. A right winger, Pettersson's international record includes a gold at the 2013 IIHF World Championship and bronze in 2010.
- Martin Sesaker representing Norway in curling at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.
- Two racers cross the finish line of the 250cc class at the 2007 Swifts Creek lawn mower races. In this motorsport, competitors race modified lawn mowers, usually of the ride-on or self-propelled variety. Original mower engines are retained but blades are removed for safety. Lawn mowers have also been used in kart racing, a different sport.
- Mara Friton in a handball match in the German Handball-Bundesliga.
- Muhammad Ali (b. 1942) is an American former professional boxer, generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport. A controversial and polarizing figure during his early career, Ali is now highly regarded for the skills he displayed in the ring plus the values he exemplified outside of it: religious freedom, racial justice and the triumph of principle over expedience. Ali remains the only three-time lineal world heavyweight champion, having won the title in 1964, 1974, and 1978.
Did you know...
- ...that the 2000 Black Coaches Association Classic was postponed by an electrical storm during which lightning struck ESPN broadcaster Lee Corso's rental car?
- ...that Homer Mensch, the double bassist who played the theme for Jaws, originally wanted to be a tennis player?
- ...that on Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, the Louisville Slugger Company produced more than 400 pink baseball bats (pictured) for game use by more than 50 professional baseball players?
- ...that although Kylie Gauci is a 2 point player, she was the only player on her team to score a three point basket at the 2012 Paralympics?
- ...that Matthew Robinson, older brother of Baseball Hall of Fame member Jackie Robinson, was a world-class sprinter and won a silver medal in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin?
Selected athlete
Sidney George Barnes (5 June 1916 – 16 December 1973) was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen, averaging 63.05 over 19 innings in a career that, like those of most of his contemporaries, was interrupted by the Second World War.
Barnes helped create an enduring record when scoring 234 in the second Test against England at Sydney in December 1946; exactly the same score as his captain, Don Bradman, in the process setting a world-record 405 run fifth wicket partnership.
He made his first-class début at the end of the 1936–37 season when selected for New South Wales and was later included in the team for the 1938 Australian tour of England, making his Test début in the final international of the series.
On the resumption of Test cricket after the war, Barnes was picked as the opening partner to Arthur Morris. He was a member of The Invincibles, the 1948 Australian team that toured England without losing a single match. Retiring from cricket at the end of that tour, Barnes attempted a comeback to Test cricket in the 1951–52 season that was ultimately and controversially unsuccessful.
Barnes was a shrewd businessman who used the opportunities afforded by cricket to supplement his income through trading, journalism and property development. Increasing paranoia brought about by bipolar disorder saw Barnes lose many of the friends he had made through the game, as he sought treatment for his depression. On 16 December 1973, he was found dead at his home in the Sydney suburb of Collaroy; he had ingested barbiturates and bromide in a probable suicide. (Full article...)
Selected team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 25 times outright, second only to England with 26 wins. Wales's most recent championship win came in 2012. They also compete in the Rugby World Cup every four years. The International Rugby Board (IRB) regards Wales as a Tier One rugby nation.
The governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played their first international against England. Wales' performances in the Home Nations Championship (now the Six Nations) continued to improve, experiencing their first 'golden age' between 1900 and 1911. They first played New Zealand, known as the All Blacks, in 1905, when they defeated them 3–0 in a famous match at Cardiff Arms Park. Welsh rugby struggled between the first and second World Wars, but experienced a second 'golden age' between 1969 and 1980 when they won eight Five Nations Championships (including 3 shared wins).
Wales played in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 where they achieved their best ever result of third. Following the professionalisation of rugby in 1995, Wales hosted the 1999 World Cup and won Grand Slams in 2005, 2008, and in 2012, their eleventh in total. Wales also came fourth in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Their home ground is the Millennium Stadium, completed in 1999 to replace the National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park. Ten former Welsh players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, and three are inductees of the IRB Hall of Fame. (Full article...)
In this month
- April 6, 1896 – The first international Olympic Games held in the modern era, the 1896 Summer Olympics (pictured), begin
- April 8, 2005 – The inaugural Islamic Solidarity Games open in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
- April 14, 1900 – Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for sports cycling, is founded in Paris, France
- April 19, 1897 – The first Boston Marathon is run
- April 26, 2002 – The inaugural season of the China Baseball League begins
Selected quote
I have these two sayings, “Champions adjust” and “Pressure is a privilege”. Tennis teaches you about those things. When you're playing a tennis match, you can't say, “Stop, I want to do another take”, or “Can I play that over?” That's the way sports are.
— Billie Jean King
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