Sports Facts for Kids
Fun facts from the world of sports
Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup a record five times — in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002. They are the only nation to have participated in every single World Cup tournament.
Fencing has been part of every single modern Olympic Games since 1896. The three weapons used in Olympic fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre, each with its own scoring rules.
The popular story that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday in 1839 is a myth. Historians now believe baseball evolved gradually from older English games like rounders and cricket in the early 19th century.
A triathlon combines swimming, cycling, and running in a single race. The Ironman triathlon — the toughest version — involves a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike ride, and a full 42.2 km marathon run, all in one day.
The crossbar was not part of the original rules of football. Early goals had no upper bar, so any ball kicked between the posts counted — no matter how high. The crossbar was introduced in 1866.
Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal were the first people confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, on 29 May 1953.
The penalty shootout was invented by Karl Wald, a German football referee, in the 1970s. It was introduced as a way to decide knockout football matches that remain level after extra time.
Netball was invented in 1895 as a modified version of basketball designed for women. The sport is now played by 20 million people across 80 countries and is especially popular in Commonwealth nations.
Karate made its one and only Olympic appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The sport was not included in the Paris 2024 Games, making the Tokyo Games its debut and farewell from the Olympic programme simultaneously.
Curling is often called 'chess on ice' because of the high level of strategy involved. It originated in Scotland in the 16th century and involves sliding stones on ice towards a target called the 'house'.