Sports Facts for Kids
Fun facts from the world of sports
Weightlifters competing at the highest level can lift more than three times their own body weight overhead. The heaviest clean and jerk ever recorded was 267 kg (589 lbs) by Lasha Talakhadze of Georgia in 2021 — that's heavier than a grand piano.
A goalkeeper is the only player in football allowed to use their hands, yet in a typical game they touch the ball fewer than 50 times — far less than any outfield player. A midfielder might touch the ball over 100 times in the same match.
In rowing's eight-person boat (the 'eight'), all eight rowers must stroke at exactly the same time with millimetre-precise coordination, while a ninth person called the cox steers and shouts instructions. Olympic eights can reach speeds of over 20 km/h.
China has won more than half of all Olympic table tennis gold medals since the sport was introduced to the Games in 1988. Chinese players are so dominant that China limits the number of players entering international competitions so other countries have a chance to win!
Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge became the first person in history to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019, finishing in 1:59:40. That's an average pace of running 100 metres in about 17 seconds for the entire 42 km distance.
In polo, each match is divided into periods called chukkers, and players must change to a fresh horse between each one. A top polo player may ride six or more different horses during a single match to keep the animals from getting too tired.
Skateboarding made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games (held in 2021). The youngest competitor was a 13-year-old British skater, and Japanese athletes won multiple medals, showing just how seriously the sport is taken in Japan.
Sumo wrestlers are required to wear their hair in a traditional topknot called a chonmage at all times in public. They must also always wear traditional Japanese clothing outside the stable, even in modern Tokyo.
Archery has been used for hunting and warfare for at least 10,000 years, making it one of humanity's oldest skills. It was so important in medieval England that a law was passed requiring all able-bodied men to practise archery every week.
Yellow and red cards in football were invented by English referee Ken Aston in 1966 after a confusing incident at the World Cup where players didn't understand they were being cautioned or sent off. He was inspired by traffic lights while driving home.