Sports Facts for Kids
Fun facts from the world of sports
The International Olympic Committee pays athletes nothing to compete at the Olympics. However, many countries offer cash bonuses to medal winners — the USA pays $37,500 for gold, while Singapore once paid $1 million for a gold medal!
Wheelchair rugby was invented in Canada in the 1970s and was originally nicknamed 'murderball' because of how physical it is. Players can legally ram into each other's chairs at full speed, and the chairs are specially built to withstand massive impacts.
Tennis evolved from a game called jeu de paume (game of the palm) played by monks in French monasteries during the 12th century. They originally hit the ball with their bare hands before rackets were introduced. The word 'tennis' may come from the French word 'tenez', meaning 'take this!'
At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Bob Beamon jumped 8.90 metres in the long jump — nearly 60 cm further than the previous world record. His incredible mark stood as the world record for 23 years and is still the second-longest jump in history.
NFL players were not required to wear helmets until 1943, and even then the helmets were made of leather with very little padding. Hard plastic helmets only became standard in the 1950s. Today's helmets can cost over $1,000 and take years to develop.
In cycling, riding in a tight group called a peloton can save a rider up to 40% of the energy they would use cycling alone. Riders at the back of the group use even less energy, which is why teams rotate at the front to share the hard work.
Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is the only cricketer to have taken 800 wickets in Test cricket — the highest form of the game. He was so unique that his bowling action was analysed by scientists and even imitated by a robot to understand how he generated such extreme spin.
The Olympic marathon swim covers 10 km (6.2 miles) in open water and takes elite swimmers nearly two hours to complete. Unlike pool swimming, competitors must deal with currents, waves, jellyfish, and other swimmers bumping into them throughout the race.
Lacrosse is one of North America's oldest sports, played by Indigenous peoples for centuries before Europeans arrived. Some games involved hundreds or even thousands of players on a field that could stretch for miles and lasted for days.
Horse racing jockeys are some of the lightest professional athletes in the world, typically weighing under 54 kg (119 lbs). Despite their small size, jockeys need enormous core strength to control a galloping thoroughbred horse travelling at up to 65 km/h.