Sports Facts for Kids
Fun facts from the world of sports
Chess is recognised as a sport by the International Olympic Committee, even though it requires no physical activity. The intense mental concentration of a long chess match can burn up to 6,000 calories a day — similar to a professional athlete!
Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William Morgan, a director at a YMCA in Massachusetts, USA. He wanted to create a game less physically demanding than basketball for older members. The name 'volleyball' came from the 'volleying' of the ball back and forth over the net.
Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in the world, with an estimated 3.5 billion fans across more than 200 countries. More people watch the FIFA World Cup final than any other live sporting event on the planet.
In Greco-Roman wrestling, competitors are forbidden from holding, grabbing, or attacking any part of their opponent below the waist. This makes it quite different from freestyle wrestling, and athletes must use only their upper bodies to control and throw opponents.
Croquet was an Olympic sport at the 1900 Paris Games — and only one person in the whole world came to watch! The event was so unpopular that croquet was immediately dropped from the Olympic programme and has never returned.
Bocce, the Italian ball-throwing game, has roots going back over 5,000 years to ancient Egypt. Paintings of people playing a similar game have been found on Egyptian tomb walls. Today, bocce is one of the most widely played sports in the world.
The design of the competition javelin was changed in 1986 because athletes were throwing it so far it was landing outside the stadium and becoming dangerous for spectators. The new design moved the centre of gravity forward, causing it to nose down sooner and land about 10% shorter.
Luge is the fastest ice sliding sport at the Winter Olympics, with competitors reaching speeds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph) while lying flat on their back on a tiny sled. They steer using only tiny leg movements and shoulder pressure — there is no steering wheel or brake.
The Ashes cricket series between England and Australia is played for a tiny urn containing the ashes of a burned cricket bail. The tradition started in 1882 after an Australian victory, when a satirical obituary declared that English cricket had 'died' and its body would be cremated.
The quadruple Axel is considered the hardest jump in figure skating. A skater must launch forward off one foot, complete four and a half full rotations in the air, and land cleanly — all in under a second. Only a handful of skaters have ever landed one in competition.