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Types of sport
The same sport can sit in several groups: water polo is a team sport, a ball game and a water sport at once. Types follow the classification recorded for each sport and its parent sports.
Sports played between sides of two or more players who share one result.
All team sports
Sports in which one competitor stands alone against the field, the clock or the course.
All individual sports
Games built around a ball — kicked, thrown, struck or carried.
All ball games
Sports where players strike a ball or shuttlecock with a racket or paddle.
All racket sports
One-on-one contests of striking, grappling and weapons, from Olympic boxing to traditional martial arts.
All combat sports & martial arts
Sports in, on or under water: swimming, paddling, sailing, diving and more.
All water sports
Sports on snow and ice, from alpine skiing to curling.
All winter sports
Racing and trials with engines: cars, motorcycles, karts, boats and more.
All motorsports
Gliding, parachuting, paragliding, ballooning and other sports in the air.
All air sports
Games of skill played competitively, such as chess, go, draughts and bridge.
All mind sports
Contests of maximum lifting, pulling and carrying.
All strength sports
Sports ridden on a board: surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, windsurfing.
All board sports
Sports decided by who covers a course fastest.
All racing sports
Adventure and action sports with high speed, height or risk.
All extreme sports
Climbing, mountaineering and other sports of the high ground.
All mountain sports
Sports measured by how far or how accurately something is thrown.
All throwing sports
Sports adapted for athletes with an impairment, many of them on the Paralympic programme.
All para sports
Regional and folk sports and games, including national sports and folk wrestling styles.
All traditional sports
