Sports History

 

Artifacts and structures suggest sports in China as early as 2000 BC. Gymnastics appears to have been popular in China's ancient past. Monuments to the indicate that a number of sports, including swimming and fishing, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt. Other Egyptian sports included javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling. Sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art. Among other sports that originated in ancient Persia are polo and jousting. Various traditional sports of India such as Kho Kho and Kabbadi have been played for thousands of years. The kabaddi was played potentially as a preparation for hunting.

A wide range of sports were already established by the time of Ancient Greece and the military culture and the development of sport in Greece influenced one another considerably. Sport became such a prominent part of their culture that the Greeks created the Olympic games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the called Olympia.

Sports have been increasingly organized and regulated from the time of the ancient Olympics up to the present century. Industrialization has brought motorized

transportation and increased leisure time, letting people attend and follow spectator sports and participate in athletic activities. These trends continued with the advent of mass media and global communication. Professionalism became prevalent, further adding to the increase in sport's popularity, as sports fans followed the exploits of professional athletes – all while enjoying the exercise and competition associated with amateur participation in sports.