List of All Sports (79+ Sports)

Boxing

A combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves, throw punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time in a boxing ring.

It requires both physical and strategic skill.

Wrestling

A combat sport involving grappling techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds.

The aim is to control and hold down an opponent.

Judo

A modern martial art, combat, and Olympic sport created in Japan in 1882.

It involves techniques for throwing or taking down opponents as well as controlling them on the ground.

Karate

A martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom, it involves striking techniques such as punching, kicking, knee strikes, and elbow strikes.

Karate training also emphasizes open-handed techniques.

Taekwondo

A Korean martial art, characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques.

It’s both a sport and a means of self-defense.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

A full-contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques and skills from a mixture of other combat sports to be used in competition.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

A martial art and combat sport based on ground fighting and submission holds.

It focuses on the skill of controlling one’s opponent, gaining a dominant position, and using a number of techniques to force them into submission.

Muay Thai

Known as “The Art of Eight Limbs”, it utilizes the hands, shins, elbows, and knees as points of contact and is known for its power, precision, and efficiency.

Kung Fu

A term used to describe Chinese martial arts, it includes a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China.

Techniques include striking, grappling, and weapon training.

Fencing

A sport in which two competitors fight using ‘rapier-style’ swords, called the foil, the épée, and the sabre; winning points are made through the weapon’s contact with an opponent.

Motorsports

Formula 1 Racing

A premier form of auto racing around the world which involves the racing of single-seater, open-cockpit cars.

Known for its high speeds, advanced technology, and prestigious teams and drivers.

MotoGP

The top class of world championship motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by FIM.

Known for its high-speed bikes and thrilling races.

NASCAR

An American auto racing sanctioning and operating company best known for stock-car racing.

Its races are primarily held on oval tracks, emphasizing high speeds and close-quarters racing.

Rally Racing

A form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars.

It’s distinguished by running in a point-to-point format in which participants and their co-drivers drive between set control points (stages), leaving at regular intervals from one or more start points.

Drag Racing

A type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line.

The race follows a straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most commonly ¼ mile.

IndyCar

An American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and Indy Lights.

Known for its premier event, the Indianapolis 500, it features single-seat, open-cockpit cars competing in various circuits, including road, street, and oval tracks.

Water Sports

Swimming

A sport and activity in which the participant moves through water using their body.

Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with varied distance events in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley.

Diving

An Olympic sport that involves athletes jumping into water from a springboard or platform while performing acrobatics.

It’s judged based on the quality of the dive and the complexity of the somersaults and twists performed.

Water Polo

A competitive team sport played in water.

It consists of two teams of seven players each, whose goal is to score points by throwing the ball into the opposing team’s goal.

Synchronized Swimming

Now known as artistic swimming, it’s a hybrid form of swimming, dance, and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music.

Rowing

A sport where athletes race against each other in boats on rivers, lakes, or the ocean, depending on the type of race and the discipline.

It’s one of the original Olympic sports and is known for its rigorous physical demands.

Canoeing/Kayaking

Sports involving paddling a canoe or a kayak with the goal of moving through water.

This can be done competitively, where speed or technique is judged, or recreationally.

Sailing

A sport involving the skill of controlling a sailing boat, propelled partly or entirely by sails.

The course to be sailed is often marked by buoys or other fixed navigational marks.

Surfing

A water sport in which the wave rider, referred to as a surfer, rides on the forward or deep face of a moving wave, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore.

Winter Sports

Ice Skating (Speed and Figure)

• Speed Skating: A competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates.
• Figure Skating: Involves individuals, duos, or groups performing on figure skates on ice, judged on their ability to perform jumps, spins, footwork, and other artistic movements.

Skiing (Alpine, Cross-Country, Ski Jumping)

• Alpine Skiing: Downhill skiing on steep, snow-covered slopes.
• Cross-Country Skiing: Athletes ski over long distances over snow-covered terrain.
• Ski Jumping: Skiing down a ramp and jumping as far as possible.

Snowboarding

A winter sport that involves descending a snow-covered slope while standing on a snowboard attached to a rider’s feet, using a specialized boot set into a mounted binding.

Bobsleigh

A team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled. The timed runs are combined to calculate the final score.

Ice Hockey

A fast-paced sport played on an ice rink in which two teams of skaters use sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent’s net to score points.

Curling

A sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard.

Extreme Sports

Skateboarding

An action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation.

BMX

A cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general on- or off-road recreation.

Mountain Biking

A sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially designed mountain bikes.

Rock Climbing

An activity in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls with the goal of reaching the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route.

Parkour

A training discipline using movement developed from military obstacle course training. Practitioners aim to get from one point to another in a complex environment, without assistive equipment and in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Skydiving

Involves jumping from an aircraft and performing acrobatic maneuvers in the air before landing with the aid of a parachute. It can be done solo or in various group formations.

Individual Sports

Equestrian (Dressage, Jumping, Eventing)

• Dressage: The art of riding and training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility, and balance.
• Jumping: Also known as show jumping, horses are ridden over a course of fences, low walls, and other obstacles.
• Eventing: Combines dressage, cross-country, and show jumping in one competition.

Gymnastics

A sport involving the performance of exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal muscle groups.

Cycling (Road, Track, Mountain Biking)

• Road Cycling: Races or rides on paved roads.
• Track Cycling: Racing bicycles on specially built banked tracks or velodromes.
• Mountain Biking: Riding bicycles off-road, over rough terrain.

Archery

The sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat, but in modern times, its main use is that of a recreational activity.

Shooting

A competitive sport involving tests of proficiency (accuracy and speed) using various types of guns, such as firearms and airguns. Shooting sports can be categorized by the type of firearm, target, and distance at which the targets are shot.

Biathlon

Combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Athletes compete in a race in which they ski over a cross-country trail system, with the total distance broken up by shooting rounds.

Triathlon

A multisport race with three continuous and sequential endurance races. The most common form includes swimming, cycling, and running over various distances.

Pentathlon

A contest featuring five different events. The modern pentathlon includes épée fencing, pistol shooting, swimming, a show jumping course on horseback, and a cross-country run.