List of sports - Definition and Overview

The following is a list of sports, divided by category. These categories are based on how the sport is played, and there are many more sports to be added. This system has a disadvantage because some sports may fit in more than one category. Here they are only listed in one.

Athletics

Track and field athletics.

• Jumping
  • Triple jump
  • Long jump
  • High jump
  • Pole vault
• Running
  • Sprints
  • Middle distance
  • Long distance
  • Relay races
  • Hurdling
  • Steeplechase
• Throwing
  • Discus
  • Hammer throw
  • Horseshoe
  • Javelin
  • Atlatl
  • Shot put
• Walking

Animal sports

Sports in which animals play a role.

• Bullfighting
• Camel racing
• Cockfighting
• Pigeon sport
• Equestrian sports:
  • Quarterhorse racing
  • Steeplechase
  • Equestrianism
  • Thoroughbred racing
  • Harness racing
  • Polo
  • Buzkashi
• Dog sports: See List of dog sports

Combat sports

Generally sports in which athletes fight or combat each other, usually one-on-one.

• Aikido
• Ba Gua
• Boxing
• Brazilian jiu jitsu
• Capoeira
• Fencing
• Hapkido
• Iaido
• Judo
• Ju-jitsu
• Karate
• Kempo
• Kendo
• Kung-fu
• Mixed martial arts
• Muay Thai
• Naginata-do
• Pencak Silat
• Sambo
• Sumo
• Taekwondo
• Tai Chi Chuan
• Tang Soo Do
• Wing Chun
• Wrestling
• Wushu
• Yağlı Güreş

Cycling

Sports using bicycles or unicycles.

• Bicycle polo
• BMX
• Cycloball
• Cyclocross
• Mountain bicycling
• Mountain unicycling
• Road cycling
• Track cycling
• Triathlon
• Unicycle trials

Extreme sports

• BASE jumping
• Bodyboarding
• Bungee jumping
• Cheerleading
• Motocross
• Parkour
• Rock climbing
• Skateboarding
• Snowboarding
• Wakeboarding
• Surfing

Fictional sports

Sports which exist only in imaginary settings, for instance in fiction.

• Anbo-Jitsu
• Apopudobalia
• Baseketball
• Blitzball
• Calvinball
• Discs of Tron
• Firediving
• Futuresport
• Kosho
• Podracing
• Quidditch
• Rollerball
• Speedball

Gymnastics

Gymnastic sports.

• Artistic gymnastics
• Rhythmic gymnastics
• Sports acrobatics
• Sports aerobics
• Trampolining

Motorised sports

Sports based on motorised transportation.

• Air Racing
• Auto racing
• Karting
• Motorboat racing
• Motorcycle racing

Other

Sports not in any of the other categories.

• American handball
• Children playground sport
• Combat robot
• Dance sport
• Disabled sports
• Fives
• Foosball
• Footbag (hacky sack)
• Haggis Hurling
• Keysport (La Llave)
• Modern pentathlon
• Ringo
• Tetherball
• Triathlon

Outdoor sports

Sports not based on a specific field.

• Aerobatics
• Aeromodelling
• Ballooning
• Caving
• Casting
• Canyoning
• Fell running
• Flying disc
• Gliding
• Hang gliding
• Mountaineering
• Orienteering
• Parachuting
• Paragliding
• Scuba diving
• Skydiving
• Sled-dog sports
• Sport fishing
• Surfing
• Zorbing

Power sports

Sports mainly based on sheer power.

• Bodybuilding
• Dwarf throwing
• Powerlifting
• Tug of war
• Weightlifting
• Zurkhaneh

Racket sports

Sports where players use rackets to hit a ball or other object.

• Badminton
• Paddleball
• Racquetball
• Real tennis
• Soft tennis
• Squash
• Table Tennis
• Tennis

Skating

Sports in which skates are used.

• Figure skating
• Roller derby
• Roller hockey
• Roller skating, Inline skating
• Short-track speed skating
• Skateboarding
• Speed skating
• Synchronized skating

Skiing / Snowsports

Sports in which skis or snowboards are used.

• Alpine skiing (also known as Downhill skiing)
• Backcountry skiing (also known as Off Piste skiing)
• Biathlon
• Cross country skiing (together with ski jumping and nordic combined also known as Nordic skiing)
• Firngleiten
• Freestyle skiing
• Grass skiing
• Nordic combined
• Roller skiing
• Skibob
• Ski flying
• Skijoring
• Ski jumping
• Ski touring
• Speed skiing
• Telemark skiing

• Snowboarding
• Freestyle snowboarding
• Extreme snowboarding

Sleighing

Sports that use sleighs.

• Bobsleigh
• Land luge (also known as street luge and road luge)
• Luge
• Skeleton
• Wok Racing

Sports Entertainment

• Professional Wrestling

Target sports

Sports where the main objective is to hit a certain target.

• Archery
  • Kyudo
• Atlatl
• Billiard Sports
  • Billiards
  • Bar billiards
  • Carambole billiard
  • Pool
  • Snooker
  • Trick Shot Snooker
• Bocce
• Boccia
• Bowling
• Croquet
• Curling
• Darts
• Golf
• Disc golf
• Speed golf
• Golfcross
• Horseshoe throwing
• Laser Tag
• Lawn bowls
• Marbles
• Pall mall
• Pelota
• Petanque
• Shooting
• Skittles
• Trugo

Team sports

Sports that involve teams.

• Airsoft
• American football
• Australian rules football
• Bandy
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Basque pelota
• Broomball
• Camogie
• Canadian football
• Canoe Polo
• Cricket
• Curling
• Eton Wall Game
• Faustball
• Floorball
• Football (soccer)
• Futsal
• Gaelic football
• Goalball
• Handball
• Field Hockey
• Hornusser
• Hurling
• Ice hockey
• Kabaddi
• Korfball
• Lacrosse
• Mesoamerican ballgame
• Netball
• Paintball
• Petanque
• Polo
• Roller Hockey
• Rounders
• Royal Shrovetide Football
• Rugby
• Scuffleball
• Sepak Takraw
• Shinty
• Skittles
• Softball
• Tchoukball
• Throwball
• Ultimate frisbee
• Volleyball
• Water polo

Mind sports

Sports that require little or no physical abilities (see also board games).

• Bridge
• Chess
• Checkers (draughts)
• Poker
• Go
• Scrabble
• Shogi
• heksup
• Dominoes

Water sports

Sports that are played in, on or near the water: (see List of water sports)