In the beginning, sports were nothing more than playful games for children. Whether it was chasing prey or a race, children have always included sporting activities in their play. Artifacts from the prehistoric era depict hunters pursuing their prey with a sense of joy. The history of hunting in ancient civilizations is filled with rich iconography and literary evidence. Today, sports are widely played and popular all over the world. But how do we understand them?
There is a wide range of classifications for different types of sports, and they are determined by a number of factors. The first is the level of organisational structure that surrounds the sport. This is a key factor in determining whether a certain sport is a “sport” or not. For instance, if a sports competition has a number of different levels of competition, the higher the level of organisational structure is.
The term “sport” has no clear definition, though artifacts from ancient China indicate it may have been popular for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of sport goes back to 2000 BC in ancient China. Among the earliest examples of sport are gymnastics. Other ancient civilizations such as Egypt had well-developed sports. These include javelin throwing, high jump, wrestling, and the Zoorkhaneh martial art. In the modern world, motorised sports like racing have emerged.