Culture of Europe - Sport

Sport

Europe's influence on sport is enormous. Europe is the world leader in sports. Indeed, it is difficult to think of a modern sport, apart from basketball and related sports, that does not have its origins in Europe. European sports include:

  • Association football, which has contested origins between United Kingdom and Italy (where Benito Mussolini insisted the game be called by the name Calcio). What is uncontestable is that the oldest association is The Football Association of England (1863) and the first international match was between Scotland and England (1872). It is now the world's most popular sport and is played throughout Europe.
  • Cricket has its origins in south eastern Britain. It's popular throughout England and Wales, and parts of Netherlands. It is also popular in other areas and also played in Northwest Europe. It is however very popular worldwide, especially in Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Indian subcontinent.
  • Cycling, which is immensely popular as a means of transport, has most of its sporting adherents in Europe, particularly Central Europe. Tour de France is the world's most watched live annual sporting event. The bicycle itself is probably from France (see History of the bicycle).
  • The discus throw, javelin throw and shot put have their origins in ancient Greece. The Olympics, both ancient and modern, have their origins too in Europe, and have a massive influence globally.
  • Field Hockey as a modern game, began in 18th Century Britain with Ireland having the oldest federation. It is popular in the British Isles, the Indian subcontinent, Australia and East Asia. Ice hockey, popular in Europe and North America may derive from this sport.
  • Golf, one of the most popular sports in Europe, Asia and North America, has its origins in Scotland, with the oldest course being at Musselburgh.
  • Handball, which is popular in Europe and elsewhere, has its origins in antiquity. The modern game is from Northern Europe with Germany having been involved in both the first women's and men's internationals.
  • Rugby League and Rugby Union which both have similar origins to football. Rugby Union is the older of the two codes and has rules that date from 1845 (see articles: History of rugby league and History of rugby union). They acrimoniously split in the late 19th century over the treatment of injured players. Rugby league gradually changed its laws over the next century with the end result that today both sports have little in common, apart from the basics. They have both been carried abroad by colonization, particularly to many former British colonies. American Football and Canadian Football are derivatives of rugby.
  • Tennis which originates from United Kingdom and related games such as Table Tennis derive from the game Real Tennis which is from France. It is popular throughout the world.

In addition, Europe has numerous national or regional sports which do not command a large international following outside of emigrant groups. These include:

  • Alpine Wrestling in Switzerland.
  • Bandy in Russia, Sweden and Finland
  • Basque Pelota in parts of Spain and France, and which has been brought to the Americas by emigrants.
  • Bullfighting in Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France near the Spanish Border.
  • Gaelic Football in Ireland, which influenced Australian football rules.
  • Gaelic Handball (Ireland) which was taken to the United States in the form of American Handball.
  • Hurling in Ireland.
  • Korfbal in the Netherlands and Belgium.
  • Pesäpallo (Boboll) in Finland
  • Pétanque, Boules, Petanca, Calitx, Irish Road Bowling, Skittles, Bocce, and Bowls and others are variations of bowling games which are popular throughout Europe and have been spread around the world.
  • Rounders from Britain now popular in northwest Europe from which Baseball derives.
  • Shinty in Scotland, United Kingdom, which influenced ice hockey in Canada (see also Shinny).
  • Trotting in southern Europe.

Some sporting organisations hold European Championships.

  • European Cricket Council
  • European Rugby Cup (Club/Regional competition)
  • European SC Championships
  • FIRA - Association of European Rugby
  • IIHF
  • Mitropa Cup
  • Rugby League European Federation - European Nations Cup
  • Sport in the European Union
  • UEFA

Some sport competitions feature a European team gathering athletes from different European countries. These teams uses the European flag as an emblem. The most famous of these competitions is the Ryder Cup in golf.

Read more about this topic:  Culture Of Europe

Famous quotes containing the word sport:

    “Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting.
    ”
    —George Orwell (1903–1950)

    “Rabelais, for instance, is intolerable; one chapter is better than a volume,—it may be sport to him, but it is death to us. A mere humorist, indeed, is a most unhappy man; and his readers are most unhappy also.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “I wish glib and indiscriminate critics of industrialists had some conception of the problems that have to be met by factory management.... General condemnation of employers is a favorite indoor sport of the uninformed intelligentsia who assume the role of lance- bearers for labor.”
    —Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–?)