Definition of sport, its types and differences from physical culture

Today, the whole world follows the sports competitions. Athletes, skiers, racers and many other professionals spend all their time and energy on endless training, proper nutrition and preparation for new competitions. We can say with full confidence that for most people sports events are an important component of life, whether watching television broadcasts from competitions or independently engaging in physical culture.

But what is sport? The definition of this term has been rewritten many times, because today the framework of sports cultures is so blurred that even championships in computer games are arranged. And e-sports has already been included in the list of the Olympic Games.

Meaning of the word

The definition of "sport" appeared in the Russian language for a long time. It's no secret that it is an analogue of the English word sport. However, very few people know that it was changed in a foreign language. Originally, the British spoke disport, which in translation meant "play", "entertainment."

If we talk about today's definition of sports in Russian, then this word denotes the game of competitive activities and preparation for it. Quite logical. The sport itself is based on the use of physical exercises, and its main goal is to achieve better results in one or another industry. In addition , this word implies the disclosure of a person's sporting potential, an increase in motor activity.

In simple terms, the definition of sport will be competition, specialization, entertainment and focus on high achievement. That is, for many years the meaning of this concept has not changed, innovations have touched only the list of cultures that are related to sports.

Kinds of sports

According to the Federal Law of the Russian Federation, the definition of a sport is a separate sphere of social relations based on special rules. This environment employs certain sports equipment or equipment that does not require the use of personal protective equipment.

Again, in simple terms, the sport is its specific direction.

There are a huge number of types of sporting events. Consider the main sports:

• Game individual (badminton, tennis, squash, golf, chess and others).
• Cyclic (bicycle, swimming, speed skating).
• Game command (basketball, football, paintball, hockey, etc.).
• Combat sports (boxing, aikido, fencing, capoeira).
• Power (bodybuilding, weightlifting, armwrestling).
• Difficult coordination (figure skating, trampoline jumping and gymnastics).
• Extreme (bokeh, kiting, basijjumping, snowboarding, kayaking and others).
• Technical (aeronautics, rally, archery, control of drones).
• Applied (yachting, sailing and horse riding).

Also today there is cheerleading, zorbing and eSports. All these directions can be attributed to the definition of "sport".

The origin of sport

This trend appeared long before our era. The very first competitions were held in ancient Babylon. Then such sports competitions were timed to worship the gods. The patron of Babylon was Marduk, so in his honor, and sometimes very bloody competitions were held.

A few centuries later the first Olympiad was opened in Greece. It is believed that it was the Greeks who came up with the definition of sport. Initially, they competed only in archery, fencing, chariot races, wrestling on belts and throwing spears. Later the list of sports cultures was expanded.

Sport in different historical times

In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church, which dominated over society, decided to ban the cult of the body and all sports activities. However, fencing, swimming and jumping were still very popular kinds of entertainment. All the competitions were held not to demonstrate the physical development of athletes, but purely for the sake of spectacle.

Intellectual sport appeared in the Renaissance, and in the late 19th century, the Olympic Games, known to this day, were revived.

Physical culture and sports: definitions are different

These concepts are very often confused. In fact, sport implies a competitive moment. An athlete or gymnast will always compare his results with the achievements of an opponent. The same applies to the Olympic Games - this is a sporting event. The winner receives a medal, and the loser goes to improve his skills.

If it talks about physical culture, then there is no component of the competition in it. It is aimed solely at improving health and improving one's body. A person running through the park in sneakers is not necessarily an athlete. However, he follows his health and wants his body to be beautiful. Accordingly, he engages in physical culture.

Goals and objectives of mass sports

As can be seen from all of the above, the word "sport" is very versatile. It does not imply specific activities. Knowing the definition and concepts of sports, it will also be useful to learn about such a phenomenon as mass competitions.

The tasks of such events fully coincide with the goals of physical culture. Mass sport is a great opportunity for a huge number of people to normalize their health and physical fitness. In this type of exercise, there is also no competitive component. The main goal and task is to strengthen one's health, but at the same time leading oneself to nervous exhaustion. This implies proper nutrition, good sleep and rest.