Oldest Sports in the World

At PledgeSports we love sports and sports trivia.  The history of sports may extend as far back as the beginnings of military training, with competition used as a mean to determine whether individuals were fit and useful for service. We look at how the sports have grown to what nowadays are full-time careers for people that pursue these sports as careers. Sport and business is forever growing, take a look at some of the oldest sports that are still in moderation today –

Running/Sprinting –

Originally from Ancient Greece, Running is the most popular sport in Athletics today and one of the oldest sports in the world also. Records show from the year 776 in the first ever Olympics that running or sprinting was the main sport to be played. Compared to the 10 running events in todays games there was only 4 events back when it all started.

Running has now evolved into a national sport with diverse participants. People’s love for running is not only for competition but also for the experience to keep healthy and achieve goals. Different kinds of runs, including short-distance sprints, middle distance, and long distance such as 5K and marathons have been built into training programs. Winner medals and finisher medals are essential parts at the ending line and tell their story after each race. No matter if you are a recreational road runner, or growing in a professional team, create a meaningful running medal at GS-JJ to honor your passion and dedication, and mark and memorize every special moment for your group!

The most popular sports globally

Wrestling –

Wrestling is regarded the oldest sports in the world and we have proof. The famous cave paintings in Lascaux, France, dating back to 15,300 years ago, depict wrestlers. So we can safely say, wrestling one the more popular sports of that time. In other countries such as Japan,  a papyrus fragment was found with wrestling instructions on it, dating somewhere between 100 and 200 AD. Wrestling was often played to determine the strongest man in society!

$1,000 Deposit BonusRead ReviewClaim Now

$1,000 No Sweat First BetRead ReviewClaim Now

$1,000 In Bonus BetsBONUS CODE: PLEDGERead ReviewClaim Now

The history of tennis

Long Jump –

The long jump has been a game that has been contested in the Ancient Olympics of 656 BC as per the records. The long jump emerged because people in Ancient times would have had to cross obstacles such as streams and ravines this in turn led to the idea of a competitive long jump. Even to this day, the long jump is one of the popular sports to be played at the Olympic games.

The most played sports in numbers

Javelin Throw –

A track and field sport in which a javelin is thrown as far as possible. First introduced in the 708 BC Olympics, it was later introduced in the 1906 Olympic games. In the early Roman times the spear thrown was much lighter than the Javelins they use nowadays.

The world’s fastest sports

Polo –

This was one of the most majestic of all ancient garner/sports. Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team.It was first played during the Persian Empire in Central Asia, by emperors. The first documented evidence of this sport dates back to 316 AD. The modern game was developed in India during the British Empire, with it’s first polo club being established in 1833.

The history of rugby

Boxing –

In the modern era, we all know how popular boxing is. It all started off around 600 BC, first in Greece then onto Rome before coming to the United Kingdom at a professional level in the 16th century. The principles of the sport have not changed , this is a combat sport that test strength, speed and stamina of the fighters by throwing punches.

The Most Dangerous Sports in the World

Hockey –

The history of hockey can already be traced back to ancient Greece. Images of people playing with a curved stick and ball have been found, dating back to 600 BC. The sport was originally called ‘Shinty’, but the first time the word ‘Hockey’ was actually used, was in 1363 by Edward III of England. The sport was widely popular across the globe especially in the Muslim communities such as India and further a field. It is one of the oldest sports in the world and one of the most popular sports in it’s time.

Gymnastics –

Gymnastic is originated from ancient greek and at the beginning it was set of training methods deployed for military training. During the ancient Greek times the manoeuvres were performed naked except for the tools of war. Athens combined this more physical training with education of the mind. Nowadays, gymnastic has evolved into multi-discplines which are on show during every Olympic games since 1896, and is classed as one of the most mentally challenging sports.

Hurling

Hurling is one of the oldest field games in the world and is popular for at least 3000 years in Ireland with the first literary reference dating back to 1272 BC.

Hurling is often referenced in Irish myths and legends, the most famous of which has to be the early account found in the Táin Bo Cuailgne, a legendary tale from early Irish literature, which describes the exploits of the Ulster hero Cú Chullainn, (literally Hound of Cullen) who was so named after killing a fierce guard dog by driving a hurling ball down its throat. Such stories often portray Hurling as a form of martial training and proficiency on the Hurling field was equated with skill in battle. Source GAA

PledgeSports is the global leader in crowdfunding & sponsorship for sport.

Are you or someone you know raising money for sport ? If so, get in touch with us via [email protected], or visit www.pledgesports.org and hit “Create A Campaign” to start raising money today!

For all the latest sports news follow PledgeSports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.