07 04 sports u2b

Module

2B

A World of Mystery

The origin of sports dates back to Ancient
Times. There is evidence of their existence in
places such as China, Egypt and Persia. Early
individual sports include swimming, wrestling
and boxing, while early team sports include
polo and games similar to hockey. However, the
activities were not regulated as today and many
of them underwent several changes.
It was in 776 BC when Greece held the first
athletic competition: the Olympic Games. As
years passed, more sports were added to the
Olympics. For instance, the pentathlon involved
running, jumping, discus throw, javelin throw
and wrestling. Later, pankration, a type of
wrestling combined with boxing and kicking,
was introduced.
Another early sport is sumo wrestling, Japan’s
national sport. At first, it was an agricultural
ritual in which they asked the gods for a good
harvest. Sumo was also present in imperial
courts’ ceremonies and it was later used for
military training. When Japan was in peace,
sumo finally became a martial art with its own
rules and extended to the rest of society.
There are some sports that appeared in relation

to the kings’ practices. One clear example is
royal tennis or court tennis. Actually, the kings
of France and their courtiers first played it in the
14th century. And, by the 16th century, it was
well-known and also the English aristocracy
played it. Similarly, horse racing —despite
its early presence in chariot races— rapidly

developed as a sport in its modern form in
England because of the monarchs’ interest
and support.
Two other contributing factors in the history
of sport were English Public Schools and the
Industrial Revolution. Schools were effective
in introducing students to many sports and
led to the formulation of rules. As regards the
Industrial Revolution, it caused rural migration
and middle and upper classes in the city adopted
rural games and modified them, as well.
Besides, schools and universities could get in
contact and compete with each other, unifying
games and their regulations. The resurgence of
the Olympic Games in the 19th century also
contributed to the expansion of sports and their
principles.
Even when it is possible to trace the origins of
sports, many practices underwent modifications
or just disappeared. New sports will probably
emerge as a result of socio-economic events
or technological development. But it is almost

certain that they will continue to form part of
our lives as in their beginnings.

Activities
1Read the text and correct the sentences.
aAll sports originated in the same place.
bSumo wrestling formed part of the first Olympic Games.

c Sumo wrestling always had the same function in Japan’s society.

dThe English were the first to play tennis.
eDue to the Industrial Revolution, rural games disappeared.

English Toolkit 1 - Sports

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

The origin of sports


Module

2B
2Put the words in order to make questions in the Simple Past tense.
adid / start / sports / when

?

bfirst / where / Olympic Games / the / were

?

c kings / practise / what sports / did

?

dinfluence / did / how / sports / schools

?

3Now, read the text and answer the previous questions.
G

S

b

J

U M P

I

N G

c

N

I

L

E

V

A

J

N U

d

W R

K

I

C

K

I

N G

O M U

S

O

X M A

D

4Find 8 (eight) sports in the wordsearch. They appear
in any direction!

5Write the sports in the correct category.

H O

C

K

E

Y

B

D

P

I

G

T

G N

I

N N U

R

L

M P

O

R

A

P

Y

aSports related to wrestling:
bTeam sports:

c Sports related to athletics:

6Read about the origins of other sports. Complete the blanks with the Simple Past tense.
aDr James Naismith

(invent) basketball so that young people

(can) engage in an indoor activity during winter.
bIt seems that the history of rugby
ball in his arms instead of kicking it and
c Volleyball
Morgan
handball and

(start) when a football player

(take) the

(run) with it.

(originate) in the United States in 1895. William G.
(decide) to borrow elements from tennis, basketball, baseball and
(create) this sport that was originally called mintonette.

7Group work: look for information about the origins of a sport or game played in your
country. For example, in Argentina pato, taba, sortija were popular activities. How did they
start? Write a paragraph about it.

English Toolkit 1 - Sports

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

a