sports

Sled Dog Racing (sport)

Sled dog racing (or dogsled racing) is the sport of racing sleds pulled by sled dogs over snow-covered cross-country courses; it was developed from a principal Eskimo method of transportation. Dogsleds are still used for transportation and working purposes in some northern areas, although they largely have been replaced by aircraft and snowmobiles. The modern […]

Tennis (sport)

Four events dominate world championship tennis. The first of the traditional “Big Four,” or “Grand Slam,” events was the All-England Lawn Tennis Championships (better known as the Wimbledon Championships), founded in 1877. Its only event the first year was the men’s singles championships; women first competed in 1884. Major tennis tournaments also sprang up in […]

Swimming (sport)

The Federation Internationale de Natation (International Swimming Federation, FINA, still known by its French acronym that includes an “a” for “Amateur”; founded 1908) is the world governing body for amateur swimming. It held the first world swimming championships in 1973. After 1975 the FINA championships were held in non-Olympic, even-numbered years. (An exception was the […]

Weight Lifting (sport)

World weight lifting is overseen by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF; founded 1905). The first men’s international weight lifting competition was held in London in 1891; the sport was also included in the first modern Olympic Games, in Athens in 1896. By the 1930s championship events consisted of the snatch, clean and jerk, and press […]

Volleyball (sport)

World volleyball championships for men were inaugurated in 1949. Women’s competition began in 1952. These biennial championships are organized by the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB; founded 1947). Indoor volleyball has been included in the Olympic Games since 1964 and beach volleyball since 1996. World Volleyball Championships YEAR MEN WOMEN YEAR MEN WOMEN 1949 USSR […]

Track & Field (sport)

The world governing body for track and field, or athletics, is the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), founded in 1912. The sport includes relay running, a number of individual running, jumping, and throwing events, and one event (the decathlon for men and the heptathlon for women) that includes all three activities. The best-known competition […]

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