What are the Oldest Sports in the World?
Sports have always been a part of human society. Since the first communities, men and women have competed indifferent physical challenges, either for glory or for fun. Some of the sports we still watch and enjoy today can be traced back to the Ancient world, and some even beyond that. So, in this article, we are going to look at the oldest sports that we still play to this day.
Horse Racing
It is impossible to say exactly when horse racing first began. We know that the horse was domesticated roughly 6000 years ago. And it is very likely that it was soon after their domestication that racing them became popular.
Throughout history, horse races have been a staple of all societies. From Ancient Babylon to Persia to Egypt, Greece, and Rome, horse or chariot racing was an incredibly popular event. And today, the sport remains incredibly popular, not just among fans, but also bettors.
Sports betting websites as you will find on this site cover horse racing extensively. They offer bonus promotions, incredibly odds, and great benefits for new and seasoned bettors alike. In fact, horse racing is one of the most popular sport to wager on today. Pretty incredible, considering it is 6000 years old.
Football
Football as we know it today was codified in the 1800s. However, the history of the sport goes back much further. First instance of a team sport involving scoring goals was the Chinese sport “kickball” or cuju. In Cuju, 12 – 15 players on either side compete with the goal of kicking the ball into enemy territory. According to Chinese mytho-history, cuju was introduced to the Chinese by one of their first Emperors.
Meanwhile, in Ancient Greece a similar game came to prominence. Episkyros involved 12 – 14 players, competing against each other. If we examine the rules, we would find episkyros is much closer to rugby, as it allowed full-contact and use of hands. However, the roots of football definitely exist within the game.
Grappling and Striking
Martial arts are an important part of many human cultures. Each culture has its unique, individual martial art, which is linked to their history. And all of these martial arts can be categorized as either grappling, striking, or a mixture of both.
But, what were the first grappling and striking martial arts? Well, they are sports that we still know well today. Boxing and wrestling are widely considered the first martial arts. Both disciplines are first mentioned 3000 years ago. However, archeologists believe that their origins can be traced even further back.
Today, boxing remains the most popular combat sport. Fans tune in to watch matches, they join gyms hoping to learn more about the sport, and bet on the big fights. Recently, younger generations have gotten involved in the sport, in large part thanks to “influencer boxing.”
The trend began when KSI, a popular YouTuber, challenged another YouTuber, Joe Weller to a fight. The success of the event led to similar amateur boxing matches, which eventually led to some YouTubers, like Jake Paul, to even go pro.
