Sports and Games

Sports help us to keep our bodies in good physical and mental conditions. Nowadays a lot of
us don’t move enough, which is a result of our busy and comfortable life full of modern
inventions like cars, lifts, TV or the Internet. Doing sports helps us to keep fit and active, lose
weight, make new friends and learn the value of fair play. Some people want to look sporty,
have nice figure, etc. Sports offer us relaxation.
In schools, physical education is compulsory. A lot of children also play sports outside school
– they can choose from collective (team) sports (football, volleyball, ice hockey, basketball...)
or individual sports (tennis, golf, fencing ...).
Sports can be divided into summer, winter and all-season sports.
Among the summers sports are athletics, rowing, ball games, cycling, horse racing, etc.
Among the winter sports are skiing, skating,…
Among the all-season sports are gymnastics, table tenis, body-building, etc...
Sports can also be divided into indoor and outdoor sports. Athletics is a typical outdoor
sport, it includes track and field events ( high jump, long jump, triple jump, hammer throwing,
sprint, …) Gymnastics is a typical indoor sport.
There are water sports, ball sports, racket sports, extreme sports, field sports, etc.

SPORTS EQUIPMENT:
Diving wetsuit, snorkel, goggles
Fishing fishing rod
Baseball pads, baseball bat, baseball glove
Gymnastics balance beam, mat, parallel bars, horizontal bar
Tennis tennis racquet, ball, net
Skiing skis, boots, binding, sticks, gloves, goggles, ski suit, safety helmet

We can do sports at various playgrounds, fitness centers, gyms, swimming pools, stadiums,
tennis courts, football fields, ice rinks,etc.
The best sport for the whole body is said to be swimming. Yoga is another good way to
strengthen your body and soul. It’s not only about doing exercises, but also a specific lifestyle
and life philosophy.
People do sports in a passive or active way, sometimes at the top level.
Doing sports passively means watching favourite sports on TV – during matches,
competitions, contests, tournaments, championships or Olympic Games. Doing sports actively
means regular exercising, jogging, going to fitness centres.
Some people prefer extreme adrenalin sports – such as bungee jumping, parachuting,
abseiling, paragliding, rafting, car racing or rock climbing.

Many sports have their origins in Britain, that is why Britain is sometimes called the cradle of
sports. Rugby, cricket, darts, tennis, boxing and golf were invented in Britain .
In Britain, sports are very popular. The English like playing golf, cricket or tennis .There are
many football fans, as well. The British love horse riding and those who can’t ride a horse at
least bet on them. Oxford and Cambridge Universities fight against each other every March in
boat racing on the Thames. Rugby was invented in an English boarding school of the same
name.
In our country, the number one sports are definitely football and ice hockey. The Czech
republic has also successful tennis players and athletes. Skiing and skating are also very
popular.
Olympic Games are the most important sport event. They take place every four years. The
first games were held in ancient Greece in 776 BC and lasted from 5 to 7 days. The
competitors were only men. They competed in running, fighting, pentathlon, horse racing,
music and poetry. There was no fighting anywhere in Greece.
The Games were cancelled in 393 AD.
The modern Olympic Games were brought back in 1896. They were proposed by the French
historian Pierre de Coubertin. He is considered to be the father of the modern Olympic
Games. His idea about the Olympics was: The important thing in the Olympic games is not to
win, but to take part.The first Olympics in the modern age were held in Athens in 1896. Since
that time, they have been held every four years with the exception of the war years- 1916,
1940, 1944.Only 5 sport disciplines were on the programme in 1896: athletics, swimming,
gymnastics, fencing and rowing and 13 countries took part. Nowadays much more disciplines
are on the programme of the Olympics and the competitors come from more than 200
countries.
The Winter Olympic Games have a shorter history than Summer Games. They started in
Chamonix in 1924. Men and women competed in 5 sports: skiing, speed skating, figure
skating, ice hockey and bob sleighing. Other sports were added later. Famous Czech
medallists are………….
The Olympic Symbols are:
the Olympic Flag with 5 coloured circles representing 5 continents,
the Olympic Fire/ Flame- the Olympic torch is lit many months before the opening
ceremony at Olympia and then it is carried from Athens to the host city,
the Olympic Motto: Citius, altius, fortius
the Olympic Anthem
the Olympic Mascots

Last Summer Olympic Games were held in…….