- Sports of all kinds play an important part in many people’s lives.
- There are several sports that are particularly popular in the UK.
- Many sporting events take place at major stadiums such as Wembley Stadium in London and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
- Local governments and private companies provide sports facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, football pitches, dry ski slopes and gymnasiums.
- Many famous sports, including cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf and rugby, began in Britain.
- The UK has hosted the Olympic games on three occasions: 1908, 1948 and 2012.
- The main Olympic site for the 2012 Games was in Stratford, East London.
- The British team was very successful, across a wide range of Olympic sports, finishing third in the medal table.
- The Paralympic Games for 2012 were also hosted in London.
- The Paralympics have their origin in the work of Dr Sir Ludwig Guttman, a German refugee, at the Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire.
- Dr Guttman developed new methods of treatment for people with spinal injuries and encouraged patients to take part in exercise and sport.
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Notable British sportsmen and women
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Cricket
- Cricket originated in England and is now played in many countries.
- Games can last up to five days but still result in a draw!
- The idiosyncratic nature of the game and its complex laws are said to reflect the best of the British character and sense of fair play.
- You may come across expressions such as ‘rain stopped play’, ‘batting on a sticky wicket’, ‘playing a straight bat’, ‘bowled a googly’ or ‘it’s just not cricket’, which have passed into everyday usage.
- The most famous competition is the Ashes, which is a series of Test matches played between England and Australia.
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Football
- Football is the UK’s most popular sport.
- It has a long history in the UK and the first professional football clubs were formed in the late 19th century.
- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have separate leagues in which clubs representing different towns and cities compete.
- The English Premier League attracts a huge international audience.
- Many of the best players in the world play in the Premier League.
- Many UK teams also compete in competitions such as the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League, against other teams from Europe.
- Many towns and cities have a professional club and people take great pride in supporting their home team.
- There can be great pride in supporting their home team.
- There can be great rivalry between different football clubs and among fans.
- Each country in the UK also has its own national team that competes with other national teams across the world in tournaments such as the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup and UEFA European Football Championships.
- England’s only international tournament victory was at the World Cup of 1966, hosted in the UK.
- Football is also a popular sport to play in many local communities, with people playing amateur games every week in parks all over the UK.
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Rugby
- Rugby originated in England in the early 19th century and is very popular in the UK today.
- There are two different types of rugby, which have different rules: union and league.
- Both have separate leagues and national teams in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (who play with the Irish Republic).
- Teams from all countries compete in a range of competitions.
- The most famous rugby union competition is the Six Nations Championship between England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy.
- The Super League is the most well-known rugby league (club) competition.
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Horse racing
- There is a very long history of horse racing in Britain, with evidence of events taking place as far back as Roman times.
- The sport has a long association with royalty.
- There are racecourses all over the UK.
- Famous horse-racing events include: Royal Ascot, a five-day race meeting in Berkshire attended by members of the Royal Family; the Grand National at Aintree near Liverpool; and the Scottish Grand National at Ayr.
- There is a National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket, Suffolk.
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Golf
- The modern game of golf can be traced back to 15th century Scotland.
- It is a popular sport played socially as well as professionally.
- There are public and private golf courses all over the UK.
- St Andrews in Scotland is known as the home of golf.
- The Open Championship is the only ‘Major’ tournament held outside the United States.
- It is hosted by a different golf course every year.
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Tennis
- Modern tennis evolved in England in the late 19th century.
- The first tennis club was founded in Leamington Spa in 1872.
- The most famous tournament hosted in Britain is The Wimbledon Championships, which takes place each year at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
- It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and the only ‘Grand Slam’ event played on grass.
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Water sports
- Sailing continues to be popular in the UK, reflecting our maritime heritage.
- A British sailor, Sir Francis Chichester, was the first person to sail singlehanded around the world passing the Cape of Good Hope (Africa) and Cape Horn (South America), in 1966/67.
- Two years later, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the first person to do this without stopping.
- Many sailing events are held throughout the UK, the most famous of which is at Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
- Rowing is also popular, both as a leisure activity and as a competitive sport.
- There is a popular yearly race on the Thames between Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
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Motor sports
- There is a long history of motor sport in the UK, for both cars and motor cycles.
- Motor-car racing in the UK started in 1902.
- The UK continues to be a world leader in the development and manufacture of motor-sport technology.
- A Formula 1 Grand Prix event is held in the UK each year and a number of British Grand Prix drivers have won the Formula 1 World Championship.
- Recent British winners include Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
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Skiing
- Skiing is increasingly popular in the UK.
- Many people go abroad to ski and there are also dry ski slopes throughout the UK.
- Skiing on snow may also be possible during the winter.
- There are five ski centres in Scotland, as well as Europe’s longest dry ski slope near Edinburgh.