4. BADMINTON :

Badminton is a sport played with racquets (rackets) by either two opposing players (known as singles) or two opposing pairs (known as doubles). These opposing players or pairs take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court. The court is divided by a net. Instead of ball, feathered projectile (known as shuttlecock) is used.

5. BASKETBALL :

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 active players each try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a 10 foot (3.048 m) high hoop (the goal) under organized rules. Basketball is one of the most popular and widely viewed sports in the world.
Points are scored by throwing (shooting) the ball through the basket from above; the team with more points at the end of the game wins. The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it (dribbling) or passing it between teammates. Disruptive physical contact (foul) is penalized and there are restrictions on how the ball can be handled (violations).

6. BEACH HANDBALL :

The first ever beach handball world championships held in history of the sport was the 2004 Beach Handball World Championships a nine-team tournament in both men's and women's beach handball, held at El Gouna Beach in Egypt in 2004. Matches are played in sets, the team that wins two sets is the winner of a match. When teams are equal in points the head-to-head result is decisive.

7. BEACH VOLLEYBALL :

Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played on sand. Like other variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team’s court. Competitive beach volleyball teams usually consist of two players, though recreational variations can contain up to six players.
    Originating in Southern California, beach volleyball now enjoys worldwide popularity, even in countries without traditional beaches, like Switzerland.

8. BOXING :

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win. Victory is achieved if the opponent is knocked down and unable to get up before the referee counts to ten seconds (a Knockout, or KO) or if the opponent is deemed too injured to continue (a Technical Knockout, or TKO). If there is no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is determined either by the referee’s decision or by judges’ scorecards.

9 A. CANOEING :

Canoeing is the activity of paddling a canoe for the purpose of recreation (also called a float trip), sport, or transportation. It usually refers exclusively to using a paddle to propel a canoe with only human muscle power. A kayak is propelled using a paddle with two blades where paddlers sit with their legs mostly extended in front of them, whereas canoes are propelled using single- or double-bladed paddles where the paddler - a “canoeist” or “canoer”- is kneeling or sitting on seat or thwart, with their knees bent and their legs more or less beneath them. Kayaks are usually closed-decked boats with a spraydeck, while canoes are usually open boats. There are also open kayaks and closed canoes. Technically, a kayak can be seen as a special kind of canoe. When exactly a canoe can be called a kayak is difficult to determine though, and often arbitrary. Internationally, the term canoeing is used as a generic term for both forms though the terms “paddle sports” or “canoe/kayak” are also used. In North America, however, ‘canoeing’ usually refers only to canoes, as opposed to both canoes and kayaks. Paddling a kayak is also referred to as kayaking.

9 B. KAYAKING :

Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking is generally differentiated from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is defined by the International Canoe Federation (the world sanctioning body) as a boat where the paddler faces forward, legs in front, using a double bladed paddle. Almost all kayaks have big decks, however, there are many sit-on-top kayaks, and these boats are growing in popularity. A canoe is defined as a boat where the paddler faces forward and sits or kneels in the boat, using a single bladed paddle. Canoes can be closed deck or open deck.

10. CYCLING :

Use of a bicycle for sport, recreation, or transportation. The sport of cycling consists of professional and amateur races, which are held mostly in Continental Europe, the United States, and Asia. The recreational use of the bicycle is widespread in Europe and the United States. Use of the bicycle as a mode of transportation is particularly important in non-Western nations and in flatter countries, some of which, like The Netherlands, have a widespread system of bicycle paths.

11. FENCING :

Fencing is a family of sports and activities that feature armed combat involving cutting, stabbing, or bludgeoning weapons that are directly manipulated by hand, rather than shot, thrown or positioned. Examples include swords, knives, pikes, bayonets, batons, clubs, and similar weapons. In contemporary common usage, fencing tends to refer specifically to European schools of swordsmanship and to the modern Olympic sport that has evolved out of them.

12. FOOTBALL :

Football is the name of several similar team sports, all of which involve (to varying degrees) kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just “football” or “soccer”. However the word football is applied to whichever form of football became most popular in each particular part of the world. Hence the English language word “football” is applied to “gridiron.

13. GYMNASTICS :

Gymnastics is one of the world's oldest physical activities and sports and its roots can be traced back thousands of years.  There is evidence of early forms of gymnastics in the ancient civilizations in the Middle East and Asia. Gymnastics, in the form of acrobatics, calisthenics, precision drills and disciplined exercise has been around since ancient times.

14. HANDBALL :

Handball (also known as team handball, Olympic handball or European handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outfield players and a goalkeeper) pass and bounce a ball to throw it into the goal of the opposing team. The team with the most goals after two periods of 30 minutes wins.

15. HOCKEY :

One of the oldest known sports, the game is believed to be in existence about 1200 years before the Ancient Games of Olympia. Right from Arabs.

16. JUDO :

Judo , meaning “gentle way”, is a modern Japanese martial art (gendai budM) and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw one’s opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one’s opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an opponent to submit by joint locking the elbow or by executing a choke. Strikes and thrusts (by hands and feet)as well as weapons defences are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (kata) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice (randori).

17. KABADDI : 

Kabaddi was primarily devised as a way to develop the physical strength and speed in young men. During its inception, kabaddi was played to boost the self-defense skills and to develop quick responsiveness to attacks. It also sharpened the reflexes of counter attacks of the individuals, who mostly played in groups or teams.

18. KARATE DO :

Karate(Japanese pronunciation:  [kaɽate]  English: /kəˈrɑːtiː/) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) from indigenous fighting methods te (手 literally: "hand"?) and Chinese kenpō. Karate is characterised as a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands (karate chop). Grappling, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point strikes are taught in some styles.

19. KHO KHO :

Kho-Kho ranks as one of the most popular traditional sports in India. The origin of Kho-Kho is difficult to trace, but many historians believe, that it is a modified form of 'Run Chase', which in its simplest form involves chasing and touching a person

20. LAWN BOWLS : 

Lawn Bowls is a team game. It is played on a rectangular section of a grassed area known as a "rink". Two, three, or four players from opposing teams. Players alternately roll three or four "bowls" towards a white ball (the "jack") which has been positioned near the far end of the rink.
    A game is made up of a series of contests. In each contest, the winning team scores one point for each of its' bowls that end up closer to the jack than the closest of the opponents' bowls. The team with the greatest total score is the winner.
    The bowls are not perfectly spherical. One side of the bowl's circular running surface is slightly offset. Therein lies a tricky and challenging aspect of the game. When initially released, the bowl tends to follow a straight line. However, as it slows down it tilts towards the offset side and its path curves in that direction.

21. NETBALL :

Netball is a limited-contact team sport in which two teams of seven try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a high hoop.
    The game originated in the United States as a derivation of basketball for women. The first rules were drawn up in 1895 by Clara Gregory Baer.
    Netball is played by 20 million players in more than 70 countries. It is particularly popular in the Commonwealth.

22. ROWING :

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water. The sport can be both recreational, focusing on learning the techniques required, and competitive where overall fitness plays a large role. It is also one of the oldest Olympic sports. In the United States, high school and collegiate rowing is sometimes referred to as crew.

23. RUGBY : 

A game played by two teams of 7 or 15 players each on a rectangular field 110 yards long with goal lines and goal posts at either end, the object being to run with an oval ball across the opponent's goal line or kick it through the upper portion of the goal posts, with forward passing and time-outs not permitted.

24. SEPAK TAKRAW :

Sepak Takraw (Malay: sepak raga;) or kick volleyball is a sport native to Southeast Asia, resembling volleyball, except that it uses a rattan ball and only allows players to use their feet, knee, chest and head to touch the ball. It is a popular sport in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines and Indonesia

25. SHOOTING :

Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman. Shooting can take place in a shooting range or in the field in hunting, in shooting sports or in combat.

26. SQUASH :

Squash is a racquet sport played by two players (or four players for doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. Squash is recognized by the IOC and remains in contention for incorporation in a future Olympic program.
    The game was formerly called squash racquets, a reference to the "squashable" soft ball used in the game (compared with the harder ball used in its parent game Racquets.

27. TABLE TENNIS :

The origin of table tennis has never been exactly pinpointed, even though it's a relatively young sport, younger than lawn tennis and not much older than basketball.
The earliest known form of the sport, called indoor tennis, was played in the early 1880s by British army officers in India and South Africa, using lids from cigar boxes as paddles and rounded corks from wine bottles as balls, with a row of books set up across the middle of a table to form the net.
Other versions developed in England during the 1890s, known variously as "whiff whaff" and "gossima," and Parker Brothers began manufacturing an indoor tennis kit that included a portable net that could be set up on a table, a small ball covered with netting, and miniature paddles.

28. TAEKWONDO :

Taekwondo is an empty-hand combat form that entails the use of the whole body. Tae means "to Kick" or "Smash with the feet," Kwon implies "punching" or "destroying with the hand or fist," and Do means "way" or "method." Taekwondo thus, is the technique of unarmed combat for self defense that involves the skillful application of techniques that include punching, jumping kicks, blocks, dodges, parrying actions with hands and feet. It is more than a mere physical fighting skill, representing as it does a way of thinking and a pattern of life requiring strict discipline. It is a system of training both the mind and the body in which great emphasis is placed on the development of the trainee's moral character.

29. TENNIS :

Tennis is a sport played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court.     
The modern game of tennis originated in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century as "lawn tennis" which has heavy connections to various field/lawn games as well as to the ancient game of real tennis. After its creation, tennis spread throughout the upper-class English-speaking population before spreading around the world. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all ages. The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including people in wheelchairs. In the United States, there is a collegiate circuit organized by the National Collegiate.  

30. TRIATHLON :

The triathlon was designed to be an alternative to hard track training. The first triathlon event was held on September 25th 1974. Don Shanahan and Jack Johnstone are pioneers in the history of the triathlon. The San Diego Track Club sponsored the event. The triathlon then comprised a 10km run, 8 km cycle and 500 meter swim. In 1989, the sport was awarded Olympic status and featured for the first time at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in Australia. Since then, the sport has grown in popularity. In fact, no other sport achieved Olympic status in such a short time. Over the next decade, triathlon grew by leaps and bounds and soon gained recognition worldwide.

31. VOLLEYBALL :

Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team’s court under organized rules. This article focuses on competitive indoor volleyball; numerous other variations of volleyball have developed, most notably the Olympic spin-off sport beach volleyball

32. WEIGHTLIFTING :

Olympic weightlifting, also called Olympic-style weightlifting or weightlifting, is a sport in which participants attempt a maximum weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates.
    The two lifts competed are the clean and jerk and the snatch. Clean and press was another weightlifting technique, discontinued due to difficulties in judging proper form.
    The compound word “weightlifting” is also often used to refer to weight training.
    In comparison with powerlifting which tests limit strength (with or without lifting aids), weightlifting tests ballistic limits (explosive strength) with smaller weights, such that the lifts must be executed faster and with more mobility, because of a greater range of motion during the lifts. However, parts of the lift, especially in the clean and jerk, do test for absolute strength, as power is not an issue in executing that part of the lift.

33. WRESTLING : 

Wrestling is an ancient martial art that uses grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, generally between two people, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position. Wrestling is one of the oldest of martial arts with references to it as early as the Iliad that recounts the Trojan War in the 13th or 12th century BC. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules with both traditional historic and modern styles. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into other martial arts as well as military hand-to-hand combat system.

34. WUSHU :

Among China's well kept secrets, one caught the imagination of Americans - Chinese wushu. Wushu is an important component of the cultural heritage of China, with a rich content that has remained untarnished over the centuries. Literally translated, "wu" is military, "shu" is art. Wushu therefore means the art of fighting, or martial arts. Previously, wushu figured significantly in the simple matter of survival through China's many wars and political upheaval. Today, wushu has been organized and systematized into a formal branch of study in the performance arts by the Chinese. It reigns as the most poular national sport in the country of 1.1 billion people, practiced by the young and old alike.

35. YACHTING :

The invention of sailing is prehistoric, and the racing of sailing boats is believed to have started in the Netherlands sometime in the 17th century. Soon, in England, custom-built racing “yachts” began to emerge. In 1851, a challenge to an American yacht racing club in New York led to the beginning of the America’s Cup, a regatta won by the New York Yacht Club until 1983, when they finally lost to the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Australia, which entered the Australia II into the contest. Meanwhile, yacht racing continued to evolve, with the development of recognised classes of racing yachts, from small dinghies up to huge maxi yachts.

36. BOAT RACING : 

The tradition was started in 1829 by Charles Merivale, a student at St John's College, Cambridge, and his schoolfriend Charles Wordsworth who was at Oxford. Cambridge challenged Oxford to a race in Henley. The second race occurred in 1836, with the venue moved to be from Westminster to Putney. Over the next couple of years, there was disagreement over where the race should be held, with Oxford preferring Henley and Cambridge preferring London. Cambridge therefore raced Leander Club in 1837 and 1838. Following the formation of the Oxford University Boat Club, racing between the two universities resumed and the tradition continues to the present day, with the loser challenging the winner to a re-match annually.The race in 1877 was declared a dead heat. Legend in Oxford has it that the judge, "Honest John" Phelps, was asleep under a bush as the crews came by leading him to announce the result as a "dead heat to Oxford by four feet", but this is not borne out by contemporary reports.

37. KALARIPPAYATTU :

Kalarippayattu (Malayalam : കളരിപയറ്റ്, pronounced [kaɭəɾipːajətːɨ̆]) is a Dravidian martial art from Kerala, India. Possibly one of the oldest fighting systems in existence,[1] it is practiced in Kerala and contiguous parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka[2] as well as north-eastern Sri Lanka and among the Malayalees community of Malaysia. The word is spelled variously as kalari payat, kalarippayatta, kalaripayatt and many others depending on the dialect and romanisation system used.             It includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods.[2] Regional variants are classified according to geographical position in Kerala; these are the northern style, the southern style and the central style. Northern kalari payat is based on the principle of hard technique, while the southern style primarily follows the soft techniques, even though both systems make use of internal and external concepts