A Very Quick Definition of Sport

“Sport” is the term increasingly used to describe non-sport related activities. These activities include everything from archery to mountain climbing, paintball to ice climbing, rollerblading to ice skating, trekking to beach volleyball. It is the intent of this article to define sport in an inclusive way as opposed to using the term “sport” to describe any activity that combines physical contact with an element of competitive intent. Sport is not the same as “athletics”. “Athletics” includes competitive sports such as swimming, cycling, running, rugby and athletics. Sport is therefore a subset of the word “sport” which itself is a subset of the term “physical activity”.

“Sport” is also the term increasingly being used to refer to non-sport related activities. “Sport” is therefore not synonymous with “physical contact”. “Athletics” includes competitive sports including running, sailing, basketball, track and field, rugby, ice skating and swimming. When identifying non-sport competition, funding bodies such as Sport England look for evidence of the participants being engaged in a structured physical exercise or sporting activity which meets the definition set out in the current UK Sport Code.

The current definition of Sport enables funding organizations to recognise and award prizes in various categories based on level of participation criteria including level of skill, form and any other criteria agreed by the committee. Organisations are also required to demonstrate that the level of participation and exercise have been consistent over a significant period of time, including through assessment of performance, and display that the criteria set out by the committee have been met. The criteria, which are specified in the UK Sport Code are intended to be high quality, consistent with other meaningful sporting activities, and should be capable of providing a competitive advantage to the participants.