| Although the precise origins of the connection | | | | while in industrialized societies equipment was |
| between sports and international relations remain | | | | standardized, local and national organizations were |
| obscure, all cultures have participated over the | | | | set up to govern play, and a doctrine of |
| course of history in different physical contests | | | | character-building declared sports to be a |
| that fostered cultural exchange and contributed to | | | | necessary endeavor for men. The revival of the |
| their citizens' political discourse. The ancient | | | | Olympics in 1896 and the blossoming U.S. |
| Egyptians swam, raced, wrestled, and played | | | | intercollegiate athletic system boosted many |
| games with balls. The ancient Greeks held large | | | | forms of amateur, or unpaid sports at the same |
| athletic festivals, including the Olympic Games that | | | | time that professional sports (such as baseball, |
| drew athletes' attention from all over the ancient | | | | boxing, and bicycle racing) drew large numbers of |
| world. Two of the very first 'nations' to engage | | | | spectators. Sports that were traditionally played |
| their athletes in sport competitions, were the | | | | only in specific countries became by legislative act |
| Greeks and the Romans. They competed in | | | | or general acceptance, national sports, like baseball |
| various athletic events like chariot races, or | | | | in the United States, bullfighting in Spain and |
| throwing the javelin, often relying on the | | | | Mexico, cricket in England, and ice hockey in |
| participation of animals, or on the use of | | | | Canada.During the 20th century, sports took on |
| mechanical contrivances, a tradition continued into | | | | an increasingly international flavor aside from the |
| modern times in sports such as dog racing, horse | | | | world championships for individual sports, like |
| racing, and shooting.During the Middle Ages, the | | | | soccer's World Cup, large-scale international |
| cultural isolation imposed by the feudal system | | | | meets, such as the Pan-American Games and the |
| and religious doctrine that opposed the use of the | | | | Commonwealth Games, were inaugurated. Sports |
| body for play hampered the development of | | | | have correspondingly become increasingly |
| organised sport in the Western world. For many | | | | politicized, as the boycott of the 1980 Moscow |
| centuries, contests between knights in | | | | games by Western nations has shown, or the |
| tournaments that emphasised military skill were | | | | retaliatory boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles |
| among the only forms of approved, public sports. | | | | games by Soviet-bloc nations, an exchange |
| In the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, | | | | brought on by Soviet actions in |
| games and exercise attained renewed popularity. | | | | Afghanistan.Despite the difficulties that rose over |
| As had been the case in ancient times, however, | | | | the past, sport events are considered today a |
| politics and social class circumscribed activity. | | | | great opportunity for individual countries to |
| Sports that required wealth or leisure, such as | | | | promote their cultures, politics and trade. The new |
| polo or falconry, were the province of the upper | | | | terms of globalization and international relations |
| classes, affluent nations, while inexpensive, | | | | came into the scene of economic evolution and |
| massed sports, such as soccer, took root among | | | | affected sport's politics, regulations, |
| commoners and underdeveloped countries.The | | | | communication and society as a whole, by using |
| late 19th century witnessed an expanding belief in | | | | sports mass acceptance as a dominant tool for |
| sport as useful recreation and as a mean of | | | | international negotiations and cultural exchange. |
| interconnectivity between people and nations, | | | | |