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