TOPICAL VOCABULARY 'SPORTS and GAMES'

Let's talk about sport in English. We say sport when we mean this physical activity generally (for example, sport is good for keeping fit) and a sport/sports when we mean a particular kind of sport (for example, Athletics is an ancient sport).
The Russian word "спортивный" is usually sports in English: a sports car, a sports jacket, sports news.
People who go in for sport are sportsmen and sportswomen or athletes.

If you go in for sport you:

        - train for a competition (match, game)
        - compete in a championship
        - take part in a tournament
        - set/break records
        - score points and goals
        - win or lose (in) the competition
        - win a prize/a cup
        - draw the game

Other people who are important in sport are:

        - a coach
        - an instructor
        - a judge or a referee (in games)

Athletes compete either individually in teams and crews (in sailing and rowing). We can speak about:

        - a national team
        - a school team, etc.
        - an Olympic team

Sports are practised indoors (indoor sports) and outdoors (outdoor sports). Here are some names of special places for practising sport or doing physical exercise:

- a gym   - a track (a racetrack)   - a court   - a swimming pool   - a ring

- a football field   - a stadium   - sports grounds   - an ice rink   - school sports grounds

Some of the popular sports are:

- boxing   - cycling   - rowing   - swimming   - gymnastics   - ice-skating   - weightlifting   - athletics/track-and-field   - high/long jump   - downhill/skiing

- cross-country skiing   - aerobics   - working out (in the gym)   - wrestling   - figure skating   - races: a running race       a swimming race       a horse race       a motor race

Some of the popular games are:

- golf   - darts   - chess   - table tennis (ping-pong)   - tennis   - draughts   - snooker

- ice hockey   - field hockey   - rugby (rugger)   - badminton   - basketball   - volleyball   - football (soccer)

These sports and games are less common:

- archery   - fencing   - climbing   - baseball   - mountaineering   - riding   - surfing and windsurfing   - sailing/yachting

- diving   - water polo   - water-skiing   - martial arts:       aikido       karate       judo       taekwondo