What is the oldest sport in the world?
Wrestling and running are often called the oldest sports in the world. Cave paintings in France, about 15,000 years old, appear to show wrestling, and races are among the earliest recorded contests.
Ancient art from many cultures shows people wrestling. Cave paintings at Lascaux in France may depict it, and carvings and paintings from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, about 5,000 years old, clearly show wrestling holds still used today. Wrestling was a major event in the ancient Greek Olympic Games.
Running is also extremely old. The first recorded event at the ancient Olympic Games in 776 BC was a footrace called the stadion, about 192 meters long. Other ancient sports include archery, which began as a hunting skill, boxing and swimming, shown in Egyptian art.
Old sports still played
Polo began in Persia more than 2,000 years ago, and the Mesoamerican ball game was played by the Olmec, Maya and Aztecs for about 3,000 years. Modern sports like soccer, golf and tennis developed later, mostly in Britain in the 1800s, from older games.
Did You Know?
A Mesoamerican ball court found in Paso de la Amada, Mexico, is about 3,400 years old, one of the oldest known sports venues.