What is a sport?

The issue of which activities are recognised as ‘sports’ and which are not, is a controversial one and really depends on what organisation or body you ask.

Unfortunately there is no definitive right or wrong answer. Some of the definitions below are also incompatible with each other and recognise activities as sports that other definitions would reject. As with anything, the context of what the activity is, why it is being played, where and by whom, becomes all important.

• Definition of sport video summary (PDF, file size: 557KB)

• Educators may also find our Crowdlaw resource in this area helpful.

Alternative formats:

• Definition of a sport (audio only) (MP3, file size: 1.39MB)

• Full transcript of Definition of sport (PDF, file size: 112.95KB)

The following definitions and analysis may also be helpful:

• Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘Information Paper: Defining Sport and Physical Activity, A Conceptual Model’ 

• Australian Sports Foundation (ASF), ‘Definition of Sport’

• European Sports Charter (1992)

• K Lines, “Fuzzy Thinking: Why we should take a much less prescriptive view to defining modern sport” (DOCX, file size: 46.27KB)

• K Lines, ‘Six degrees of sports participation: are the Olympics the common denominator for all sports?’ (2008) 4 ISLR 53

• Sports Accord, ‘Definition of Sport’

• Sport Canada, ‘Definition of Sport’

• UK Sports Councils, ‘Definition of Sport’ 

• UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace (2003)