Welcome to You Ask Andy

Ingrid Solarczyk, age 13, of Newport Beach, Calif., for her question:

HOW DID SPORTS START?

Just about everybody has an interest in sports. If we don't actually participate in some of them, we at least watch them on TV or read about them on the sports pages of our newspaper every day. And after we've said "Boy, it sure is hot'' to the friend we meet on the street, chances are the next thing we will say is: "What did you think of that last score?''

Sporting competition is part of the modern way of life. Most of us enjoy keeping in shape physically  so we take in lots of sporting events. And we love to root for the home team, so we take part as spectators in still more sporting events.

From the very earliest of civilized societies have come sporting competition. There has always been, it seems, the desire to train and compete. At first the game was war, but eventually man became smart enough to learn how to live together, and the attention shifted to more peaceful competition.

Individual sporting events are perhaps the oldest known. Large groups or teams of players were not necessary. Included in this grouping are the modern sports of archery, bowling, swimming and golf. All have roots in ancient history.

Olympic Games originated in Greece in 776 B.C. The international competition was held in Montreal, Canada, in 1976 and will be held in Moscow in 1980.

The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Four years later, in 1900, women were allowed to compete for the first time. with the exception of the war years of 1916, 1940 and 1944, Olympic games have been held every four years.

Winter Olympics started in 1924. The 1976 games were held in Innsbruck, Austria, while the 1980 competition has been set for Lake Placid, N.Y.

About 130 countries have Olympic committees today. Each nation is allowed to enter as many as three athletes in each individual event. There is no age limit for those who take part in the competition.

Each year the host nation is allowed to introduce a new sporting event into the competition.

What would you say are the most popular sports being enjoyed today from both the participation and observation side? The experts say they include the following: baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, soccer, swimming and tennis.

Sports is also big business. Billions are spent every year by people who buy sporting equipment and tickets to attend sports events.

 

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