Sports and Games
In England the word „sports“ means some indoor and outdoor activities for fun. Favourite English sports are horse-riding, horse-racing, swimming, athletics, running or jumping. A sport with rules is considered to be a game. In England football, rugby, cricket, golf and tennis are commonly played. Most young people consider sports and games to be very important and go in for them to be fit and healthy. If people don’t go in for any sports, they are often lazy and fat. Everybody should try to practice some sports, e.g. running for health.
Many sports and games are played in sports halls, on playgrounds or in stadiums. Some winter sports are practiced on an ice-rink. Among these are ice hockey, speed skating or figure skating. If a river is frozen over everybody can skate on it. Skiing is another popular winter sport (cross country skiing or down hill skiing). The most popular summer sport is swimming. It can be practiced in a lake, river or sea. Rowing is very popular in England.
Football is the most popular game in the world. In America it is called soccer. The typical English ball game is cricket. The rules of this game are rather complicated. A typical American ball game is baseball. Another kind of sport is gymnastics. There are various competitions for sportsmen all over the world. Olympic Games are the most important competition and they are held only once in a four year period. Another type of competition are championships. Other kinds of sports are races. There are car races, horse races, etc.