This list covers 23 sports that start with the letter I, ranging from “Ice Hockey” to “Icelandic Wrestling”. These sports vary widely, from fast-paced team games played on ice rinks to solo martial arts, precision games, and extreme endurance events. People take part in them for competition, fitness, recreation, or simply the thrill of trying something new.
Sports are structured physical activities that test skill, strategy, or endurance, usually played under a set of agreed rules. Many carry deep cultural roots, like Iaido, a Japanese martial art built around the precise, controlled drawing of a sword, or Icelandic Wrestling, known locally as Glíma, a folk tradition still practiced in Iceland today.
Below you’ll find the table with the sport name and a short description of each one.
Sport: the name of each sport included in this list, so you can quickly find the one you’re looking for.
Description: a short explanation of how each sport is played and what makes it distinct, giving you a quick sense of what to expect.
Sports
Sport
Ice Hockey
Ice Skating
Ice Dancing
Ice Climbing
Ice Fishing
Ice Sledge Hockey
Ice Speedway
Ice Cross Downhill
Iceboating
Iaido
Indiaca
Indoor Rowing
Indoor Cricket
Indoor Soccer
Indoor Field Hockey
Indoor Bowls
Indoor Skydiving
Inline Skating
Inline Hockey
International Rules Football
Ironman Triathlon
Isle of Man TT
Icelandic Wrestling
Descriptions
Ice Hockey
A fast-paced team sport played on an ice rink where skaters use curved sticks to shoot a puck into the opposing team’s goal.
Ice Skating
A recreational and competitive activity involving gliding across ice on blades attached to boots, forming the basis of several winter sports.
Ice Dancing
A discipline of figure skating in which pairs perform choreographed routines to music, emphasizing rhythm, footwork, and connection over jumps.
Ice Climbing
An adventure sport involving ascending frozen waterfalls, ice-covered rock, or glaciers using ice axes and crampons.
Ice Fishing
The practice of catching fish through a hole cut in a frozen lake or river, often treated as a competitive angling sport.
Ice Sledge Hockey
A Paralympic winter sport, also called para ice hockey, in which players with physical disabilities play hockey while seated on sledges.
Ice Speedway
A motorcycle racing sport held on oval ice tracks, with bikes fitted with metal-studded tires for grip and high-speed cornering.
Ice Cross Downhill
An extreme winter sport in which skaters race downhill on a narrow, twisting ice track full of jumps and turns.
Iceboating
Also called ice yachting, a sport in which sail-powered craft on skate-like runners race across frozen lakes at high speed.
Iaido
A traditional Japanese martial art and modern combat sport focused on the smooth, controlled drawing and cutting technique of a sword.
Indiaca
A net sport similar to volleyball, popular in Brazil and Germany, in which players strike a feathered shuttlecock with their hands.
Indoor Rowing
A competitive fitness sport performed on stationary rowing machines, simulating the technique and endurance demands of on-water rowing.
Indoor Cricket
A fast, high-scoring variant of cricket played on an enclosed indoor pitch with modified rules and continuous scoring.
Indoor Soccer
A version of soccer adapted for smaller indoor arenas, typically featuring boarded walls, fewer players, and a faster style of play.
Indoor Field Hockey
A winter variant of field hockey played on a smaller hard court with modified rules limiting long hits and aerial passes.
Indoor Bowls
A precision sport in which players roll biased balls toward a smaller target ball on an indoor synthetic or carpeted rink.
Indoor Skydiving
A sport performed in a vertical wind tunnel that simulates the sensation of freefall without jumping from an aircraft.
Inline Skating
A sport and recreational activity performed on skates with wheels arranged in a single line, used for racing, hockey, and freestyle tricks.
Inline Hockey
A version of hockey played on a hard surface using inline skates instead of ice skates, with a puck or ball replacing the ice game’s puck.
International Rules Football
A hybrid sport combining elements of Australian rules football and Gaelic football, played in international representative matches.
Ironman Triathlon
An extreme endurance event combining a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a full marathon run completed in sequence.
Isle of Man TT
A legendary and dangerous motorcycle road racing event held annually on public roads across the Isle of Man.
Icelandic Wrestling
Known locally as Glíma, a traditional folk wrestling style from Iceland in which competitors use belt grips to throw opponents.
If you think there is a missing term, let us know using the contact form.
