This list covers 29 sports, ranging alphabetically from “Racewalking” to “Running.” These activities span team games, individual competitions, and niche pastimes practiced around the world. You’ll find sports played on land, water, ice, and specialized courts, each with its own rules and equipment. Some are Olympic events, while others remain popular only in specific regions or communities.
Sports are structured physical activities that involve skill, competition, and often a set of formal rules. They range from long-established traditions like rowing to newer inventions like ringette. Roque, for example, once appeared as an official event at the 1904 Olympics, though it has rarely been seen since.
Below you’ll find the table with Sport and Description.
Sport: the name of each activity included in this list, arranged alphabetically so you can find any entry quickly.
Description: a short explanation of how the sport works, including its equipment, setting, and basic rules.
Sports
| Sport |
|---|
| Racewalking |
| Racquetball |
| Racquets (Rackets) |
| Rafting |
| Rally Obedience |
| Rallying |
| Reining |
| Rhythmic Gymnastics |
| Ringball |
| Ringette |
| Ringo |
| Rink Hockey |
| River Boarding |
| Road Cycling |
| Rock Climbing |
| Rodeo |
| Roller Derby |
| Roller Hockey |
| Roller Skating |
| Roller Skiing |
| Rollerblading |
| Roque |
| Rounders |
| Rowing |
| Rugby Fives |
| Rugby League |
| Rugby Sevens |
| Rugby Union |
| Running |
Descriptions
Racewalking
A track-and-field discipline where athletes race to cover a set distance as fast as possible while always keeping one foot in contact with the ground and their leading leg straight.
Racquetball
An indoor racket sport played on an enclosed four-walled court, where players use a short-handled racket to hit a small rubber ball off any surface, including the ceiling.
Racquets (Rackets)
A fast, historic racket-and-ball sport played on an enclosed court, considered the ancestor of squash and still played competitively at a handful of British schools and clubs.
Rafting
An adventure paddling sport where a team navigates an inflatable raft down whitewater rapids, working together to steer and avoid obstacles.
Rally Obedience
A dog sport in which a handler and dog move together through a course of numbered stations, performing specific obedience exercises at each one.
Rallying
A motorsport discipline where drivers race modified cars one at a time against the clock over public or closed roads, often on loose surfaces like gravel or snow.
Reining
An equestrian sport in which a horse and rider perform a precise pattern of circles, spins, and sliding stops to showcase the horse’s athleticism and control.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
An artistic gymnastics discipline in which athletes perform choreographed routines with apparatus like ribbons, hoops, and balls, blending dance, flexibility, and precision.
Ringball
A South African team sport for women, similar to netball, where players pass a ball down the court aiming to score by getting it into a hoop-like goal.
Ringette
A fast-paced ice sport, similar to ice hockey, in which players use a straight stick to pass and shoot a rubber ring into the opposing team’s net.
Ringo
A paddle-and-ring sport, popular in parts of Europe, where players use a wooden paddle to catch and throw a rubber ring across a net, similar to tennis.
Rink Hockey
Also called hockey on quad skates, this sport has two teams on roller skates using sticks to hit a ball into the opposing goal.
River Boarding
An extreme water sport, also called hydrospeed, in which a rider lies chest-down on a small buoyant board and navigates whitewater rapids feet-first, using fins for control.
Road Cycling
A cycling discipline in which riders race bicycles on paved roads, ranging from single-day classics to multi-week stage races like the Tour de France.
Rock Climbing
A sport in which athletes climb natural rock formations or artificial walls using their hands and feet, often testing strength, technique, and problem-solving on difficult routes.
Rodeo
A competitive sport rooted in ranching traditions, featuring events like bull riding, bronc riding, and roping that test riders’ skill and courage against livestock.
Roller Derby
A full-contact sport on quad roller skates where two teams skate around a track, with “jammers” scoring points by lapping members of the opposing team.
Roller Hockey
A team sport played on a hard surface where skaters use sticks to shoot a ball or puck into the opposing net, similar to ice hockey but on skates.
Roller Skating
A recreational and competitive sport involving gliding on wheeled skates, encompassing disciplines like speed skating, artistic skating, and roller dance.
Roller Skiing
A summer training and racing sport that mimics cross-country skiing using skis fitted with wheels, allowing athletes to ski-race on paved roads and trails.
Rollerblading
Also known as inline skating, this sport involves skating on boots fitted with a single line of wheels, used for recreation, racing, and freestyle tricks.
Roque
An American variation of croquet played on a hard, walled court, where players use mallets to hit balls through wickets; it was an Olympic sport in 1904.
Rounders
A bat-and-ball team sport, popular in the UK and Ireland, in which players score by hitting a ball and running around a set of bases, similar to baseball.
Rowing
A sport in which athletes propel a boat through water using oars, competing individually or in crews over set distances on rivers, lakes, or the sea.
Rugby Fives
A handball sport played in a walled court, where players strike a small ball with a gloved hand instead of a racket, similar to squash.
Rugby League
A full-contact team sport played with an oval ball, where two teams try to score tries by carrying, passing, or kicking the ball into the opposing end zone.
Rugby Sevens
A fast-paced variant of rugby union played with seven players per side instead of fifteen, over shorter halves, and featured at the Olympic Games.
Rugby Union
A full-contact team sport played with an oval ball between two teams of fifteen, combining running, passing, kicking, and physical contests for possession.
Running
An athletic sport involving covering distances on foot as fast as possible, ranging from short sprints to long-distance marathons on tracks, roads, or trails.