These games are the main foundation of all activity ofeducation

physicssince its beginnings, thus seeking the best and most outstanding
in adisciplinesporting, unlike other types of games such as
the cooperatives, fun is only for those who win excluding
to those who are not very skilled, when one is in this type of
competition is very distrustful as it is sought in a way
selfishness an advantage over their opponent, there is no solidarity and in
In many cases, it is better for others to fail in order to increase their...
possibilities of winning, dividing participants by categories
thus increasing interpersonal weaknesses and differences, it is
to say, that barriers are built, those who have little performance are
they end up merely becoming observers of the success of others, losing
self-confidence if they are rejected for their failure,
increasing if the feelings of abandonment are not well treated and
defeat like low self-esteem if they fail to achieve the reward
for their efforts that they believe deserve.

Although competitive games are also highlighted in their description

benefits and values, such as the motivation of many children and young people
adults to be better every day, they teach to compete
healthily like knowing how to lose and to recognize that others can be
better, and that it can still be improved and stand out in some way
sports discipline, exaltdisciplinethe enthusiasm, they teach to
having character and responsibility as a personality and confidence
in themselves, with self-help tools, such as psychological and
self-discipline.

Among the variety of competitive games is boxing, the

swimming, races in their different variations such as relay
and the obstacles, chess although it is one of the passive games
it is very competitive when looking for the right strategies to do
that their counterpart loses. In children's games there are
thegameof thecat and the mouse, the ones with police and thieves, the one with the fox and
the hens, the strategies and roles that come into play among these games
the perfection of video games, which with their capacity for interaction to
distance can be competed in various war games and
battles.
Here the goal is clearly to win. Competitive sports have
in addition to sports specificity, meaning that athletes are grouped
with related skills. This can happen individually (running,
swimming, playing tennis) or in team sports, such as football or
rugby.

In all cases, those who have better are highlighted.

conditions, since success constitutes sports achievement. Thus,
they usually organize tournaments and, in the case of the so-called sports
federated, regulations are followed that are elaborated and perfected to the
length of time by the associations and federations of each
sport.
Due to these characteristics, it is not recommended for younger children.
of 10 years, due to the stress it generates. It is also advised
care for the influence (and pressure) of parents or coaches, as
It often happens that the desire to win and improve does not align with what
What do the youngest really want.

In the Paleolithic, the presence of play is taken for granted by anthropologists, as it

nature is inherent to primates(3)The Paleolithic man begins to create, through the
game, a series of increasingly complex cultural manifestations, such as law, morality,
etc. In this way, the game becomes a very important aspect not only because of what it entails
of psychological and physical benefit for human beings but also by the changes that, little by little and
almost unconsciously, it is generating in society. At this stage, however, some
authors question the existence of a true sport, which they understand is more appropriate
(4)
of the evolved man, as Carl Diem notes in some of his theories .

From the preserved information of these prehistoric times, one can draw the conclusion that
that the game is closely related to the sphere of the magical and the divine. Almost all the
playful manifestations of this stage of humanity were an integral part of some ritual
religious. On the other hand, physical activity was more related to survival issues, given
the need to stay fit to hunt, flee from beasts or enemies, or to attack them.
It could be said that primitive man played for pleasure and for a magical-religious feeling,
(5)
but who engaged in physical activity out of necessity .
 The games of great simplicity and scarce equipment of the lower Paleolithic are giving way
slowly to others of greater complexity and structuring, such as ball games (still without
fixed rules), spear fighting games, foot races or Siberian reindeer races, jumps,
lifting of rocks and logs and many others. Although the basic purpose remains the
survival and training, in certain cases, the game is started to be seen as a means of
to exhibit physical strength, that is, a precursor to what will later be the utilization
propaganda of sport in Babylonian culture.

At the end of this stage, around 4000 B.C., the first games emerge.
strategy with boards, more evolved ball games (like those of prehistoric Mayans),
the javelin (with a mixed character of play, training, sport, and work), horseback riding and a
game similar to badminton.

In Babylon, a game similar to modern boxing appears (whose origins date back to ancient times.
contemporary is found, however, in England of the 17th-18th centuries(6), and it
various games are established at popular festivals. The game is at this time an indicator of power
economic and deterrent for enemies.

Shortly after, in Egypt, nine-pin games are played, and again, ball games.
It occurs around the year 3000 B.C. An important development during this stage is that it begins to
practice the game in areas specifically designated for this purpose, as opposed to the
situation of other cultures that practiced them in any space generally outdoors. In
Egypt, in addition, juggling and other types of games share their place with some sports.
which also achieve great development.

The Minoan civilization represents, on the other hand, a step back in terms of the development of the game.
respect, since in their culture sports professionalism extends, giving ground to the idea
of the game as mere leisure or recreation.

Around 2000 BC, in India, certain marble games are at their peak, which later...
they will have their supplement with others of unknown rules, and whose devices have reached up to
the present time.

Around the year 1000 B.C., it is worth highlighting the ball games with a high degree of
specialization of the Mayans, the Aztecs, the Etruscans, and the Indians (with rules and terrains
of different games in each case), and some later racquet games in North America.
These games have generated the most interest among researchers, to the point that
that many of them are pointed out as the origin of the current sport. There is no doubt about it.
they are the best studied of all that have existed throughout History of the
humanity, and this interest has undoubtedly been influenced by the good degree of preservation of the spaces of
game and certain vestiges related to them. Although the magical-religious feeling
remains, yielding in favor of the simple playful component.
 After these background details, there is undoubtedly a need to highlight the emergence of the game in both
great classical cultures: Greece and Rome.

In ancient Greece, the game had a series of functions that can be summarized in the
following:

contribute to physical development, considered of great importance to achieve a

complete education

also contribute to the 'aesthetic' and moral education of citizens, as they have to follow
a series of mandatory regulations

develop the creative spirit

foster the competitive spirit, which in turn will help achieve the previous goal.

However, it is necessary to distinguish two periods regarding Greece. Thus, in the first
In ancient Greece, more importance was given to the values of beauty, goodness, and wisdom.
that provokes a great development of what we could call 'leisure culture', and consequently of
the games. In a later stage, on the contrary, an ideal of beauty begins to be promoted
united by strength, although ingenuity still plays a prominent role among the supreme values.
This is how games are giving way to sports, which will need doses of
ingenuity alongside physical strength.

Furthermore, it is noteworthy that in Greece, gaming is inextricably linked to the worship of the gods.
They were the ones who inspired all competition, both sports-related and merely recreational,
well, even in these, the element that Huizinga refers to as "agonal" or competitive was
present.

The most characteristic games of the era (excluding those that have a purely
sports) include pushing fights, jump rope, tug of war, acrobatic dances and
ball games.

In Rome, on the contrary, the Greek vision of leisure did not continue, as it is understood the
work is an important part of a citizen's life. Despite this, play continues to have a
important role in society as a liberator of the mind, for it is precisely a
reward or means of psychological rest after the fatigue generated by that work. It is because
The very State begins to promote a series of games – it is not necessary to mention the
impressive development of circuses, unmatched by any other culture throughout
History - as a means of social domination.

In this way, and perhaps almost involuntarily in a culture that was initially
more oriented towards work than leisure, the playful element reaches its highest splendor here, both
in the simple game as in the more professionalized sport, which also in a way
understand as a game. Games characterize the daily life of citizens, reaching up to
to develop during half of the days of the year in certain periods of the Empire. The religious element
and the politicians are also very present in the evolution of the game. In fact, the center of the
political activity shifts from the forum to the circus, to the theater or to the amphitheater, which gives an idea of its

importance.

The games of this stage include swings, seesaws, circus games, and gladiatorial games.
naumachiae (simulated naval battles) and, of course, the ball games, constant throughout
all cultures.

Thus ends the evolution of the game in the early human civilizations. It could continue.
with this evolution in the Middle Ages and in the Modern Age, but that study, given the multitude of
existing data due to temporal proximity should be subject to a more extensive analysis than that of
this article. The basis of the game is established with the indicated cultures, and what comes next
then it is nothing more than a logical development marked by the constant evolution of peoples.

As a summary, it can be said that the origin of the game, although clearly established in
prehistoric times, is quite an enigmatic issue and with too few pieces of evidence as
so that irrefutable conclusions can be reached. Thus, various ...
gadgets that anthropologists have recognized as playful, but whose origin or function is unknown to us.
unknown. Many others have been destroyed or have been lost due to sheer ignorance of the
excavators. It is to be expected that the more modern methods and the most professional scientists of the
current events gradually manage to unravel the entire series of enigmas that still persist in
regarding the origin of the game.

The history of sports shows the evolution that this has undergone.
activity, which went from being a utilitarian physical thing for survival
human to a discipline governed and controlled by various
organizations, such as national teams and sports associations both
national as global.

Thesportis conceived as the set of physical activities that,

in addition to improving health and quality of life, it helps us to
to keep ourselves in better conditions both mentally and physically.
In addition to promoting the progressive development of muscle strength,
speed, agility, concentration, and competitiveness, the
sport has also been considered as a form of expression
culture that is immersed in the evolution of the history of the
human societies.

Different authors have conceived of sports in various ways.

interesting to address. Ulrich Popplow described physical exercise
as an activity with a broad spiritual sense, that connected to
man with nature and its gods.

For his part, Eppensteiner proposed two conceptions of sport.

first characterized it as a natural activity for the
human development, which seeks the cultivation of the body as a
biological need through playfulness by means of competition.

The second conception is cultural, defining sport based on the

effect of consolidation and social cohesion that it generates, phenomenon that

subsequently called "sports culture".

Currently, millions of people practice a varied range of

sports, whether professionally or to maintain their health or
simply out of passion or fanaticism for a discipline or team.

Index[Show]

History of sport: from the Middle Ages

From Ancient to Contemporary
Ancient Age
what was the origin of the sport allows us to understand how they started
these first practices in social relations and the subsequent
emergence of civilizations.

In the Middle Paleolithic, about 33,000 years before Christ, there

they organized hunts in the different colonies and social groups.
They were also known as dances as rituals, whose activity
physics had a distinctly spiritual expression and recognition
social.

In cultures such as the Maya and Persian, sports practices were

linked to the gods and the skills of the participants. By
For example, the so-called Mayan ball was one of the first sports;
it consisted of hitting a ball with the waist and trying to get it in
several meters high in a kind of metal ring.

There also arose wrestling, weightlifting, the

swimming competitions, races, long jump and high jump, the
climbs and javelin throws.

As a curious fact, it can be highlighted that in those games where

several teams participated, the captain or leader of the winning team
he had to give his life to be elevated to the gods.

The different cultures and civilizations around the world were

creating and developing the different forms of physical activity that
they are currently known as a sport.

China
It is said that in ancient China there were practices of gymnastics and
they were a very popular activity. Within the monuments and the
registrations found instruments have also been found with
characteristics of sports use, whose origin dates back to more than
one thousand years before Christ.

The football known today also has a past in China.

More than 2300 years ago, it was practiced in a space similar to a
field and consisted of passing the ball from one person to another without
this will touch the floor. The goal was to introduce it into a hole.

Egypt

In ancient Egypt, certain competitions were regulated such as

fishing and swimming. Likewise, at that time the
high jump, javelin throw, and wrestling.

In this civilization, significant steps were taken regarding development.

sports. The professionalization began, paving the way for
basic regulations in various activities such as wrestling in
barges, horse racing, acrobatic jumps and the
lifting of sandbags, among others.

This boom occurred due to the social organization that was created.
in order to improve the level of spectacle, dedicated to the pharaohs
and his family. However, at other social levels, only those were allowed
the playful activities typical of children or those carried out by
the slaves.
Persia

In ancient Persia, different sports were developed that had

direct relationship with the battles; such is the case of polo and jousting.

Sparta

In this civilization, sports activities were developed as

a way of life that encompassed from childhood to
adolescence, along with intellectual development. The aim was to create a
faithful servant of Sparta, both in war and in the games
competencies.

This gave them victory for many years in various specialties in

the Olympic Games, such as swimming, wrestling, bareback riding, boxing,
javelin and discus throw.

Greece

Greek civilization was characterized by cultivating physical health and the

moral. In this period and in this place, sport took shape and became
consolidated as a discipline.

In the family, physical and intellectual education were provided in the

first years of life, and it was considered a better person to be one who
It will develop one or more sports activities. The more...
The more victories a person achieved, the greater social respect they earned.
It was in Greece, specifically in Olympia, where the
Olympic Games as a set of sports competitions with
a duration of six days and held every four years.

The training gyms were located near the city-states.

within the sanctuaries of the gods, where the games were held and
religious rituals at the time of starting the competitions. Because of this,
the name of each game corresponded to the god to whom it was devoted
cult

Among the most famous games are the pit games, the games
Nemeos, the Olympic Games and the Isthmian Games.

Pythian games

These games, held in honor of the god Apollo at the sanctuary

located in Delphi, their main competition was horseback riding.
the winners of the tests were awarded a special prize
laurel wreath.

Emeos games

They were held in the Flin Valley in honor of Heracles. Just like the
the Pythian and the Olympic games were held every four years and had
various categories: children's, youth, and adult. The award for
the winner was a crown of tender celery.

Isthmian games
These games were held every two years in the isthmus of Corinto and at
the winners were awarded a garland of pine.

Olympic Games

Olympia was the venue for these games and offered a variety of
competitions, such as pentathlon, horse races, the tests of
high jump, wrestling, and javelin and discus throw.

During the celebration of the sports day, a pact was made

peace between neighboring peoples so that nothing would hinder their development.

As a symbol of victory, an olive crown was awarded.

The Olympic Games were held until the year 394 AD.
Christ, the moment in which they were suspended by the emperor
Roman from the time.

Etruria
In the sixth century before Christ, the Etruscans were lovers of the
fun and entertainment. They sought athletic achievement through the
competition and they had three types of events, called ludus by them.

The first type of event was the fight against animals, the second was
athletics —comprised of weightlifting and throwing of
disk and javelin—, and the third included chariot races with
acrobatics in horse-drawn carriages.

Rome
The Romans promoted sports competitions as a
mass spectacle that sought to entertain both commoners and
the upper social classes of the different eras of the Empire.

Throughout this period of the Roman Empire, constructions were made

large amphitheaters and circuses with a capacity of up to 500,000
people. The struggles of gladiators stood out, who fought
to gain their freedom: if they won, they were free; if they lost, they were
murdered.

Middle Ages

Charlemagne and the Pope

After the fall of the Roman Empire, sports activity declined.

notably. It was only developed by the nobility and sports
the most practiced were the soule, the palm game, the jousts and the
tournaments.

The sun

It consisted of carrying the ball with the feet or with a stick from one side to
another in an open field, and introduce it into the rival archery. It is what
it later became known as football and hockey, and it was very popular in
France and England.

The palm game

It was played only by the nobles and the clergy. It was the initial practice of the

what is now known as tennis, although in that time it was played

with hands and with a rope to mark one side from another.

Later he incorporated the use of gloves and rackets, as well as the

placement of a net in a more limited space between one party and
another.

The jousts

They were the armed struggles on horseback in which the goal was to extract
the opponent of the race. They could be individual or group and with
various types of weapons; the spear was the predominant one.

The tournaments

They were war representations in which battles were recreated that

they sought to exalt the strength of the knights and the rituals.

There were two types of tournaments. The first was called 'melee', there was no

rules and common people, nobles, and knights could participate during
a whole day of battle. The other called 'cuts' had defined rules.
through individual challenges; the preliminary preparation could take
up to a year for the opponents.

Renaissance
Machiavelli

During this period, several important events predominate in

the resurgence of sport as a connecting activity between the
soul and body, framed in the cult of health and education
physics.

In Italy, games still had a playful and

entertainment, but rules began to be specified in the
sports practices. Equestrianism, swimming, athletics and
dance were the most popular and ceased to have the character
aggressive and confrontational that they had before.

Another important event was the emergence of sports medicine

thanks to the research development of the human body, which gave
response on how to foresee diseases and ailments and highlighted the
importance of medicine applied to competitive physical activity.

The growth of cities and the evolution of relationships

social and commerce produced an increase in interest in the
sports in Europe. New sports practices were initiated across all
social classes and aesthetics became more relevant than
rudeness.

Modern Age
After theRenaissancetheIndustrial Revolution, and with this the
scientific and technical development applied to sport. It was an evolution
which led to the creation of more structured systems of
training and specific equipment to achieve perfection in
each discipline.

During the 19th century, sport spread to the general public without
import the social class, and organizations started to emerge that
They created rules and standards of competition. This is how the leagues were born.

systematized and new disciplines such as cycling, fencing, shooting and

weightlifting, among others.

Social influence and hierarchization occurred throughout the

world, expanding the sport as an activity that created a
new commercial industry. The upper social classes continued
practicing their sophisticated sports like cricket, golf and the
equestrianism in its different styles.

New sports disciplines such as handball appeared.

basketball and volleyball. The sports record also emerged as a
new measurement concept to classify athletes accordingly
with its performance and to set records at the levels
competitive.

Contemporary Age
This moment marked the trend that currently prevails.
the arrival of mass media, sports
considered in an unparalleled dimension.

This activity turned into a business. Companies emerged.

oriented to athletes of each discipline, brands are developed
clothing, shoes, equipment and measurement technology instruments
protection, as well as special food and hydration.

Advertising appeared in all sports venues, enhancing

to the outstanding athletes as social figures of great influence
and promoting both athletes and teams and materials
sports shoes created by different companies.

The activity was professionalized and an economic sector was created around it.

to the development of trainers, physical trainers, and doctors

specialized in sports rehabilitation.

In addition, the use of substances began to be regulated and prohibited.

harmful, that enhance the abilities and performance of the
athletes above their opponents.

Even today, sports continue to evolve constantly. New disciplines

they are integrated into the most recognized events and the concept of

sport is increasingly integrating expressions.

Such is the controversial case of breakdance, an urban dance style.

what has been proposed by the Organizing Committee of the Games
Paris 2024 Olympics so that it becomes one of the activities of the
event.

1.