5. Sports and Games (Sport a hry)

Sports and movement in general are given more and more attentions these days. A lot of us move less than people did in the past. This is the result of a busy and comfortable life full of modern inventions (cars, lifts, telephones, sitting in front of TV or PCs). In fact, sports have positive effect on both the body and soul as well as our self-confidence. Fortunately, sports are becoming more and more popular. Why is that? Well, they help you stay healthy, relax, train your muscles, keep fit, increase your immunity, …. in other words , you feel better and better every day.

People do sports in a passive or active way at the top level. Doing sports passively means watching favourite sports usually on TV. Doing sports actively means regular exercising, jogging, going to the fitness-centres. Sports centres are popular, too, and they usually include solariums, saunas, gyms, swimming pools.

Kinds of sports.
Water sports: swimming, rowing (veslování), sailing, rafting, yachting, surfing, water polo, beach volleyball, . …..

Winter sports: skiing, cross country skiing, ski jump, snowboarding, ice skating, figure-skating, ice-hockey, ….

Light athletics: short-distance run, long-distance run, marathon, hurdling (překážkový běh), high jump, long jump, pole vault (skok o tyči), decathlon (desetiboj),…..

Other athletics sports: throwing discuss, throwing javelin (oštěp), throwing the hammer (kladivo), putting the shot (koule)

Ball games: football, volleyball, florball, basketball, handball, tennis, table tennis, squash, badminton, ….

Outdoor sports: hiking (turistika), cycling, in-line skating, run, fishing, shooting, mountain-climbing, horse-riding, ….

Combat sports (bojové): boxing, judo, karate, sumo, rugby, wrestling (zápas), fencing (šerm), …….

The Olympic Games
….were for the first held in 776 before Christ, and then every four years. They took place in the Greek town of Olympia. It was the meeting of the best sportsmen from across the country. There also was no fighting during the Olympic Games. The first Games in modern history were held in Athens in 1896.They were proposed by a French historian, Pierre de Coubertin. Summer Games have been held every four years since (except war years). As for the Winter Olympics, the first were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. These days, the Olympics are held every two years, the Summer and Winter Games alternating. The symbols include the Olympic flag and the Olympic fire. The flag is white with five circles (yellow, red, green, blue and black), each standing for one of the continents. The fire is lit on the Olymp, which is the official start of the Games.