Random Sport Generator

119 real sports, all of them in the table below. Press the button for one at random — you get what kind of sport it is, how many play on a side, where it is played, and in one line what you are actually trying to do.

Press the button for a sport.

no repeats until the list is used up

119 sports in this list.

All 119 sports on this list

Sport	Kind	Players	Played on	The object of it
Football (soccer)	Team ball	11 a side	A grass or artificial pitch	Put the ball in the other goal without using your hands
Basketball	Team ball	5 a side	An indoor court	Throw the ball through a hoop ten feet up
Cricket	Team bat and ball	11 a side	A grass oval with a central pitch	Score runs off the bowling before your ten wickets fall
Baseball	Team bat and ball	9 a side	A diamond with an outfield	Hit the pitch and run the four bases before the ball beats you
Rugby union	Team ball	15 a side	A grass pitch with H posts	Carry the ball over the line, passing only backwards
Rugby league	Team ball	13 a side	A grass pitch with H posts	Same idea, fewer players and a set of six tackles
American football	Team ball	11 a side	A gridiron marked every five yards	Advance ten yards in four downs, and reach the end zone
Australian rules football	Team ball	18 a side	A large oval	Kick the ball between the middle posts
Gaelic football	Team ball	15 a side	A grass pitch	Kick or punch the ball over the bar or into the net
Hurling	Team stick and ball	15 a side	A grass pitch	Strike a small ball with a stick, over the bar or into the goal
Ice hockey	Team stick and puck	6 a side	An ice rink	Put the puck in the net
Field hockey	Team stick and ball	11 a side	An artificial turf pitch	Push the ball into the goal with a curved stick
Handball	Team ball	7 a side	An indoor court	Throw the ball past the goalkeeper
Volleyball	Team net	6 a side	An indoor court	Land the ball on the other side of the net in three touches or fewer
Beach volleyball	Team net	2 a side	A sand court	The same, on sand, with half the team
Netball	Team ball	7 a side	An indoor or outdoor court	Shoot through a ring, with no running while holding the ball
Water polo	Team water	7 a side	A deep pool	Throw the ball into the goal while treading water
Lacrosse	Team stick and ball	10 a side	A grass pitch	Carry and throw the ball with a netted stick
Ultimate frisbee	Team disc	7 a side	A grass pitch	Pass the disc into the end zone; you cannot run with it
Korfball	Team ball	8 a side, mixed	An indoor court	Shoot through a high basket, in mixed teams
Futsal	Team ball	5 a side	An indoor hard court	Football on a small court with a heavier ball
Kabaddi	Team contact	7 a side	A clay or mat court	Raid the other half, tag opponents, and get back without being held
Sepak takraw	Team net	3 a side	An indoor court	Volleyball played with the feet and a rattan ball
Tennis	Racket	1 or 2 a side	Grass, clay or hard court	Land the ball in their court so they cannot return it
Table tennis	Racket	1 or 2 a side	A table indoors	The same idea on a nine-foot table
Badminton	Racket	1 or 2 a side	An indoor court	Land the shuttlecock in their half
Squash	Racket	1 or 2 a side	A four-walled court	Hit the ball off the front wall so they cannot reach it
Racquetball	Racket	1 or 2 a side	An enclosed court	Similar to squash, with a livelier ball and all walls in play
Padel	Racket	2 a side	A glassed-in court	Doubles tennis where the walls stay in play
Pickleball	Racket	1 or 2 a side	A small hard court	Paddle, plastic ball, low net, no volleying near the net
Golf	Target	Individual	An eighteen-hole course	Get the ball in each hole in as few strokes as possible
Archery	Target	Individual	A range	Put arrows as close to the centre as you can
Darts	Target	Individual	Anywhere with a board	Score down from 501 and finish on a double
Bowling	Target	Individual	A lane	Knock down ten pins in two rolls
Snooker	Target	Individual	A twelve-foot table	Pot reds and colours in sequence for more points than your opponent
Pool	Target	Individual	A table	Pot your set of balls, then the black
Curling	Target on ice	4 a side	An ice sheet	Slide stones closest to the centre of the house
Bowls	Target	Individual or team	A flat green	Roll biased bowls nearest the jack
Petanque	Target	Individual or team	Gravel or hard ground	Throw metal balls closest to a small wooden one
Boxing	Combat	Individual	A ring	Land more scoring punches, or stop your opponent
Wrestling	Combat	Individual	A mat	Pin your opponent or score points for control
Judo	Combat	Individual	A mat	Throw or hold your opponent using their own balance
Karate	Combat	Individual	A mat	Score with controlled strikes, or win a form competition
Taekwondo	Combat	Individual	A mat	Score with kicks to the body and head
Fencing	Combat	Individual	A narrow strip	Hit your opponent with the weapon before they hit you
Muay Thai	Combat	Individual	A ring	Strike with fists, elbows, knees and shins
Brazilian jiu-jitsu	Combat	Individual	A mat	Control your opponent on the ground and force a submission
Mixed martial arts	Combat	Individual	A cage or ring	Strike or grapple until a stoppage, submission or decision
Sumo	Combat	Individual	A clay ring	Force your opponent out of the ring or down to the floor
Sprinting	Athletics	Individual	A track	Cover 100, 200 or 400 metres faster than anyone else
Middle-distance running	Athletics	Individual	A track	800 or 1500 metres, where pace judgement decides it
Marathon	Athletics	Individual	Roads	Cover 42.195 km
Hurdles	Athletics	Individual	A track	Sprint over ten barriers without losing rhythm
Relay	Athletics	4 a side	A track	Four runners, one baton, passed inside a marked zone
Long jump	Athletics	Individual	A runway and sand pit	Jump as far as you can from behind the board
High jump	Athletics	Individual	A curved runway and bar	Clear the bar backwards without knocking it off
Pole vault	Athletics	Individual	A runway and box	Use a flexible pole to cross a very high bar
Triple jump	Athletics	Individual	A runway and pit	Hop, step and jump in one continuous effort
Shot put	Athletics	Individual	A throwing circle	Push a heavy metal ball as far as possible
Discus	Athletics	Individual	A throwing circle and cage	Spin and release a disc for distance
Javelin	Athletics	Individual	A runway	Throw a spear for distance, point first
Hammer throw	Athletics	Individual	A circle and cage	Spin a weight on a wire and let it fly
Decathlon	Athletics	Individual	A stadium	Ten events over two days, scored on a points table
Race walking	Athletics	Individual	Roads or a track	Walk fast without ever having both feet off the ground
Swimming	Water	Individual	A pool	Cover the distance fastest in one of four strokes
Open-water swimming	Water	Individual	Sea, lake or river	Race over long distances outside a pool
Diving	Water	Individual	A pool with boards and platforms	Perform somersaults and twists and enter the water cleanly
Artistic swimming	Water	Team	A pool	Perform a choreographed routine in time with the music
Rowing	Water	1 to 8 a boat	A river, lake or course	Move the boat fastest, one oar or two per rower
Canoeing	Water	1 to 4 a boat	Flat water or rapids	Race or navigate a course with a single-bladed paddle
Kayaking	Water	1 to 4 a boat	Flat water or rapids	The same with a double-bladed paddle, seated low
Sailing	Water	1 or more	Open water	Use the wind to sail a course faster than the fleet
Surfing	Water	Individual	An ocean break	Ride waves and score for the manoeuvres you fit in
Windsurfing	Water	Individual	Open water	Sail a board with a hand-held rig
Kitesurfing	Water	Individual	Open water	Ride a board pulled by a steerable kite
Waterskiing	Water	Individual	Flat water	Be towed across the surface on one or two skis
Wakeboarding	Water	Individual	Flat water	Be towed on a single board and jump the boat's wake
Skiing	Winter	Individual	A mountain	Descend a marked course faster than anyone else
Cross-country skiing	Winter	Individual	Prepared tracks	Ski long distances over rolling ground
Ski jumping	Winter	Individual	A jump hill	Fly as far as possible and land in the telemark position
Biathlon	Winter	Individual	A course and range	Cross-country ski, then shoot, then ski again
Snowboarding	Winter	Individual	A mountain or park	Race, ride pipe, or score for tricks
Figure skating	Winter	Individual or pair	An ice rink	Perform jumps, spins and steps to music
Speed skating	Winter	Individual	An oval rink	Skate the distance in the fastest time
Bobsleigh	Winter	2 or 4 a sled	An ice track	Push, load and steer a sled down the fastest line
Luge	Winter	Individual or pair	An ice track	Descend feet first on your back, steering with your legs
Skeleton	Winter	Individual	An ice track	Descend head first on your front
Cycling (road)	Cycling	Individual or team	Public roads	Reach the line first over a long stage or race
Track cycling	Cycling	Individual or team	A banked velodrome	Race short distances on a fixed-gear bike
Mountain biking	Cycling	Individual	Off-road trails	Race or descend rough ground on a suspension bike
BMX	Cycling	Individual	A dirt track or park	Race a short track, or score for tricks
Cyclo-cross	Cycling	Individual	Mixed off-road circuits	Ride and carry the bike round a muddy lap course
Triathlon	Endurance	Individual	Open water, roads	Swim, then cycle, then run, without stopping the clock
Duathlon	Endurance	Individual	Roads	Run, cycle, run
Orienteering	Endurance	Individual	Forest and open country	Navigate to control points with a map and compass, fastest
Trail running	Endurance	Individual	Mountain and forest paths	Race over rough ground and climbs
Rock climbing	Climbing	Individual	Rock or an indoor wall	Reach the top of a route without falling
Bouldering	Climbing	Individual	Short walls and boulders	Solve a short, hard sequence with no rope
Gymnastics (artistic)	Gymnastics	Individual	A gym floor and apparatus	Perform routines judged for difficulty and execution
Rhythmic gymnastics	Gymnastics	Individual or group	A gym floor	Perform with hoop, ball, clubs or ribbon to music
Trampolining	Gymnastics	Individual	A trampoline	Perform a routine of ten high skills without travelling
Weightlifting	Strength	Individual	A platform	Lift the heaviest bar overhead in the snatch and clean and jerk
Powerlifting	Strength	Individual	A platform	Total the heaviest squat, bench press and deadlift
Strongman	Strength	Individual	Any surface	Move heavy awkward objects faster or further than anyone else
Equestrian showjumping	Equestrian	Individual	An arena	Clear a course of fences without faults, inside the time
Dressage	Equestrian	Individual	An arena	Ride a set sequence of movements, judged for precision
Eventing	Equestrian	Individual	Arena and country	Dressage, cross-country and showjumping over three phases
Horse racing	Equestrian	Individual	A turf or dirt track	Be first past the post
Polo	Equestrian team	4 a side	A large grass field	Hit a ball through the goal from horseback
Motorsport (circuit)	Motor	Individual or team	A closed circuit	Complete the race distance first
Rallying	Motor	Two per car	Closed public roads	Set the fastest total time over timed stages
Motocross	Motor	Individual	A dirt track	Race motorcycles over jumps and rough ground
Karting	Motor	Individual	A small circuit	Race a small open chassis, usually the first step into motorsport
Skateboarding	Board	Individual	A park or street	Score for tricks on ramps, rails and stairs
Parkour	Movement	Individual	Urban ground	Move through obstacles efficiently, without equipment
Chess boxing	Hybrid	Individual	A ring with a board	Alternate rounds of chess and boxing until checkmate or knockout
Modern pentathlon	Hybrid	Individual	Several venues	Fencing, swimming, riding, shooting and running in one day
Shooting	Target	Individual	A range	Group shots as tightly as possible on the target
Fishing (competitive)	Outdoor	Individual	Rivers, lakes, sea	Land the greatest weight of fish inside the time

Player numbers are the standard full-size format; almost every sport here also has smaller variants, and several — tennis, badminton, rowing, canoeing — are played in more than one format as a matter of course.

How this list was built

Every entry says what you are trying to do. That is the column that makes this list useful rather than decorative. Anyone can list sports; knowing that hurling is a stick game where you strike a small ball over the bar, or that skeleton is the head-first one, is what a person pressing the button actually wanted.

It is not a list of what is on television in one country. Kabaddi, sepak takraw, korfball, hurling, petanque and Gaelic football are all major sports somewhere, and leaving them out to make room for a third variety of American ball game would tell you about our habits rather than about sport.

Olympic status is not a column, on purpose. The programme changes at every Games — sports are added, dropped and added again — so any page listing it is out of date the moment a new host city sets its programme. Everything in this table is still true in ten years.

Athletics is broken into its events. Calling the whole of track and field one sport would put the marathon, the pole vault and the hammer throw in a single row, which is no help to anyone choosing something to try or to write about. The disciplines are separate because they are genuinely different sports.

Sources. Formats, player numbers and objects are the standard rules of each sport as its governing body sets them. Where a sport is played in several formats, the table gives the full-size one and the note above says so.

Common questions

How many sports does this pick from?

119, covering team games, racket sports, combat sports, athletics, water sports, winter sports, cycling, climbing, motorsport and more. All of them are in the table on this page.

Can I use it to choose a sport to try?

Yes, and the last two columns are the ones to read: where it is played tells you what you need nearby, and the object tells you whether it appeals. Several sports here start with a club session rather than buying anything.

Why are running events listed separately?

Because sprinting, the marathon and the pole vault have almost nothing in common beyond a stadium. Treating athletics as one entry would hide fifteen genuinely different sports behind one word.

Are these all Olympic sports?

No, and the list deliberately does not say which are. The Olympic programme changes at every Games, so a status column would go stale; plenty of the biggest sports in the world have never been on it.

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