All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.
Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when "their" player or team wins.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy!And think of people in cold countries. Think how many people love to skate or ski in Norway or Canada.
Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Waterskiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other. But after a game together they may become good friends. Sports help to train a person's character. One learns to fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(风度).