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Communist societies of eastern Europe dominated the Olympic Games. In 1988, for instance, the German Democratic Republic , with a population of some 16 million, outscored the United States, 15 times its size. While anabolic steroids and other banned substances contributed to the East Germans’ triumph, credit must also be given to their relentless application of scientific methods in the search for the ultimate sports performance. Sports, then, can be defined as autotelic physical contests. On the basis of this definition, one can devise a simple inverted-tree diagram. Despite the clarity of the definition, difficult questions arise.

A study of US elections has shown that the result of sports events can affect the results. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that when the home team wins the game before the election, the incumbent candidates can increase their share of the vote by 1.5 percent. A loss had the opposite effect, and the effect is greater for higher-profile teams or unexpected wins and losses. Two Bishop Amat High School football players allege they were physically assaulted by Damien coaches at a game Friday — and now Damien head coach Matt Bechtel has been suspended.

One can win a game of basketball, but it makes no sense to ask who has won a game of leapfrog. HOUSTON — The Houston Texans failed to score in the fourth quarter again Sunday against the Chicago Bears to remain winless through three weeks. Houston has not scored a single point in the final quarter this season, leaving coach Lovie Smith searching for ways to get his team to close out a game. Tennis star Roger Federer will play the final match of his career Friday when he teams up with Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup in a men's doubles match. Pro football’s annual all-star event will instead feature a flag football game and skills competition in an attempt to restore interest and increase player participation.

Feature Papers represent the most advanced research with significant potential for high impact in the field. Feature Papers are submitted upon individual invitation or recommendation by the scientific editors and undergo peer review prior to publication. All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. But his presence and impact will continue to shape the sport.

Other meanings include gambling and events staged for the purpose of gambling; hunting; and games and diversions, including ones that require exercise. Roget's defines the noun sport as an "activity engaged in for relaxation and amusement" with synonyms including diversion and recreation. Kearney, a consultancy, the global sporting industry is worth up to $620 billion as of 2013. The world's most accessible and practised Sports sport is running, while association football is the most popular spectator sport. Association football, shown above, is a team sport which also provides opportunities to nurture physical fitness and social interaction skills. For our junior age group, we offer programming designed to keep kids learning the fundamentals of the sport and understanding the dynamics of working as a team all while having fun.

For example, in 2010, full-body, non-textile swimsuits were banned by FINA, as they were enhancing swimmers' performances. In the dramatic global diffusion of modern sports, the French have also played a significant role. The first Paris–Rouen race took place in 1869; the Tour de France was inaugurated in 1903.