146 Sport Trivia Questions and Answers
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Easy Sport Trivia Questions
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How many downs does an American-football team have to gain 10 yards?
4
A team gets four downs to advance the ball 10 yards, and making it resets the count to first down. Fall short and possession normally changes hands, which is why fourth down is usually spent on a punt or a field-goal attempt. Canadian football allows only three downs, one reason its game leans so heavily on the pass.
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In association football, where may the goalkeeper handle the ball?
Anywhere inside their own penalty area
The goalkeeper's handling privilege stops at the edge of the penalty area. A step beyond it and touching the ball with the hands is an offence exactly as it is for any other player.
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How many players are on the field for each team in a full association-football side?
11
A full association-football side has 11 players, including a goalkeeper. Substitutes do not count toward the players on the field.
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Which sport made Usain Bolt globally famous?
Athletics
Usain Bolt became famous as a track-and-field sprinter.
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What score usually wins a badminton game under rally scoring?
21 points
Under rally scoring, a standard badminton game is normally won at 21 points.
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How many defensive players does a baseball team have on the field at once?
9
A baseball defence puts nine players out: a pitcher, a catcher, four infielders and three outfielders. Where a designated hitter is used, that player bats but takes no fielding position.
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In which sport did Jackie Robinson break the color barrier?
Baseball
Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947.
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How many innings are in a regulation Major League Baseball game, before any extra innings?
9
A regulation Major League game is scheduled for nine innings, each side batting once per inning. If the scores are level after the ninth, extra innings are played until one team leads at the end of a completed inning.
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How many strikes normally result in a strikeout in baseball?
3
A batter who receives three strikes is out, making a strikeout. A foul ball usually counts as a strike, but not when the batter already has two strikes unless it is caught.
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How high is a regulation basketball hoop from the floor?
10 feet
A regulation basketball rim is 10 feet above the floor. The height dates back to the original peach-basket setup used by James Naismith.
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How many players from one team are on the court at a time in standard basketball?
5
Each basketball team has five players on the court. The usual positions are point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center, although modern roles often overlap.
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In basketball, how many points is a successful shot from behind the arc worth?
3
A basket scored from behind the arc counts three points. Anything scored inside it is worth two, and a free throw is worth one.
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In baseball, what does a designated hitter do?
Bats in place of the pitcher without taking a fielding position
The designated hitter takes the pitcher's turn at the plate for the whole game and never picks up a glove, while the pitcher carries on pitching. The American League adopted the rule in 1973 and the National League followed permanently in 2022.
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Which sprinter set the Olympic 100 metres record of 9.63 seconds at London 2012?
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt won the London 2012 final in 9.63 seconds, the fastest 100 metres ever run at an Olympic Games. His own world record of 9.58, set at the 2009 world championships in Berlin, was run outside the Olympics.
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Which sport made Muhammad Ali a household name worldwide?
Boxing
Muhammad Ali became one of boxing's most famous heavyweight champions.
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How many World Cups had Brazil won by the end of the 2022 tournament?
5
The wins came in 1958, 1962 and 1970, then 1994 and 2002, either side of a 24-year gap. Pele played in the first three, making him the only man to win the World Cup three times.
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What shape is the striking face of a cricket bat?
A flat blade
The striking face of a cricket bat is a flat blade, giving the batter a broad surface for controlled contact. The back is often shaped with a raised spine to add strength and power.
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How many balls are bowled in a standard cricket over?
6 legal deliveries
The Laws define a standard over as six legal deliveries.
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How many points is the inner bullseye worth on a standard dartboard?
50
The inner bull, or bullseye, is worth 50 points. The outer bull is worth 25, and the board's highest single-dart score is triple 20 for 60 points.
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How many events make up the athletics decathlon?
10
The decathlon combines 10 track-and-field events over two days. It includes sprints, jumps, throws, hurdles, and a 1,500-metre race.
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What does FIFA stand for?
Federation Internationale de Football Association
The name is French because the body was founded in Paris in 1904, and French remains one of its official languages.
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Along with foil and épée, which weapon is the third Olympic fencing discipline?
Sabre
Olympic fencing is contested with foil, épée and sabre. Sabre is the only one of the three where a cut with the edge scores as well as a hit with the point, and the target is everything above the waist, a leftover from cavalry sword fighting.
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How many players does each field-hockey team have on the pitch?
11
Field hockey is played with 11 players per side, including a goalkeeper. The game is played on a rectangular pitch with players using curved sticks to move the ball.
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In what year were the first modern Olympic Games held?
1896
The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens in April 1896, with athletes from fourteen nations competing in the restored Panathenaic Stadium. Paris hosted the second Games four years later.
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In cricket, the wicketkeeper is the only fielder permitted to wear what?
Gloves and external leg pads
The Laws bar every other fielder from wearing gloves or external leg guards, and treat the keeper's gloves as part of their person when judging a catch. Helmets, sunglasses and spikes are open to anyone on the field.
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In netball, which two positions are the only ones allowed to shoot at goal?
Goal Shooter and Goal Attack
Only GS and GA may score, and only from inside the goal circle. Every netball position is confined to set areas of the court, marked by the letters on the players' bibs.
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In golf, a birdie is a hole finished at what score?
One under par
A birdie is one stroke under par, so three shots on a par four. Two under is an eagle and three under an albatross, while one over is a bogey. The bird names come from American slang around 1900, in which a 'bird' meant anything excellent.
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Who traditionally carries a golfer's clubs?
A caddie
The word traces back to French cadet, meaning the youngest boy in a family, which became the Scots caddie for someone who ran errands and odd jobs. The specific sense of golfer's assistant is recorded from 1851, and today's caddies also read greens and advise on club selection, not just carry the bag.
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How many holes are played in a standard round of golf?
18
A standard round consists of 18 holes, although some courses are built as nine-hole layouts. Players can play a nine-hole course twice for a full round.
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Which sport is Simone Biles famous for?
Gymnastics
Simone Biles is one of gymnastics' most celebrated athletes.
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What nickname was Michael Jordan known by?
His Airness
His Airness became a famous nickname for Michael Jordan.
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What material is a standard ice-hockey puck made from?
Vulcanized rubber
A regulation hockey puck is made from vulcanized rubber, which is tough and resilient. The puck is frozen before games to reduce bouncing and friction.
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How many periods are in a regulation ice-hockey game?
3
A regulation ice-hockey game has three periods. Each period is 20 minutes in professional rules, with intermissions between them.
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Which sport is Wayne Gretzky famous for?
Ice hockey
Wayne Gretzky is widely regarded as an ice hockey legend.
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How many gold medals did Jesse Owens win at the 1936 Berlin Olympics?
4 gold medals
Owens won four track-and-field golds in Berlin. His success directly challenged the racist propaganda surrounding the Games.
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What is the traditional uniform worn in judo called?
A gi
The judogi is a heavy cotton jacket, trousers and belt, woven thick enough to be gripped and thrown by without tearing. Taekwondo's lighter equivalent is the dobok.
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In American football, what does the punter do?
Kicks the ball downfield to hand possession to the opposition
The punter drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground, usually on fourth down, so the other team takes over as far from the punting side's end zone as possible. Punting and place-kicking are normally done by two different specialists.
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What is the standard distance of a marathon?
About 42 kilometres
A marathon is officially 42.195 kilometres (26.2 miles), a distance established after the 1908 London Olympic course was extended to finish in front of the royal box.
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Which athlete has won the most Olympic gold medals?
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps won 23 Olympic gold medals, more than any other athlete.
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In sport, what does MVP stand for?
Most valuable player
The award goes to the player judged to have contributed most to their team, which is not always the highest scorer.
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Which flag traditionally signals the finish of a motor race?
Chequered flag
The chequered flag signals that a race or session has finished. Red usually means stop or suspension, yellow warns of danger, and green signals a clear track or start.
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Who became the first gymnast to receive a perfect 10.0 at the Olympics?
Nadia Comaneci
Romania's Nadia Comaneci earned the first Olympic 10.0 at Montreal 1976. The scoreboard was not designed to display a perfect score, so it showed 1.00 instead.
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How long is an NFL field between the two goal lines, excluding the end zones?
100 yards
The playing field between the goal lines is 100 yards long. Each end zone adds 10 yards, making the full field 120 yards from end line to end line.
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Where is the Olympic flame lit before the torch relay begins?
Ancient Olympia, Greece
The Olympic flame is lit in Ancient Olympia, the historic birthplace of the Olympic Games, before the torch relay to the host Games.
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How many interlocking rings are in the Olympic symbol?
5
The Olympic symbol has five interlocking rings representing the union of the Olympic movement's continents. The rings are blue, yellow, black, green, and red on a white background.
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How long is an Olympic-size swimming pool?
50 metres
An Olympic-size pool is 50 metres long. A 25-metre pool is commonly called a short-course pool and is used for a different competition format.
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In rugby union, what is the scrum-half's main job?
Passing the ball from the base of scrums and rucks out to the backs
The scrum-half wears number 9 and works as the link between forwards and backs, clearing the ball from the base of scrums, rucks and mauls and deciding whether to pass, run or kick.
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How many gold medals did Michael Phelps win at the Beijing Olympics?
8
Phelps won eight swimming golds in Beijing, breaking Mark Spitz's previous record of seven golds at one Games. His eight victories included seven world records and one Olympic record.
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In basketball, which position usually brings the ball up the court and runs the offence?
Point guard
The point guard is the team's primary ball-handler and playmaker, calling the play and creating shots for teammates. It is typically the shortest position in the line-up.
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The pommel horse is an apparatus in which sport?
Gymnastics
The pommel horse is one of the apparatuses used in men's artistic gymnastics, where athletes perform continuous swinging movements and dismounts.
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Which player was first to reach 20 men's singles Grand Slam titles?
Roger Federer
Roger Federer became the first man to win 20 singles Grand Slam titles, at the 2018 Australian Open.
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What does a rower use to propel a boat?
An oar
An oar pivots against the boat in a fixed rowlock, unlike a paddle, which is simply held in the hands, and that difference is what defines the sport. In sculling each rower holds two oars, one per side, while in sweep rowing crews use just one oar each, split between the two sides of the boat.
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How many players does each team have on the field in rugby union?
15
A rugby union team fields 15 players. Rugby league, a different code, uses 13 players per side, which is a common source of confusion.
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How many points is a try worth in rugby union?
Five points
A try is worth five points in rugby union. After scoring, the team can attempt a conversion kick for two additional points.
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In American football, what is the main job of the player who lines up split wide near the sideline?
Running downfield to catch forward passes
The wide receiver lines up split out towards the sideline, runs a set route on each play, and catches the quarterback's throws.
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How does a skeleton athlete race down an ice track?
Head-first on a small sled
The sport was born on the Cresta Run in St Moritz, built in 1884, where riders first went head-first in 1887. It takes its name from a steel sled introduced in 1892 whose frame was said to resemble a human skeleton, and racers reach speeds above 130 km/h with no brakes, steering only by shifting their shoulders and knees.
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In rowing, what does the coxswain do?
Steers the boat and directs the crew without rowing
The cox works the rudder, calls the race plan and the rating, and is the only person in the boat without an oar. That is why coxes are chosen to be light and are held to a minimum weight.
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Freestyle races let swimmers use any stroke. Which one do nearly all of them use?
Front crawl
Front crawl is also called the Australian crawl, popularized after Sydney swimmer Richmond Cavill adapted the stroke he had seen a young Solomon Islands swimmer, Alick Wickham, use in the early 1900s.
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Which sport made Michael Phelps a global icon?
Swimming
Michael Phelps is renowned for his swimming career.
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In standard table tennis, how many points are needed to win a game, assuming a two-point lead?
11
A table-tennis game is won by the first player or pair to reach 11 points with a lead of at least two. At 10-10, play continues until someone leads by two.
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In volleyball, what does the setter do?
Takes the second touch and places the ball for a teammate to spike
A rally normally runs dig, set, spike. The setter takes that middle touch and decides which attacker gets the ball and how high to feed it.
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In boxing, what does TKO stand for?
Technical knockout
A technical knockout is called by the referee, corner or doctor when a fighter cannot safely continue, even though they are still conscious.
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How many tournaments make up tennis's Grand Slam?
4
The four Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. They are the sport's four major championships.
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In tennis scoring, what does the word "love" mean?
Zero
Love means a score of zero in tennis. The traditional sequence for points is love, 15, 30, and 40 before game point.
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Which sport is Roger Federer famous for?
Tennis
Roger Federer became a global star through tennis.
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In baseball, which player crouches behind home plate to receive every pitch?
The catcher
The catcher squats behind home plate, takes every pitch, and signals to the pitcher which pitch to throw. It is the only fielding position stationed in foul territory.
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In American football, which player snaps the ball to start each play?
The centre
The centre stands over the ball in the middle of the offensive line and passes it backwards between his legs to begin the play. He usually makes the line's blocking calls as well.
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In ice hockey, which player normally takes the face-offs?
The centre
The centre lines up between the two wingers and takes the face-offs, then covers the full length of the ice at both ends of the play.
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In basketball, who is a team's sixth man?
The first substitute to come off the bench
The sixth man is the top reserve, brought on to add scoring or energy without weakening the side. The NBA hands out a Sixth Man of the Year award for the role.
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In ice hockey, which player is allowed to catch the puck and hold on to it?
The goaltender
Only the goaltender may catch the puck in the trapper glove and freeze it to stop play. A skater who closes a hand on the puck is given a minor penalty.
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In American football, which player takes the snap and normally throws the forward pass?
The quarterback
The quarterback takes the ball from the centre at the snap and then throws it, hands it to a runner, or carries it himself. He is the offence's main decision-maker and calls the play in the huddle.
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What nickname was given to baseball legend Babe Ruth?
The Sultan of Swat
The Sultan of Swat was one of Babe Ruth's best-known nicknames.
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What color jersey identifies the overall leader of the Tour de France?
Yellow
The overall leader wears the yellow jersey, or maillot jaune. Other jerseys recognize classifications such as points, young riders, and climbing.
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The Tour de France is a major competition in which sport?
Cycling
The Tour de France is a road cycling race held every July, run as three weeks of daily stages around France and neighbouring countries. The rider with the lowest cumulative time wears the yellow jersey.
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In boxing, what does a cutman do?
Treats a fighter's cuts and swelling between rounds
The cutman works in the corner during the minute's rest, using swabs, pressure and a chilled metal enswell to close cuts and push swelling down so the fight can carry on.
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What does UFC stand for?
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship began in 1993 as a tournament to test which martial art worked best in an unrestricted contest.
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How many Olympic gold medals did Usain Bolt win in his career?
8
Bolt won eight Olympic golds across sprint and relay events. He originally finished with nine, but Jamaica's 2008 relay medal was later stripped after a teammate's doping violation.
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How many players from each team are on the court in indoor volleyball?
6
Indoor volleyball uses six players per side on court. Beach volleyball is played with two players per side, so the versions should not be confused.
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How many players from each team are in the water during a standard water-polo match?
7
A water-polo team has seven players in the water, including a goalkeeper. Teams can also use substitutes who enter during play according to the rules.
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What playing surface is used for the main courts at Wimbledon?
Grass
Wimbledon is played on grass, its traditional surface. Grass generally produces a faster, lower bounce than clay or hard courts.
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Which sport is Wimbledon best known for?
Tennis
Wimbledon has been played in south-west London since 1877, which makes it the oldest tennis tournament in the world and the only one of the four Grand Slams still played on grass.
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How many apparatus are used in women's Olympic artistic gymnastics?
4
The four women's artistic-gymnastics apparatus are vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Men's Olympic artistic gymnastics uses six apparatus.
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At the London Marathon in April 2026, what time did Sabastian Sawe run?
1:59:30
The mark he broke, 2:00:35, belonged to Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a car accident in 2024 before he got a chance to chase the two-hour barrier himself. Eliud Kipchoge had already dipped under two hours, running 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019, but that used rotating pacemakers and a pace car, so it never counted as an official record.
Medium Sport Trivia Questions
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In indoor volleyball, what is a libero?
A back-row defensive specialist who is not allowed to block
The libero wears a contrasting shirt, plays only in the back row, and is barred from blocking or from attacking a ball that is entirely above the height of the net. Unlimited substitutions keep the best defender on court all match.
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What result is normally recorded when a floored boxer cannot rise before the referee reaches ten?
A knockout
A fighter who is down and fails to beat the referee's count loses by knockout. If the referee stops the bout while the boxer is still on his feet, it is recorded as a technical knockout instead.
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In association football, where did a sweeper traditionally play?
Behind the other defenders, with no opponent to mark
The sweeper roamed behind the back line and cleared up whatever got past it, free of a marking assignment. Italian football called the role libero, meaning free.
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Which winter sport combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting?
Biathlon
Biathlon pairs cross-country skiing with rifle shooting, and every missed target costs the athlete either a penalty loop or added time.
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In curling, what does the skip do?
Calls the shots and normally throws the team's last stones
The skip is the captain, standing in the house to hold the target broom and choose the strategy, then delivering the decisive final stones of the end.
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How many wickets must fall for a cricket batting side to be bowled out?
10
A cricket team has 11 batters, but the innings ends after the tenth wicket because two batters are required at the crease. The last batter cannot bat alone.
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What rock is used to make a curling stone?
Granite
Curling stones are made from granite, a dense and durable rock that withstands repeated impacts on the ice. Some of the granite used for them comes from Ailsa Craig, a small island off Scotland.
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Which runner finished his 400-meter Olympic semifinal after tearing his hamstring at Barcelona 1992?
Derek Redmond
Britain's Derek Redmond injured his hamstring during the race, then continued toward the finish with help from his father. The moment became an enduring example of determination in Olympic sport.
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Which Canadian sprinter won the men's 100 metres at the 1996 Olympics?
Donovan Bailey
Donovan Bailey won the men's 100 metres at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in a then-Olympic-record 9.84 seconds.
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In fencing, where can an epee hit score?
The whole body
In épée, the entire body is a valid target, including the head, arms, legs, and feet. Unlike foil and sabre, the first fencer to land a valid hit scores.
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In cricket, what is a team's twelfth man allowed to do?
Field as a substitute, but not bat or bowl
A substitute may only field. Batting, bowling and the captaincy all stay closed to him, which is why the twelfth man is best known for carrying the drinks out.
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In what year was the first FIFA World Cup held?
1930
The first World Cup was played in Uruguay in 1930 with thirteen invited teams, and the hosts beat Argentina 4-2 in the final in Montevideo.
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How many players from one team are on the court in indoor team handball?
7
Indoor handball uses seven players per side on court: six court players and one goalkeeper. Teams can substitute frequently during play.
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The Indianapolis 500 covers 500 miles. How many laps of the oval does that take?
200
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval is 2.5 miles round, so 200 laps make up the 500 miles. The race has been run there since 1911.
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What is the highest-scoring result in judo called?
Ippon
An ippon ends a judo contest immediately because it represents a complete winning score. Waza-ari is a lower technical score, while shido is a penalty.
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Which German striker passed Ronaldo in 2014 to become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer?
Miroslav Klose
Klose's tally came across four tournaments, from 2002 to 2014, eventually reaching 16 goals to pass Ronaldo's mark of 15. The record-breaking strike came in Germany's 7-1 semi-final rout of the host nation, Brazil.
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How far from the target do archers shoot in the Olympic individual archery event?
70 metres
Olympic recurve archers shoot from 70 metres at a target face 122 centimetres across. The target's central 10-ring is only 12.2 centimetres wide.
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Which type of bow was shot in every Olympic archery event from 1972 through Paris 2024?
The recurve bow
Archery returned to the Olympic program in 1972 and has been shot with recurve bows ever since: limbs that curve away from the archer at the tips, storing more energy than a straight-limbed bow of the same length. Compound archery, which uses cams and cables to hold the draw, joins the Olympic program at Los Angeles 2028.
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Which player won 14 French Open men's singles titles?
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal won 14 French Open titles on the tournament's clay courts. His total is the most singles championships won at any one Grand Slam tournament.
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Who holds the record for men's singles Wimbledon titles?
Roger Federer
Roger Federer won eight men's singles titles at Wimbledon, the record in the Open Era and overall.
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In a sculling event such as the single sculls, how many oars does each rower use?
Two, one in each hand
A sculler pulls two oars, one in each hand. In sweep rowing, including the eights, fours and pairs, every rower handles a single longer oar with both hands, which is why sweep crews come in even numbers with the blades alternating from side to side down the boat.
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How many players does a rugby league team have on the field?
13
A rugby league side fields 13 players, six forwards and seven backs. Rugby union fields 15, the two extra men being the flankers in the pack, which is the most visible difference between the codes at a scrum.
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The America's Cup is contested in which sport?
Sailing
The America's Cup is sailing's oldest international trophy. It takes its name from the schooner America, which won the 1851 race around the Isle of Wight.
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In baseball, which two bases does the shortstop field between?
Second and third
The shortstop covers the gap on the left side of the infield between second and third base. It is the busiest patch of ground because most batters are right-handed and pull the ball that way.
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In road cycling, what is a domestique's job?
Serving the team leader by fetching bottles and shielding them from the wind
Domestique is French for servant. These riders collect food and drink from the team car, ride into the wind so the leader can shelter, and will hand over a wheel or a whole bike after a mechanical.
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In American football, how many points is a touchdown worth?
Six
A touchdown is worth six points. The conversion attempt that follows adds one point by kick, or two by scoring again from scrimmage.
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How many balls are on the table at the start of a standard snooker frame, including the cue ball?
22
A snooker table starts with 15 red balls, six coloured balls, and the white cue ball: 22 in total.
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How far is the penalty mark from the goal line in standard soccer?
12 yards
The penalty mark is 12 yards from the goal line. Six and 18 yards are also familiar measurements from the goal area and penalty area.
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Pele won the World Cup with Brazil a record how many times?
Three
Pele won in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He was 17 at the first and scored twice in the final; no other player has won three. Brazil have taken the trophy five times in all, more than any other country.
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How many consecutive Olympic women's singles figure-skating titles did Sonja Henie win?
3
Norway's Sonja Henie won three straight Olympic titles from 1928 through 1936. Her reign helped turn figure skating into a major international spectacle.
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In rugby union, what does the hooker do in a scrum?
Strikes the ball backwards with a foot
The hooker packs down between the two props and hooks the ball back through the tunnel with a foot, which is where the name comes from. The same player usually throws the ball in at the lineout.
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In a standard tennis tiebreak, how many points must a player reach to win, assuming a two-point lead?
7
A standard tiebreak goes to seven points, but the winner must lead by two. That is why a tiebreak can continue beyond 7-6.
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Which tennis player beat Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes?
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King beat Riggs in straight sets at the Houston Astrodome in September 1973, in front of a crowd of over 30,000 and a television audience of tens of millions. Riggs had beaten Margaret Court earlier that year, which is what set the match up.
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How many Grand Slam singles titles did Serena Williams win?
23
Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by anyone in the Open era, the last of them at the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant. Margaret Court holds the all-time record with 24, most of hers won before the Open era began.
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In water polo, which player is the only one allowed to touch the ball with both hands at once?
The goalkeeper
Field players must play the ball with one hand only. The goalkeeper alone may use two hands, and may punch the ball, but only inside their own defensive area.
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In rugby union, how many points is a successful conversion kick worth?
Two
It is called a conversion because it turns a try, worth five points, into a maximum of seven. The kicker must strike from a point in line with where the ball was grounded, so a try scored near the touchline leaves a much tougher angle than one scored under the posts.
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The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and which third race make up the U.S. Triple Crown?
The Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes, run in New York, is the last and longest leg of the U.S. Triple Crown, after the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Only a handful of horses have taken all three in a single season since the series took shape in 1919.
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Which sport is contested in a velodrome?
Track cycling
A velodrome is a purpose-built banked track used for track-cycling competitions.
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In what year did women first compete in the modern Olympic Games?
1900
Women first competed at the 1900 Paris Games, in tennis, golf, croquet, sailing and equestrian events. Britain's Charlotte Cooper won the tennis singles and is generally counted as the first individual female Olympic champion. Twenty-two women took part, out of roughly a thousand competitors.
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On an Olympic wrestling mat, what shape is the contest area?
Circular
The bouts are fought inside a circle nine metres across, marked on a square mat. The outer metre of that circle is coloured red as a warning band, so a wrestler being pushed backwards can tell from the floor that the edge is coming.
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What is the men's long jump world record, set by Mike Powell at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo?
8.95 m (29 ft 4¼ in)
Powell's leap came in a legendary head-to-head with Carl Lewis, who had won every long jump he entered for a decade. It broke Bob Beamon's famous 1968 Olympic record of 8.90 m and, more than three decades later, remains the longest-standing record in the men's long jump.
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How long was the record field goal Cam Little kicked in November 2025?
68 yards
The kick came at Allegiant Stadium against the Raiders and beat the previous record of 66 yards, set by Justin Tucker in 2021. Little had already booted a 70-yard kick in a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but preseason attempts do not count in the official record book.
Hard Sport Trivia Questions
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In cricket, what is a century?
100 runs by one batter
Reaching one is traditionally marked by the batter raising the bat to acknowledge the crowd, and because the count resets each innings, a player can score a century in both innings of the same match.
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In football tactics, what does the term catenaccio describe?
A defence-first tactical system
Catenaccio is Italian for 'door bolt'. It is a defence-first system built on tight man-marking and a sweeper behind the back line, most associated with Helenio Herrera's Inter Milan of the 1960s.
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In horse racing, what is a dead heat?
A tie for a finishing place
A dead heat is a tie between two or more horses for a finishing place, declared when the judge cannot separate them.
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What problem is baseball's infield-fly rule primarily intended to prevent?
An intentional dropped fly creating a double play
The infield-fly rule prevents an infielder from intentionally dropping an easy fly ball to create a cheap double play. The batter is out automatically, so the runners are not forced to advance.
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How many feathers does a standard feather badminton shuttlecock have?
16
A regulation feather shuttlecock has 16 feathers arranged around its cork base. Synthetic shuttlecocks imitate this shape with a plastic skirt.
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The first Winter Olympic Games were held in which city?
Chamonix
The first Winter Olympic Games were held at Chamonix, France, in 1924.
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The Ryder Cup is a team golf competition between which two sides?
Europe and the United States
The Ryder Cup is a biennial team golf competition between Europe and the United States.
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In the high jump, what does the Fosbury Flop involve?
Going back-first over the bar
In the Fosbury Flop, a high jumper goes over the bar back-first and lands on the back. Dick Fosbury used it to win Olympic gold in 1968 and it has been the standard technique ever since.
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Which men's figure skater won Olympic singles gold at both Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018?
Yuzuru Hanyu
Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu won consecutive Olympic men's singles titles in 2014 and 2018. He was the first man to repeat as Olympic champion in that event since Dick Button.
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In what year was the International Olympic Committee founded?
1894
The International Olympic Committee was founded in June 1894 at Pierre de Coubertin's congress at the Sorbonne in Paris, which voted to revive the Games. The first modern Olympics followed in Athens two years later.
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In curling, what does a team have when it has the hammer?
Last stone of the end
The hammer is the last stone of an end, and throwing last is a real advantage, which is why the team that scores gives up the hammer for the following end.
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Which cycling race is nicknamed La Doyenne?
Liège–Bastogne–Liège
Liège–Bastogne–Liège is nicknamed La Doyenne, roughly 'the old lady', because at first running in 1892 it is the oldest of the cycling Classics.
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The marathon's official distance of 42.195 km comes from the course run at which Olympic Games?
London 1908
The 1908 London Olympic marathon ran from Windsor Castle to the White City Stadium, a course measuring 26 miles and 385 yards. That awkward figure, 42.195 km, was adopted as the standard marathon distance in 1921 and has been raced ever since.
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Which figure skater was the first woman to land a triple Axel in international competition?
Midori Ito
Midori Ito landed the first triple Axel by a woman in international competition at the 1988 NHK Trophy, and four years later became the first to land one at an Olympic Games.
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Which country won the inaugural men's Rugby World Cup in 1987?
New Zealand
New Zealand beat France in the final of the first Rugby World Cup in 1987, a tournament they co-hosted with Australia.
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In baseball, what does the term perfect game describe?
No opposing batter reaches base at all
In a perfect game no opposing batter reaches base by any route: no hits, no walks, no errors. Allowing no hits but conceding a walk is a no-hitter, a far more common feat.
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Who became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes?
Roger Bannister
Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile at Oxford in May 1954, in 3:59.4. John Landy broke the barrier himself just 46 days later.
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In baseball, what does it mean for a batter to hit for the cycle?
Single, double, triple and home run
Hitting for the cycle means one batter gets a single, double, triple and home run in one game.
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Who organized the 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games, the forerunner of the Paralympic Games?
Sir Ludwig Guttmann
Guttmann, a neurologist at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, staged an archery contest for injured war veterans on the opening day of the 1948 London Olympics. Those games grew into the Paralympics.
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In figure skating, what is distinctive about an Axel jump's takeoff?
The skater takes off facing forward
An Axel is the only standard figure-skating jump that takes off facing forward, which is why it carries an extra half-rotation compared with every other jump of the same name.
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What is the highest rank a wrestler can reach in professional sumo?
Yokozuna
Yokozuna is the top rank in professional sumo. Unlike every rank below it, a yokozuna is never demoted for a losing record; a wrestler who can no longer compete at that level is expected to retire instead.
Answered in full
These come up often enough that each one has its own page.
- In what year was the first FIFA World Cup held?
- In what year was the International Olympic Committee founded?
- How many gold medals did Jesse Owens win at the 1936 Berlin Olympics?
- How long is an Olympic-size swimming pool?
- How many gold medals did Michael Phelps win at the Beijing Olympics?
- In American football, how many points is a touchdown worth?
- How many Olympic gold medals did Usain Bolt win in his career?
- When was the men's long jump.World record set?
For younger players
The easiest of these are collected on their own page: Sport trivia questions for kids.
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