Sports Estimation Questions Every Fan Gets Wrong

Answer: 11

A football team has 11 players on the pitch. One of them is the goalkeeper. The number was officially set in 1897. If a team gets a red card, it plays on with ten. Matches are stopped if a team drops below seven players.

Answer: 15

A rugby union team has 15 players on the field. The positions split into forwards and backs. The eight forwards handle the scrum. The seven backs provide speed and scoring. In Rugby 7s there are only seven players per team.

Answer: 1

A free throw in basketball is worth 1 point. A regular basket scores 2 points, a long one from behind the arc counts 3. Free throws are awarded after certain fouls. The shot is taken from the line 4.6 meters from the hoop. With no defenders in the way.

Answer: 12

A professional boxing match today has up to 12 rounds. Each round lasts 3 minutes. It used to go 15 rounds. After the fatal fight of Duk Koo Kim in 1982 the limit was lowered. Between rounds, the boxers get a one-minute break.

Answer: 50

An Olympic swimming pool is exactly 50 meters long and has 8 lanes. The depth must be at least 2 meters. A pool like this holds about 2.5 million liters of water. That is enough to fill around 30,000 bathtubs.

Answer: 23

Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles. That is the most in the Open Era. Only Margaret Court has more, at 24, with some from before 1968. Serena won her last title in 2017, while pregnant with her daughter. She retired in 2022.

Answer: 18

A basketball hoop has a diameter of 18 inches, which is 45.7 centimeters. The ball itself is 9.5 inches wide. So in theory, two balls could fit through the rim at once. The hoop stands 3.05 meters above the floor. These dimensions have held since 1891.

Answer: 18

A standard golf course has 18 holes. Originally, the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland had 22 holes. In 1764, four were merged and 18 became the world standard. A full round takes about four hours to play. Pros play 72 holes across four days.

Answer: 9.58

The 100 meter record stands at 9.58 seconds. Usain Bolt ran it in Berlin at the 2009 World Championships. He hit a top speed of nearly 45 km/h. He only needed 41 strides to cover the distance. Nobody has run faster since.

Answer: 10

A cricket team has 10 wickets per innings. Each batter can be dismissed once. The eleventh player has no partner left to run with. That is why the innings ends when ten wickets fall. The team tries to score as many runs as possible before that.

Answer: 200

Many classic NASCAR races run for 200 laps. The famous Daytona 500 is one of them. Each lap covers 2.5 miles around the oval. Together that equals 500 miles, about 800 kilometers. Daytona is the biggest event in the NASCAR calendar.

Answer: 3

In men's Grand Slam tennis, you win with three sets. The format is best of five. So a match can run up to five sets long. Women play best of three sets. The 2012 Australian Open final lasted nearly six hours.

Answer: 300

The highest score in 10-pin bowling is 300. You need twelve strikes in a row to get there. Each strike counts 10 plus the next two rolls. That is why the last frame allows three throws. A perfect game is very rare.

Answer: 6

A touchdown in American football scores six points. After that, the team can add one or two bonus points with extra plays. The touchdown is the most important scoring play in the game. It works when the ball reaches the opponent's end zone.

Answer: 42.195

A marathon covers exactly 42.195 kilometers. The distance comes from the 1908 London Olympics. The race started at Windsor Castle and ended in front of the royal box in the stadium. Those extra 195 meters were added so the royal family had a great view.

Answer: 90

A soccer match lasts 90 minutes, split into two halves of 45 minutes. In between, players get a 15 minute break. The referee can add extra time at the end of each half. In cup games, a tie leads to extra time of two more 15 minute halves.

Answer: 5

Each basketball team has 5 players on the court at the same time. The sport was invented by James Naismith in the US in 1891. He simply nailed two peach baskets to the wall of a gym. Each team also has up to 7 extra players on the bench.

Answer: 336

A standard golf ball has around 336 dimples. These small dips help the ball travel through the air. Without dimples, a ball would fly only half as far. Brands use anywhere from 300 to 500 dimples. The dimple design was discovered by accident in the 1800s.

Answer: 2.45

The high jump world record has stood at 2.45 meters since 1993. Javier Sotomayor from Cuba cleared it in Salamanca, Spain. That is taller than two fridges stacked on top of each other. No one has come close since. It is one of the longest standing records in track and field.

Answer: 24

In the NBA, a team has 24 seconds to take a shot. The shot clock was introduced in 1954 to speed up the game. Before that, some games ended with scores like 19 to 18. If the shot hits the rim, the clock resets. Otherwise the other team gets the ball.

Answer: 300

A perfect bowling game scores 300 points. You need 12 strikes in a row to achieve it. Each strike counts 10 plus the next two rolls. That is why the final frame allows three throws. Very few players ever bowl a perfect game.

Answer: 150

A Tour de France stage averages about 150 kilometers. The shortest time trials are only around 15 kilometers. The longest stages stretch over 240 kilometers. In total the riders cover around 3,500 kilometers in three weeks. They only get two rest days.

Answer: 7

A water polo team has 7 players in the water. One of them is the goalkeeper. Players are not allowed to touch the pool floor. So they tread water the entire game. A match lasts four quarters of eight minutes each.

Answer: 12

A professional boxing match today goes up to 12 rounds. Each round lasts 3 minutes. It used to be as many as 15 rounds. After the death of boxer Duk Koo Kim in 1982 the limit was cut. Between rounds fighters get a one-minute break.

Answer: 5

Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup five times. That is a record for any country. The titles came in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Pelé played in three of those wins. Brazilians have been waiting for a sixth star ever since.

Answer: 30

The Grand National at Aintree makes horses jump 30 fences. The race covers two laps with 16 different obstacles. Two of them are only jumped once. Famous jumps include Becher's Brook, The Chair and Canal Turn. The race has been run since 1839.

Answer: 4.57

The longest Wimbledon men's final lasted 4 hours and 57 minutes. Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in a tiebreak in 2019. It was the first ever 12-all final set in Wimbledon history. Federer had two match points and missed both. Djokovic won his fifth title.

Answer: 2.7

A table tennis ball weighs just 2.7 grams. It is hollow and made of plastic. Balls used to be smaller at 38 millimeters. Since 2000 they are 40 millimeters, so TV viewers can see them better. Pros hit them at over 100 km/h.

Answer: 18

An Australian Rules Football team has 18 players on the field. The sport is hugely popular in Australia. It is played on an oval field with an egg-shaped ball. Kicking, throwing and running are all allowed.

Answer: 10

The decathlon is made up of ten events. Among them are sprint, long jump, high jump and javelin throw. The contest runs over two days. The winner is often called the best all-around athlete in the world. Even the ancient Greeks knew a similar multi-event contest.

Answer: 10

The perfect gymnastics score used to be 10. Nadia Comaneci scored the first ever 10.0 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Since 2006, this cap no longer exists. Today there are two open scores for difficulty and execution. The points are simply added up.

Answer: 14

A fencing piste is 14 meters long and 1.5 to 2 meters wide. Stepping off the back end costs you a point. Fencers move almost only forward and backward. Sideways steps are rare. The narrow strip focuses all action on direct attack and defence.

Answer: 23

Michael Phelps has won 23 Olympic gold medals. That is more than any other athlete in history. He won 28 medals in total across four Olympic Games. In Beijing 2008 alone he took home eight golds. His diet at the time reportedly reached 10,000 calories a day.

Answer: 11

The longest tennis match in history lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes. John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010. The match was spread over three days. The fifth set ended 70-68 for Isner. The rules later changed to add tiebreaks in final sets.

Answer: 104

A FIFA World Cup now features 104 matches. This number applies to the 48-team format used since 2026. Before that there were 64 matches with 32 teams. After the group stage come the round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

Answer: 42

Germany won 42 Olympic medals in Rio 2016 (17 gold, 10 silver, 15 bronze). That was good for 5th place in the medal table. The strongest sports were equestrian, canoeing and hockey. The official target was 44 medals. That goal was just missed. At the previous Olympics in London 2012, Germany also won 44 medals, but only finished 6th.

Answer: 30

The NBA has 30 teams in total. 29 are based in the USA, one in Canada (the Toronto Raptors). The league is split into two conferences, East and West. Each conference has three divisions of five teams. The NBA was founded in 1946.

Answer: 4

Professional golf has 4 major tournaments each year. They are the Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship. Winning all four in one year is the Grand Slam. No man has ever done it as a pro. Tiger Woods won all four in a row from 2000 to 2001.

Answer: 16

A traditional shuttlecock has 16 feathers. They come from the left wing of geese or ducks. All feathers must be from the same side so the shuttle flies straight. It weighs only around 5 grams. Pros can hit it at over 400 km/h.

Answer: 8

Usain Bolt has won 8 Olympic gold medals. He took them at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. At each Games he won the 100m, 200m and relay. It was originally 9, but one relay medal was stripped after a teammate's doping case.

Answer: 8

Roger Federer won Wimbledon eight times. That is the all-time record for men. His titles came between 2003 and 2017. Federer grew up in Switzerland and always played in Wimbledon's white dress code. He ended his career in 2022.

Answer: 156

A standard cricket ball weighs 156 grams. It has a cork core covered in leather. The red seam in the middle helps bowlers spin the ball. Women and children play with lighter versions. A hard hit from one really hurts.

Answer: 42.195

The Boston Marathon is 42.195 kilometers long, like every marathon. It is held every year on the third Monday in April, Patriots' Day. It is the world's oldest annual marathon, run since 1897. You need a fast qualifying time just to enter. The course goes from Hopkinton to Boston.

Answer: 5

A try in rugby union is worth 5 points. It is the main way to score. The ball must be grounded beyond the opposing team's goal line. The team can then kick for two extra points. Before 1992, a try was only worth 4 points.

Answer: 5

Since 2022, each football team can make five substitutions per match. The rule came in during the Covid era and stayed. Before that only three changes were allowed. Subs must happen during three stoppages in play. Half-time does not count against that limit.

Answer: 7

Lewis Hamilton has won seven Formula 1 World Championships. He shares that record with Michael Schumacher. His titles came in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. He won most of them driving for Mercedes. Hamilton also holds the record for most race wins.

Answer: 113

The Tour de France was held for the 113th time in 2026. The race was founded in 1903 by sports journalist Henri Desgrange. He wanted to boost sales of his newspaper L'Auto. The race has only been cancelled during the two World Wars. The route changes every year, but it always has 21 stages.

Answer: 60

A handball match lasts 60 minutes of actual playing time. It is split into two halves of 30 minutes each. In tournaments, a tie leads to extra time. Each team has six outfield players plus a goalkeeper. Handball is most popular in Europe.

Answer: 226

A full triathlon covers 226 kilometers. It combines 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling and a marathon of 42.2 kilometers. The race is also known as an Ironman. Top pros finish in under eight hours.

Answer: 11

In table tennis, you need 11 points to win a set. You also need at least a two-point lead. A full match usually goes to the best of seven sets. The balls can be smashed at up to 100 kilometers per hour.

Answer: 98.48

The javelin world record stands at 98.48 meters. Jan Zelezný from the Czech Republic threw that far in Jena in 1996. It is almost the length of a football pitch. Nobody has thrown further since. The 100 meter mark remains a huge challenge.

Answer: 200

The Indianapolis 500 runs for 200 laps. Each lap covers 2.5 miles on the oval track. Together that adds up to 500 miles or around 805 kilometers. The race has been held since 1911. The winner traditionally drinks a bottle of milk in victory lane.

Answer: 82

Each NBA team plays 82 games in the regular season. Half are at home, the other half on the road. The season runs from October to April. The top 16 teams make the playoffs. From there they fight for the championship title.

Answer: 48

The FIFA World Cup now features 48 teams competing for the title. This format has been used since the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Before that there were 32 teams, and at the very first World Cup only 13 nations played. The tournament happens every four years.

Answer: 9.58

Usain Bolt ran the 100 meters in 9.58 seconds. He set the world record in Berlin in 2009. That is close to 45 km/h at top speed. Bolt stood 1.95 meters tall and took only 41 strides. Since then nobody has come closer than 9.69 seconds.

Answer: 8

A standard athletics track has 8 lanes. Each lane is 1.22 meters wide. The innermost lap measures 400 meters. Runners in outer lanes start further ahead so every athlete covers the same distance. Lane 4 is often seen as the best spot for finals.

Answer: 3

An albatross in golf means 3 strokes under par. In the USA it is also called a double eagle. It usually happens on par 5 holes in just two shots. An albatross is extremely rare. The odds are around one in a million per round.

Answer: 16

At the start of a pool game there are 16 balls on the table. That is 15 numbered balls plus the white cue ball. Balls 1 to 8 are solid colors, 9 to 15 have stripes. The eight ball is black. Potting it too early means you lose the game.

Answer: 3

Three Olympic Games were cancelled due to war. Berlin 1916 was stopped by the First World War. Tokyo 1940 and London 1944 were lost to the Second World War. The 1940 and 1944 Winter Games were also cancelled. Only world wars have ever stopped the Olympics.

Answer: 12–15

A Grand Prix round requires the horse to clear 12 to 15 fences. Some combinations count as a single obstacle. The jumps can reach 1.60 meters in height. Knocking a rail costs four penalty points. Clear rounds advance to a timed jump-off.

Answer: 60

A full lacrosse game lasts 60 minutes. It is played in four quarters of 15 minutes each. The sport comes from the Indigenous peoples of North America. Today it is most popular in the USA and Canada. The sticks have a small net at the top.

Answer: 25

Since the big points reform in 2010, the winner of a Formula 1 race gets 25 points. Places 2 to 10 get 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 points. Before that, the old 10-point system applied (10, 8, 6 and so on). Drivers like Michael Schumacher raced under that system. Since 2019, there's also 1 bonus point for the fastest lap, if the driver finishes in the top 10.

Answer: 20

An Olympic weightlifting bar for men weighs exactly 20 kilos. It is 2.20 meters long. Plates are loaded on each side of the bar. Women use a shorter bar that weighs 15 kilos. Clean and jerk records have reached over 260 kilos in total weight.

Answer: 113

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed to 2021 because of Covid. The USA won 113 medals (39 gold, 41 silver, 33 bronze) and finished first, just ahead of China. The most successful athletes were the swimmers, led by Caeleb Dressel with 5 gold medals. It was the 18th time the USA topped the summer Olympic medal table.

Answer: 15

Gaelic football has 15 players per team on the field. The sport comes from Ireland and is very old. It is played with a round ball on a large grass pitch. Players can throw, kick and fist the ball. Goals are worth three points, while kicks over the bar count as one.

Answer: 7

A converted try is worth 7 points in rugby union. The try itself counts 5 points. Two more are added for a successful kick through the posts. The conversion is taken in line with where the ball was grounded. That makes tries scored near the sideline harder to convert.

Answer: 4

Simone Biles won four gold medals in Rio 2016. She took gold in the team event, individual all-around, vault and floor. She also won bronze on balance beam. At just 19, she became the most successful US gymnast at a single Olympics. Her so-called Amanar vault and the Biles skill on floor (named after her) are considered the hardest moves in women's gymnastics.

Answer: 8

Only 8 teams have ever won the FIFA World Cup. Brazil leads with five titles. Germany and Italy follow with four each. Argentina has three, France and Uruguay two each. Spain and England have won once. Every champion comes from Europe or South America.

Answer: 15

An NFL quarter lasts 15 minutes of game time. A full game has four quarters totaling 60 minutes. But with all the stoppages, games often run over three hours. The clock stops on incomplete passes and penalties. Halftime takes 12 minutes in regular season.

Answer: 14

Zinedine Zidane received 14 red cards during his professional career. That is a lot for a world-class player. The most famous one came in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy. Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi in the chest. It was his last match as a pro.

Answer: 43

Novak Djokovic won 43 matches in a row to set his record. The streak ran from late 2010 into 2011. During that time he won three Grand Slam titles. He beat Rafael Nadal six times in a row in finals. Only Federer stopped him, at the French Open.

Answer: 6.31

Sweden's Armand Duplantis holds the pole vault world record at 6.31 meters. He cleared that height in March 2026. That is higher than a two-story house. Since 2020 he has broken his own record more than ten times. His nickname is Mondo.

Answer: 19.19

Usain Bolt holds the 200 meter world record at 19.19 seconds. He set the time at the 2009 Berlin World Championships. That was just two days after his 100 meter record. Bolt stood 1.95 meters tall and took long strides. Nobody has run faster since.

Answer: Net par + 2

For handicap scoring in golf, the limit per hole is net par plus two strokes. The rule is called Net Double Bogey. It stops one bad hole from ruining your handicap. It became the world standard in 2020. This makes scores fairer for all players.

Answer: 4

The USA has hosted the Summer Olympics four times. The host cities were St. Louis in 1904, Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984, and Atlanta in 1996. Los Angeles will host for a third time in 2028. That will make the USA the only country to host five Summer Games.

Answer: 3

The Olympic decathlon awards three medals: gold, silver and bronze. Athletes complete ten events over two days. These include sprints, long jump, shot put and 1,500 meters. All scores are added together. The winner earns the title King of Athletes.

Answer: 7,260

An Olympic shot put for men weighs 7,260 grams, or 7.26 kilos. That is as heavy as a full 7-liter water jug. Women throw a lighter shot weighing 4 kilos. The men's world record stands at over 23 meters. The shot is pushed from a small throwing circle.

Answer: 5

Tiger Woods has won The Masters five times. His wins came in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019. The 2019 victory after back surgery is seen as a great comeback. Only Jack Nicklaus has more, with six titles. The Masters is held every year in Augusta.

Answer: 5

A men's Grand Slam final is played best of five sets. That means up to 5 sets in total. Women play best of three sets. A Grand Slam final can therefore last several hours. In 2012 Djokovic and Nadal battled almost 6 hours in Melbourne.

Answer: 4

A professional golf tournament has 4 rounds. Each round covers 18 holes. Together that is 72 holes played over four days. After two rounds there is a cut, where weaker players drop out. All four majors follow this format.

Answer: Cricket

Many guess basketball or tennis, but cricket is actually number two. Around 2.5 billion fans cheer along, mostly in India, Pakistan and Australia. In Europe the sport is barely known, in South Asia it feels almost like a religion. A big match can bring a whole country to a standstill.

Answer: 9000

On a hard mountain day a pro cyclist can burn up to 9000 calories. That is about four times what a normal adult needs in a whole day. The riders eat rice cakes and gels even while riding. Without constant refueling the race would be impossible to finish.

Answer: 254.5

Slovenia's Domen Prevc flew 254.5 meters in Planica in 2025. That is longer than two soccer pitches in a row. At takeoff the skier crosses the edge at about 100 kilometers per hour. In the air the body stays stiff like a plank for more than seven seconds.

Answer: 214

Austrian Herbert Nitsch holds the record at 214 meters deep on a single breath. That is deeper than some submarines travel day to day. The dive takes only a few minutes, but the body gets squeezed enormously. These dives are extremely dangerous.

Answer: USA

Basketball was invented in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The inventor was actually a Canadian named James Naismith. He simply nailed two peach baskets to the wall and let his students throw balls into them. That is how one of the world's most loved sports began.

Answer: 565

The record stands at 565 kilometers per hour, set by Indian player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. That makes badminton the sport with the fastest ball speed in the world. Tennis only reaches around 260. The small shuttle looks harmless but turns into a missile.

Answer: Sweden

In Sweden bandy is almost as important as ice hockey. It is played on a huge sheet of ice, as big as a soccer pitch, with eleven players per team. The final in March draws tens of thousands of fans to the stands. Outside of Scandinavia and Russia barely anyone knows the sport.

Answer: 114000

The Rungrado Stadium in Pyongyang holds around 114,000 people. That makes it the largest soccer stadium in the world, ahead of Camp Nou or Wembley. It is mostly used for huge political mass shows. Actual soccer matches are played there only rarely.

Answer: 360

On long straights like Monza or Baku Formula 1 cars reach around 360 kilometers per hour. The record is 372, set by Valtteri Bottas in 2016. With a slipstream and an open rear wing they can go even faster. Drivers feel forces similar to a fighter pilot.

Answer: Thailand

Sepak takraw is hugely popular in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is like volleyball, but the rattan ball has to cross the net using only feet, knees and head. Players spin through the air like martial arts fighters. Once you see it, you never forget this sport.

Answer: England

Modern soccer was born in London in 1863 when the Football Association set down its rules. From that moment on carrying the ball with the hands was forbidden. The first official international was played in 1872, England versus Scotland. From the island the sport conquered the whole world.

Answer: Equestrian

Many guess athletics or swimming, but equestrian is Germany's strongest Olympic discipline. Since 1928 the team has won over 50 golds on horseback. Dressage, show jumping and eventing have been top level for decades. The horses are the real stars.

Answer: 5364

The Mount Everest Marathon starts at 5364 meters at Everest Base Camp. That is higher than any peak in the Alps. The air up there holds only half the oxygen at sea level. Even top runners take nearly twice as long as usual.

Answer: 10

An average pro covers around 10 kilometers per match. Midfielders often hit more than 12 kilometers, goalkeepers only about 4. Most of it is easy jogging, but every sprint pushes the whole body. By the final whistle the tank is usually truly empty.

Answer: Basketball

In Lithuania basketball is almost like a second religion. The small country of about three million people has already won several European titles. Kids dribble in every yard, every village square has a hoop. Soccer, on the other hand, only plays a tiny role.

Answer: Chamonix

The first Winter Games took place in 1924 in Chamonix, France. The town sits right at the foot of Mont Blanc in the Alps. Back then there were only 16 events and around 250 athletes. Today Chamonix is known worldwide as a paradise for climbers and skiers.

Answer: Norway

Norway clearly leads the all-time Winter Games table. The small northern country has won more than 150 gold medals. They are especially strong in cross-country skiing and biathlon. With only about five million people that is a crazy tally.

Answer: Japan

Besides the USA, baseball is number one mostly in Japan. The pro league Nippon Professional Baseball fills stadiums with millions of fans every summer. Even school kids train several hours a day. The highlight of the year is the high school championship, called Koshien.

Answer: Beach volleyball

Beach volleyball became Olympic in 1996 in Atlanta. Snowboarding only followed two years later in Nagano. Both sports were once smiled at and are now a firm part of the program. The young trend sports have long had their stars and fans.

Answer: 130

Over the three weeks of the Tour de France a rider drinks around 130 liters of water and sports drinks. That is roughly a full bathtub spread over 21 stages. On hot days eight bottles are barely enough. Without enough fluid every pro falls apart.

Answer: 224

The women's net stands at 224 centimeters, so 2.24 meters. For the men it hangs 19 centimeters higher, at 2.43 meters. Top blockers clearly get their fingers above the edge when they jump. These heights have been the same worldwide since the 1990s.

Answer: 805

Austrian Josef Bican is considered the all-time top scorer of official soccer with around 805 goals. That puts him ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Many people barely know his name because he played in the 1930s and 40s. He is the great forgotten man of world soccer.

Answer: 501

Icelander Hafthor Björnsson lifted a wild 501 kilograms in 2020. That is heavier than a full grown male polar bear. He needed special shoes, a belt and lots of chalk. The lift itself took only seconds, but the training stretched over years.

Answer: 183

The slapshot record stands at 183 kilometers per hour, fired by Russian Alexander Ryazantsev. At that speed a goalie has less than half a second to react. That is why they wear several kilos of protective gear. A hit without a mask would be truly dangerous.

Answer: Canada

Curling is something like a people's sport in Canada. There are over one million active players in the country. Almost every small town has its own curling rink. Once you understand the rules, you quickly see how tactical the game really is.

Answer: 2.76

Poland's Teodor Zajder holds the record at 2.76 seconds for a classic 3 by 3 cube. That is faster than a short cough. Speedcubers train for years until their fingers run through the patterns almost automatically. In competitions the time is stopped electronically to the thousandth of a second.

Answer: 300

Around 300 million people play table tennis regularly around the world. That makes it one of the most played sports of all. In China alone there are an estimated 100 million active players. A table fits almost anywhere, which explains the huge popularity.

Answer: 2813

On top of Dubai's Burj al Arab a tennis court sits 211 meters up as a stunt. The highest regular playable court, however, is in La Paz, Bolivia, at 2813 meters. Up there the air is so thin that the ball flies clearly farther. Guests often need a couple of days to get used to the altitude.

Answer: Cheerleading

Many think of football or boxing, but in school sports cheerleading tops the stats for serious injuries. Throws, pyramids and falls send many athletes to hospital. In the USA cheerleading causes more than two thirds of all serious school sport injuries among girls. The sport looks harmless but is actually very risky.

Answer: 120

The NFL final reaches around 120 million viewers each year in the USA alone. That is more than any other regular TV show of the year. Many people tune in mainly for the fancy ads and the halftime show. A 30-second ad can cost over 7 million dollars.

Answer: Athletics

Athletics has featured at every single Olympic Games since 1896. Already in ancient times running was the central event at Olympia. No other sport has been on the program of all modern Summer Games without a break. That is why it is called the queen of the Olympics.

Answer: 12

Over the three weeks of the race around 10 to 12 million people line the route. That makes the Tour the biggest live sports event in the world. Entry is free, and many fans camp along the route for days. On some mountain passes 500,000 people squeeze into a few kilometers.

Answer: Egypt

Most people guess England or Pakistan, but today Egypt is clearly the top squash nation. Both men and women from Egypt dominate the world rankings. Squash is trained at the highest level in Cairo and Alexandria. Whole families often produce several top players.

Answer: 5

According to FIFA around five billion people watched at least a short moment of a World Cup match. That is about 62 percent of the world's population. The final between Argentina and France alone drew over 1.5 billion live viewers. No other sports event comes close to those numbers.

Answer: 200

Top marathon runners like Eliud Kipchoge train up to 200 kilometers per week. That is almost five marathons over seven days. On top come strength work, massages and lots of sleep. Amateur runners usually cover 40 to 60 kilometers, which is already enough for a solid marathon.

Answer: Japan

Judo was created in 1882 in Japan by teacher Jigoro Kano. He wanted to develop a softer martial art without dangerous strikes. The name means roughly Gentle Way. Today judo is one of the most popular martial arts and a firm part of the Olympic program.

Answer: USA

Snowboarding was invented in the 1960s in the USA. Engineer Sherman Poppen bolted two skis together for his daughter and called it the Snurfer. A few years later Jake Burton turned it into the modern snowboard. Today the sport is Olympic worldwide.

Answer: 113

A javelin thrown by a top athlete flies at around 113 kilometers per hour. That is almost as fast as a car on a country road. During the throw the arm reaches the highest angular speed of any human motion. Afterwards the shoulder and elbow often ache for days.

Answer: 160

Muggsy Bogues was only 160 centimeters tall and played 14 seasons in the NBA. That made him shorter than most fans in the front row. Still he held his own against opponents 30 centimeters taller. His speed and vision turned him into a legend.

Answer: 5

An Olympic diving pool is at least five meters deep. From the ten meter platform divers hit the water at about 55 kilometers per hour. Without that depth the risk of injury would be far too high. Under the surface bubbles are often blown in to soften the impact.

Answer: 776

According to tradition, the first Olympic Games took place in 776 BC. They were a religious festival honoring the god Zeus. Winners only received a wreath of olive branches. Still this victor's wreath was seen as a huge honor across all of Greece.

Answer: New Zealand

In New Zealand rugby is almost a sacred sport. The national team is called the All Blacks and is seen as one of the best teams in the world. Before every match the players perform the famous Haka, a Maori war dance. Children often learn rugby there as early as kindergarten.

Answer: Athletics

Athletics is the biggest sport at every Summer Olympics. Over 2000 athletes compete in around 48 events. Almost every nation sends at least one runner. That also makes the sport one of the most diverse of the whole program.

Answer: 32

Top cyclists like Miguel Indurain came down to just 28 to 32 heartbeats per minute at rest. A normal adult usually sits between 60 and 80. The very slow heart is a sign of highly trained endurance. In a race it then beats over 180 times a minute.

Answer: 153

East Germany won 153 gold medals at the Summer Olympics in total. For a country of only 17 million people that is an amazing rate. Sport was a state affair, and many children were pushed into training very early. A dark side of the story is the state-run doping program of that time.

Answer: 6

Pro gymnasts often train six hours a day, split into two sessions. Even ten year olds spend three to four hours in the gym daily. On top come school, physiotherapy and strict nutrition. Few other sports see as many injuries.

Answer: Hockey

Many people guess cricket right away, but field hockey has been called India's national sport for decades. Between 1928 and 1956 the team won six Olympic golds in a row. Today cricket is much more popular, yet hockey stays strongly rooted. There is no official law making it the national sport, though.

Answer: Formula 1 Monaco

The Monaco Grand Prix has in recent years overtaken Super Bowl tickets on average. A good hospitality ticket in Monaco quickly costs 10,000 euros or more. The Super Bowl sits at around 6,000 dollars on average. Tiny venue, tiny seating, huge price, that is what makes Monaco a luxury event.

Answer: 6 million

About six million children and teens in Germany are active in a sports club. Soccer, gymnastics and handball are the most popular sports among them. Many clubs rely almost entirely on volunteer coaches. Without this huge network German sport would not be possible.

Answer: Archery

In Bhutan in the Himalayas archery has been the official national sport since 1971. At tournaments fans cheer the shooters with songs and dances. The targets stand 145 meters away, much farther than at Olympic events. For the small kingdom archery is far more than just a game.

Answer: about 42,000 runners

The world's most popular New Year's Eve run covers 10 kilometers through Madrid on 31 December. At the very first edition in 1964, only 57 athletes took part (City of Madrid, 2025).