Team sport

Cricket is a popular team sport played at international level

A team sport includes any sport which involves players working together towards a shared objective.

A team sport is an activity in which a group of individuals, on the same team, work together to accomplish an ultimate goal which is usually to win. This can be done in a number of ways such as outscoring the opposing team. Team members set goals, make decisions, communicate, manage conflict, and solve problems in a supportive, trusting atmosphere in order to accomplish their objectives. This can be seen in sports such as hockey, football, American football, baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, water polo, lacrosse, rugby league, rugby union, cricket, and many others.

Every team sport is different. Some team sports are practiced between opposing teams, where the players interact directly and simultaneously between them to achieve an objective. The objective generally involves teammates facilitating the movement of a ball or similar item in accordance with a set of rules, in order to score points. This usually involves careful strategic planning, good preparation, and a mental and physical toughness of each individual that is part of the team. Team sports rely on all of the players working together equally in order to succeed at the task at hand. Being part of a team sport requires that each athlete has patience and perseverance since the goals put forth to accomplish might take some time to meet. This involves a good deal of dedication, hard work, and good leadership over that span of time.

However, other types of team sports do not involve teammates facilitating the movement of a ball or similar item in accordance with a set of rules, in order to score points. For example, Swimming, Rowing, Sailing, Dragon Boat Racing, Track and Field among others are also team sports. In other types of team sports there may not be an opposing team or point scoring, for example, Mountaineering. Instead of points scored against an opposing team, the relative difficulty of the climb or walk is the measure of the achievement.

Olympic team sports

Team sports and individuals sports have been around since the ancient times. Athletes from all of the world gather in one place to showcase their skills and represent their respected country. Some team sports include but are not limited to: water polo, badminton, canoeing, soccer, field hockey, handball, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, etc. Six team sports are currently on the program of the Summer Olympics out of a total of 33 sports. A seventh team sport, rugby union, will return to the Olympics in 2016. Cricket may or may not be included in 2020 Olympics, which depends on the decision of International Cricket Council and its members.

Ice hockey, Bobsleigh, and curling are the only team sports at the Winter Olympics.

Kiprusoff making a save

All Olympic team sports now include competitions for both men and women.

Sport	Men	Women
First edition	Editions	First edition	Editions
Football at the Summer Olympics	Paris 1900	25	Sydney 2000	3
Water polo at the Summer Olympics	Paris 1900	24	Atlanta 1996	4
Field hockey at the Summer Olympics	London 1908	21	Moscow 1980	8
Basketball at the Summer Olympics	Berlin 1936	17	Montreal 1976	9
Volleyball at the Summer Olympics	Tokyo 1964	12	Tokyo 1964	12
Handball at the Summer Olympics	Berlin 1936	11	Montreal 1976	9
Ice hockey at the Winter Olympics	Chamonix 1924	21	Nagano 1998	4
Curling at the Winter Olympics	Chamonix 1924	5	Nagano 1998	4

References

• Filppu, Lucy, The Benefits of Team Sports, http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Ed_Benefits_Team_Sports/, retrieved 13 November 2010 

• Dyer, William; Dyer Jr., William; Dyer, Jeffrey (2007). Team Building: Proven Strategies for Improving Team Performance. San Francisco, Ca.: Jossey-Bass. ISBN 978-0-7879-8893-7. 

• Hanlon, Thomas (2009). The Sports Rules Book: Essential Rules, Terms, and Procedures for 54 Sports. Champaign, Il: Human Kinetics. ISBN 0880118075. 

• Metzl, Jordan; Shookhoff, Carol, Personal Benefits, http://www.enotalone.com/article/22181.html, retrieved 13 November 2010 

• Oak, Manali, List of Olympic Sports, http://www.buzzle.com/articles/list-of-olympic-sports.html, retrieved 14 November 2010