Britain continues to lead the way in the sporting arena.
While England is a historically rich nation, it is also known for its valuable contribution to the world of sport. The world famous Lords cricket ground and Wimbledon tennis courts have hosted some of the biggest sporting events in recent history. The interest in sport is as much a part of the English diet as an English breakfast.
Government backing
A number of independent and government-funded organisations in the UK fuel and foster the interest in sport from a very early age. Schools and clubs treat sport as a healthy and vital part of the curriculum. The government believes that sport contributes towards building safe, strong and sustainable communities. Approximately 20 million people-half of all the adults in the UK-take part in sporting activities each week. A total of 420,000 people are also employed directly or indirectly in sport.
A report published in 2005 titled, Improving opportunity, strengthening society, states that, "Bringing people together is an important part of fostering cohesion. Sports and cultural events have an excellent track record in bringing people from all backgrounds, including young and old, together, from engaging in international events such as the Olympics, to participating in local sports activities or cultural events."
The country's interest and success in various sporting events has made it a front-runner in the sporting arena. Great Britain moved from being a mere Olympic participant at the Atlanta Games in 1996 to a top 10 nation in the games at Sydney and Athens. These results are now the foundation of a move to build a high-performance system in the country that is world-leading in terms of athlete support, coaching, facilities, training and preparation, and delivers lasting success on the international stage.
Olympic hosts in 2012
Londoners experienced a moment of unadulterated joy when the city was declared the host of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, on July 6 last year. It will be the first time the Olympics has been held in Britain since 1948. The Olympic Park will be the focal point of the Olympics for the duration of the games.
Funding for Olympic and Paralympic sport has received a massive boost as additional funding has been assigned for the three years through to Beijing 2008. More than 27 Olympic sports are expected to benefit from the funding. As hectic preparation gets under way, all eyes will be focused on the UK.
Football
In England, football is treated almost like religion. There is a mass following of the games held at both national and international levels. England has a number of leagues and football clubs that foster the passion for the game. Most of the fans travel miles to support their teams.
The Football Association (FA) is the governing body of football in England. All of England's professional football clubs must be members, while thousands of semi-professional and amateur clubs also belong to the association.
The FA Premier League in the UK is a league competition for English football clubs located at the top of the English football league system, making it England's primary football competition. It comprises the top 20 football clubs in the league system of English football. It was created in 1992, when the First Division football clubs broke away from the Football League after securing a greatly improved TV rights deal. The first seasons reduced the size of the league to 20 clubs.
The new name was simply a commercial restructuring and a re-branding exercise as there was no innovation in competitive terms; an identical first tier league had existed the previous season. The Premiership boasts some of the best players in the world, including many from outside England. Winning the Premier League is considered the greatest honour in English football and guarantees qualification for the UEFA Champions League, Europe's elite club competition.
The Premier League is the most lucrative football league in the world, with total club revenues of over £1.3 billion (Dh8.8 billion) in 2003-04. Promoted as "The greatest show on earth", the FA Premier League is the world's most popular and most watched sporting league, followed worldwide by over a billion people. It is a highly anticipated event that is showcased in more than 150 countries worldwide.
The England national football teams' greatest triumph to date was winning the World Cup in 1966. Famous English players include Wayne Rooney, Jamie Carragher, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen, Joe Spence, Dixie Dean and Billy Walker, among others.
Cricket
Though cricket is now played with much enthusiasm around the world, England is credited with the birth of the game. England played in the first test match against Australia in Melbourne in 1877 as well as the first One Day International in Melbourne in 1971.
England was one of the dominant teams in international cricket, fielding a strong side for most of the game's history. This dominance began to fade in the 1980s as other international teams became more competitive. However from 2000 onwards, English cricket has seen much resurgence and the team is now ranked second, after Australia, in the International Cricket Council (ICC) test cricket ratings.
The famous rivalry between the Australian and English cricket teams began in 1882, when England lost on home ground. So severe was the shock at such a turn of events that the Sporting Times printed an obituary to English cricket, which read:
"In Affectionate Remembrance of English cricket, which died at the Oval on 29th August, 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P. N.B. - The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."
When England toured Australia the following winter, having won the series, the English captain, the Honorary Ivo Bligh was presented with an urn that contained ashes and ?The Ashes' series was born.
Rugby
There's football and there's rugby. Don't be fooled into believing they are one and the same. In fact, rugby football, which is played throughout the world, originated in England in a place that goes by the same name. Legend has it that the game was invented by William Ellis in 1823 at Rugby school, which is near the centre of Rugby, a market town in the country of Warwickshire in central England on the River Avon.
It was recorded that during a simple game of football (soccer) Ellis simply picked up the ball and ran towards the goal. Rugby grew throughout Britain and the rest of the world as a game for the wealthy. Only the wealthy could afford to play the sport because of the medical expenses.
According to the Visit Britain organisation, "Though some claim that rugby is a brutal sport, it can only be said that until you hold that ball in your hand and you are on the field, you understand the nature of the game. It is definitely rough but rugby seems to keep the aggressiveness on the field, unlike other sports where it's the supporters who sometimes cause trouble. This sport creates families - societies in which people have built businesses and collaborations with fellow club members and players"
The English National Rugby Union team England Rugby, represents England at a national level in International Rugby Union competitions, namely the World Cup and the Six Nations Championship. They are the current world champions having won the 2003 Rugby World Cup. An estimated 750,000 lined the streets of London to celebrate their achievement. England competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and has won it more times than any other nation.
There are few nations where sport is such an important part of the national culture as it is in the UK. It is a passion not only applied to English competitors as visiting teams and athletes have often found themselves cheered by the local crowds. As a testimony to this, after the World Indoor Athletics Championship in Birmingham in 2003, the International Association of Athletic Federations General Secretary, Istvan Gyulai, said, "I have seen many world championships, both indoor and outdoors, but we have never experienced more support from the host city."
