#10 – Cross Country Running

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Cross Country Running is a type of sport where individuals or teams run a race on open-air courses generally 4 – 12 kilometers long over natural terrain. The event is typically organized during autumn and winter but in some scenarios it may be organized in a wide range of temperatures to create maximum difficulty. Cross Country Running was started in the 19th century in England where the schools started participating in cross country races as early as in 1837. The first recorded national cross country championship was held on Wimbledon Common in south-west London on 7th December, 1867. The first international cross country race was organized on 28th March, 1903, at the Hamilton Park Racecourse in Scotland. The IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the elite competition of the modern days cross country race since it was established in 1973.

#9 – Freestyle Wrestling

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Freestyle wrestling is a form of amateur wrestling that is practiced by many wrestling fanatics all over the world. It is one of two styles of wrestling besides the Greco-Roman Wrestling that is contested in the Olympic Games. The ultimate goal of these sports is to pin down the opponent to the mat which results in the victory. Freestyle wrestling is one of the four main styles of global wrestling according to the international governing body for the sport, United World Wrestling. The modern variant of freestyle wrestling is believed to be originated as the “catch-as-catch-can” wrestling in the United States and Great Britain. Interestingly, “catch-as-catch-can” wrestling was performed by several U.S. presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt and many more.

#8 – Horseback Riding

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Horseback Riding or the Equestrianism involves steeple chasing or vaulting with horses and riding horses. The horses are trained to perform a set of skills on the course or to achieve great speed and the co-ordination between the horse and the jockey or the horse rider has a great impact on the event. Many historian claims that trained horses were first ridden in approximately 4500 BC, where numerous other historians doubted that horses were ridden long before this claim. Thoroughbred horse racing or flat racing is the most popular form of these sports and is governed by the Royal Charter Jockey Club in the UK and the Jockey Club in the USA. Steeplechasing or National Hunt racing is also a popular variant of the sport where the horses jump over obstacles while racing on a track. The international governing body of Horseback Riding is the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.

#7 – Bull Riding

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Bull Riding is the most popular type of Rodeo sports where the rider attempts to stay mounted while the bull attempts to buck off the rider. The rider must stay for eight seconds atop the bucking bull and due to the risk it is often referred as “the most dangerous eight seconds in sports.” Bull riding was derived from the Mexican Charreada. One of the earliest variant of Bull Riding called Jaripeo, a hacienda contest, was developed during the 16th century where the riders rode the bull until it stopped bucking or till the rider dies. A Texas Ranger named H. L. Kinney staged the first Anglo-American organized bullfight in 1852 in the southwest. Both the rider and the bull are awarded from 0–50 points by two judges based on several fundamental aspects of the event. Cowboy boots and hats are the additional attractions of these sports besides the riding.

#6 – Water Polo

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Water polo is a team water sport consisting of four periods where two teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opponent’s net. Each team of this game consists of six field players and one goalkeeper in the water. Water Polo typically played in at least 1.8meters deep pools with a water polo ball that floats on the water. The game comprises swimming, catching and shooting the ball using a single hand. The game is considered to be originated as a sort of “water rugby” in the late 19th century in Scotland. William Wilson first organized a set of rules for a team water ball game called “aquatic football” in 1877. The first ever game of Aquatic Football or Water Polo was organized at the Bon Accord Festival between the banks of the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland in the late 19th century. Fédération Internationale de Natation is the governing body of this game on international level.

#5 – Figure Skating

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Figure Skating is a type of sport where teams, duos or individual skaters perform on figure skates on ice. Men’s singles, ladies’ singles, ice dancing and pair skating are the four main Olympic disciplines of this game. Figure Skating was first introduced in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London as the first winter sports in Olympic. The International Skating Union is the governing body of international Figure Skating that includes the Winter Olympics, the World Championships, the Four Continents Championships, the European Championships and the Grand Prix of skating. Figure skating blades used in this sport is typically 4.7mm thick with a slight curve of an arc of a circle having a radius of 180-220cm. Figure skaters usually perform spins, lifts,  jumps, throw jumps, moves in the field, death spirals and various other moves.

#4 – Motor Cross

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing on enclosed off-road circuits. It is one of the most physically demanding sports and usually organized in all-weather conditions. Motocross is believed to be originated from motorcycle trials competitions in the United Kingdom. The earliest reference of the origination this sport can be found in the first quarterly trial of the Auto-Cycle Clubs in 1906 and the Scottish Six Days Trial in 1909. The word “Motocross” is a combination of Motocyclette, the French word for motorcycle, with “cross country”. The first ever scramble race or modern Motocross was held in 1924 at Camberley, Surrey. The FIM Motocross World Championship, the AMA Motocross Championship, British Motocross Championship and Motocross des Nations are the major event of the Motocross. This sport is internationally governed by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme.

#3 – Skiing

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Skiing is a form of ice sports where contestants use skis to glide on snow. The word “Ski” derived from “skíð”, an Old Norse word that means “split piece of wood or firewood”. This sport is internationally governed by the International Olympic Committee and the International Ski Federation. The earliest reference of Skiing was found in a primitive carving located in Rødøy in the Nordland region of Norway depicting a skier with one pole from circa 5000 B.C. Skiing was first primarily used for transport and Military ski races were held during the 18th century in Norway. Two main genres of this sport, the Alpine Skiing and the Nordic Skiing were developed in the 1930s. Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, Alpine skiing combined and Downhill are the main discipline of Alpine skiing. Cross-country, Telemark, Ski touring, Skijoring and Ski-flying are the main discipline of Nordic skiing.

#2 – Swimming

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Swimming is a type of water sport where swimmers try to swim as fast as possible with various strokes such as Butterfly stroke, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle. It is internationally governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation. The earliest reference of swimming was found in paintings dates back to the Stone Age around 8000 B.C. The reference of swimming can also be traced in ancient books such as the Bible, the Quran, the Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey and the Beowulf.  The first swimming book called “Der Schwimmeroder ein Zweigesprächüber die Schwimmkunst” was written by a German professor of languages Nikolaus Wynmann in 1538. The first indoor swimming pool named St George’s Baths was opened in 1828 for the public. The National Swimming Society held swimming competitions in six artificial swimming pools in London in 1837.

#1 – Gymnastics

Top 10 Most Difficult Sports in the World

Gymnastics is a complex sport that needs physical strength, flexibility, grace, agility, power, coordination, balance and control. The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique founded in 1881 governs the competitive gymnastic events internationally, with each country having its own national governing body. Modern gymnastics was first developed by three pioneer physical educators in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Germany, in the form of exercises for young men and boys, on apparatus. Of the gymnastic events, the competitive gymnastics is considered the best known. The men’s events include high bar, parallel bars, vault, still rings, pommel horse and floor exercise, while the women’s events include vault, floor exercise, balance beam, uneven bars. Exercises used by the ancient Greeks have been evolved in gymnastics. There are several other gymnastic disciplines.