Many of today’s sports were practiced by the
Ancient Egyptians, who set the rules and regulations for them.
Inscriptions on monuments indicate that they practiced wrestling,
weightlifting, long jump, swimming, rowing, shooting, fishing and
athletics, as well as various kinds of ball games.
Ancient Egyptian kings, princes and statesmen were
keen on attending sports competitions, which they encouraged and
provided with the necessary equipment.
Drawings on pharaonic monuments tell us that
several thousand years ago, the Egyptians had laid down basic rules for
games, chosen a neutral referee, a uniform for players, and a means of
announcing the winners by awarding them different collars.
Both winner and loser were met with ovation, the first for his superiority and the latter for his sporting spirit.
Hockey 
Ancient Egyptians played a game that is
similar to our present-day hockey. Drawings on tombs at Beni Hassan in
Menia Governorate show players holding bats made of long palm-tree
branches, with a bent end similar to that of the hockey bat. The hockey
ball was made of compressed papyrus fibers covered with two pieces of
leather in the shape of a semicircle. The ball was dyed in two or more
colors.
Handball
Drawings of this sport are found on the
Saqqara tombs, five thousand years old. The ball was made of leather and
stuffed with plant fibers or hay, or made of papyrus plants in order to
be light and more durable. It was seldom used for more than one match.
The painting shows four girls playing
handball. Each team throws the ball to the other at the same time.
Players can either be on their feet or on top of their teammates’ backs
while exchanging balls.
Archery 
Archery was a well-known sport in Ancient
Egypt and was often recorded on plates in ancient temples. These plates
show the kings’ and princes’ skill in accurate aiming at the target,
and their strength in pulling the bow.
Archery competitions were common. In the
21st century BC King Amenhotep II boasted that he pierced the middle of a
thick brass target with four arrows. He then set a prize for anyone who
could do the same.
Gymnastics: Consecutive Vault
This painting represents pharaonic
gymnastics. The players performed consecutive vaults without touching
the floor with their heads and making more than one complete turn in the
air.
At the end of the exercise the players
stand firmly upright, which is one of the basic rules of floor exercise
applied in today’s Olympics.
Tug of War 
One of the ancient Egyptian plates at the
"Marorika tomb" shows teams standing in two opposite rows, with the
first players of each row holding hands and pulling back each other
while the other members of each team hold each other tightly by the
waist and try to pull back the opposite team.
The first contestant in the front has one
foot supported by that of his opposite number. This sport is still
practiced in the Egyptian countryside.
Javelin Throw
Javelin throwing during the Pharaonic age
was first linked to hunting. Drawings show how the hunter could hit his
prey by one single throw despite its speed. The javelin differed in
length according to the kind of prey.
The javelin is thrown upwards lightly so
that it revolves in quick spins until it returns to the player to be
used again. The javelin is a stick with a twisted end.
The picture shows the player in a position of readiness to throw.
Fishing 
Fishing was one of the sports practiced
by kings, princes and commoners. There are many drawings of scenes of
fishing as a hobby on the Saqqara tombs of the Old Kingdom as much as
there are on the New Kingdom monuments.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo comprises
numerous kinds of fishing rods and hooks of various shapes, which
indicate the advance of such a sport in ancient Egypt.
Boxing
Some ancient Egyptian scenes of boxing as
a game were found in the tomb of "Mery Ra" in the Minia Governorate and
in the "Ptah Hotep" tomb in Saqqara. In this picture, a player is
depicted in a position ready to direct his blows with his fist to
another player, who in turn, tries to repel these blows. Pharaohs and
princes watched the boxing match, which indicates that it was an
organized contest.
Weightlifting
Weightlifting
was one of the sports known by the ancient Egyptians. One method of
weightlifting was the attempt to lift a heavy sack of sand with one hand
(clean and jerk lift) and keep it high in a quasi-vertical position.
The player had to stay in that position for a short period. This is one
of the rules of weightlifting applied till now.
High Jump
Ancient Egyptians practiced field and
track sports such as the high jump. Two players sat opposite each other
with legs stretched, with one player’s feet on top of the toes of the
other. If the third player managed to jump over that barrier, the two
sitting players placed their palms on top of their feet to heighten the
barrier which the third player had to jump across without touching.
This game is still practiced in the Egyptian countryside and is called "goose steps".
Swimming 
Swimming was the favorite sport of the
ancient Egyptians, who made use of the River Nile to practice it. The
Nile was not the only place for swimming contests. Noblemen’s palaces
had swimming pools in which princes learnt the sport.
The calm waters of the Nile encouraged youths to hold swimming competitions in which they could show their skills.
Rowing
Rowing was one of the sports that
required most physical strength on the part of the ancient Egyptian.
Plates recorded team-rowing in which the players depended on harmonizing
their rowing according to the directives of their leader who held the
rudder. The leader also controlled their movement through a high-pitched
systematic call to unify the moment when oars touched the surface of
the water and that helped to push the boat forward more steadily and
swiftly - a method still being adopted in rowing nowadays.
Gymnastics (floor exercise)
The ancient Egyptians invented many sports, some for entertainment, and others for keeping strong, physically fit, and slim.
The picture dates back to 2000 years BC.
It shows a gymnastics drill in which the body is bent backwards until
the hand s touch the ground, revealing bodily flexibility. It is one of
the most commonly practiced exercises today.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
The picture shows four players
performing rhythmic gymnastics in different positions. The one on the
left stands on one foot, stretching his two arms horizontally, and
lifting one leg as high as possible to the front to help him revolve
swiftly and lightly.
The two players in the middle are
standing facing each other, bending their arms near their shoulders
while twisting their waists towards the left and right.
The fourth player stands on his head
upside down in perfect equilibrium, without touching the floor with his
arms. All these positions are close to some practiced in today’s
rhythmic gymnastics.
Tug of Hoop
This is an ancient Egyptian game in which
two players compete in pulling the hoop swiftly. Each contestant fixes a
hooked staff to hinder any snatch of the hoop by the other player. This
game needs sharp physical maneuvers and strict observation,
particularly because the hooked staff is used both to pull the hoop and
support it from falling flat on the floor.
Marathon 
Marathon races were of the utmost
importance in ancient Egypt, particularly during celebrations marking
the assumption of power of new kings. One of the rituals of these
celebrations was to hold a marathon run by the king around the temples
before spectators to reveal his physical strength and his ability to
rule using his bodily as well as mental capabilities.
History records that the Pharaoh,
together with those who were born on the same day of his birth,
participated in hectic marathons. No one was allowed to have a meal
before covering 180 stages of his race.
