SPORT AND LEISURE.

1. Warming-up.
 Compete a list of as many sports as you can remember.
 Do you play any sports these days? If not, how do you get exercise?
 Which sports do you enjoy watching on TV? How much time do you spend watching
them?
 Which is the most dangerous sport? What kind of injuries occur when people play it?
 Which sports is your country best at? Why is it strong at these?
 What sports did you play as a child? What was your proudest moment?
 Who is your all-time favorite sportsperson? Why?
 Some new sports are called 'extreme sports'. What are some extreme sports? Have you
tried any of these?

2. Vocabulary Preview. Match the words and phrases from the left with their
meanings from the right.
1. contest a. someone who establishes an organization
2. obstacle b. a competition to do better than other people, usually in which prizes are
given
3. annual c. (of a slope) rising or falling at a sharp angle
4. founder d. something used to transport people or goods, esp. something used on
land or roads
5. participant e. something that blocks you so that movement, going forward, or action is
prevented or made more difficult
6. vehicle f. field painted with lines for playing particular sports
7. pitch g. to be actively involved in something with other people
8. to take part in h. happening once every year
9. steep i. a person who becomes involved in a particular activity

3. Look at the names of some unusual sports below. What do you think these
sports are about? How are they played?
a. Underwater Hockey
b. Quidditch
c. Wife Carrying
d. Cycle ball
e. Extreme Ironing
f. Cheese rolling
4. Read the article Weird and Unusual Sports You’ve Never Probably Heard
of. Match the paragraphs with the names of the sports from ex.3.
1. ____________________________________
The sport was first introduced at Sonkajarvi, Finland, since 1992 and made it’s way to North
America in 1999. It is a contest in which male competitors race while each carrying a female
teammate on their back. They are not required to be married legally. The objective is to go
through the obstacle track in the fastest time while carrying the female teammate on their
back. World championships are held annually. If the man drops his female teammate then
five seconds extra is added to their total time. At the annual North American championship,
winners receive the traditional prize of the wife’s weight in beer, five times her weight in cash
and an entry into World Championship in Finland.

2. ___________________________________
Also known as Octopush, mainly in the United Kingdom. It originated in England in 1954 when
Alan Blake, a founder of the newly formed South Sea Sub-Aqua Club, invented the game he
called Octopush, as a means of keeping the club’s members interested and active over the
cold winter months when open-water diving lost its appeal. First World Championship was
held in Canada in 1980. Now the sport is played worldwide, where two teams trying to push
a puck using a stick across the floor of a swimming pool into the opposing team’s goal.

3. ____________________________________
It is an extreme sport where the participants of this sport call themselves “ironists”, go to
remote areas and iron their clothes. According to the Extreme Ironing Bureau, it is “the latest
danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of
a well-pressed shirt”. It has been performed underwater, hanging from cliffs, while skiing or
snowboarding and even on top of vehicles.

4. ______________________________________
It has been inspired by a fictional game of the same name invented by author J. K. Rowling,
which is featured in the Harry Potter series. Fans inspired by the idea of this sport so much that
now it has become a real sport played internationally. There are two teams of seven players
each mounted on broomsticks played on a hockey rink-sized pitch. It borrows elements from
rugby, dodgeball, and tag. The game is also referred as muggle quidditch to distinguish it
from the fictional game, which involves magical elements such as flying broomsticks and
enchanted balls.

5. _______________________________________
It is also known as ‘radball’. This sport is a game of soccer played with bicycles, where you’re
not allowed to use any part of your body, and must only touch the ball with your bicycle
which has no brakes. The ball is controlled by the bike and the head, except when
defending the goal. The sport was introduced in 1893 by a German-American, Nicholas
Edward Kaufmann. Its first world championships were in 1929. It is popular in Austria, Belgium,
the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and Switzerland.

6. ________________________________________
It is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in
England. It was traditionally played by the local village people of Brockworth,
Gloucestershire, but now people from all over the world take part in it. The Guardian
newspaper has called it a ‘world famous event’ with winner from the United States, Australia,
New Zealand and Nepal. A large cheese wheel is rolled down a steep hill, and competitors
race after it. The first person to reach the bottom of the hill gets to take the cheese wheel
home. This sport may not sound dangerous but the steepness of the hill have resulted in
many major injuries.
Which sport seems to be the most interesting for you? Why?
Which one is the weirdest?
Which of them would you like to try?

5. Work in pairs or small groups.

Choose the sport from the article and look up more information about it.
(Origin, history, interesting facts, etc.)
Then describe it to the class.

6. Vocabulary Review. Complete the sentences below with the words and
phrases from ex.2. Sometimes you need to change their forms.
a. Last year he _________________________ in a sport competition in his town.
b. Steve Jobs is a ______________________ of Apple Company.
c. We have many different types of ______________________ on our roads across the city.
d. Football is usually played on a ____________________.
e. Nowadays businesses have to overcome a lot of _______________________ on their way to
success.
f. He was trying to ski on a very _____________________ slope, which was really dangerous.
g. Next Sunday she will be a ________________________ at a medical conference in
Chicago.
h. This religious celebration is _____________________ held in the old part of the city.
i. I would really like to take part in this ________________________ as I’m keen on this type of
sport competition.

7. Discussion.
People compete in sport, games, the economy and many other areas of life. What is
good and bad about competition?
Would you like to be a professional sportsman or woman? What would be the
advantages or disadvantages?
Are there any sports that you think should be included as an Olympic sport? Why?
What do you think of the salaries of professional athletes? Is there too much money in
sport? Are athletes paid too much or too little?
When the city helps build a new sports stadium, who benefits the most - the team,
the city, the nearby businesses, or the sports fans?
What is different between sports and e-sports?
If you had to take up any sport tomorrow, what sport would you choose? Why?
 TEACHER’S NOTES.
Vocabulary Preview:
1–b
2–e
3–h
4–a
5–i
6–d
7–f
8–g
9–c

Vocabulary Review:
a. took part
b. founder
c. vehicles
d. pitch
e. obstacles
f. steep
g. participant
h. annually
i. contest