Home > Sports > List > Illegal Sports

Throughout history, sports have been a way for people to test their skills, endurance, and courage. However, not all competitions are celebrated or even allowed. Some activities are classified as illegal sports, that is, events or contests banned by law due to safety concerns, ethical issues, or their connection to criminal activities.

Banning Sports for National Defense

Rulers have at times made certain sports illegal. Sports and leisure activities were not always seen as personal pastimes, but matters of national importance, and rulers have been willing to step in to regulate the behavior of their subjects accordingly.

In Tudor times in England, sport was heavily controlled by the government. In 1512, King Henry VIII banned the ordinary person from a whole range of games and sports such as real tennis, cards, dice, bowls, and skittles. It was considered that time should be spent in more productive pursuits, such as archery, which was seen as vital for national defense. Laws were introduced to ensure men practiced archery regularly, and heavy fines were imposed on those caught playing frivolous games instead.

Safety, Ethics and Criminal Activities

A sport may be classified as illegal for several reasons: it might involve serious risk to human life, cruelty to animals, violation of public decency laws, or association with gambling, organized crime, or violence. Governments and international organizations often step in to outlaw these activities to protect both the participants and the wider community.

Illegal due to Animal Cruelty

Sports involving cruelty to animals were once common, particularly the wide range of blood sports. Even today, there are sports involving animals that many consider inappropriate, and in some cases, they are banned altogether. The sport of hunting, for example, is now heavily regulated in many parts of the world, only permitted at certain times of the year and often under strict conditions to protect animal populations. A striking example from history is the event of live pigeon shooting, which was once part of the Olympic Games. The event did not last long and would certainly be considered unacceptable by today’s standards, reflecting changing attitudes toward animal welfare in sport.

Examples of sports banned due to animal cruelty:

• Dog fighting — where animals are forced into brutal combat.
• Cockfighting — roosters forced into a bloody combat.
• Hare Coursing — hares are chased by greyhounds, banned due to animal cruelty.
• Hunting — involving tracking and killing animals with various weapons.
• Bull Fighting — involves one or more bulls that are being fought in a bullring.

---

---

Illegal Due to Safety Reasons

Some sports are made illegal because they are too dangerous and put people's lives at serious risk. Governments often step in to stop these sports to protect participants and the public from injury or death.

Examples of sports banned due to safety reasons:

• BASE Jumping — can be banned when involving parachuting from unauthorized sites, such as city skyscrapers or public landmarks.
• Bare-knuckle boxing — boxing without using gloves or any other type of padding on their hands. May be illegal, depending on the region and the lack of regulation.
• Street Racing — especially in unauthorized high-speed car or motorcycle events.

Illegal Due to Indecency

Nude sports might be made illegal because they can be seen as offensive to public decency or morality. Some governments also worry that such activities could encourage unsafe or inappropriate behavior.

---

---

Related Pages

• About Blood Sports
• About Extinct Sports
• A History of Sports
• Complete List of Sports
• Technological Doping in Sports - Enhancement or Deception?
• Sports Doping
• Discontinued Olympic Sports
• List of Unusual Sports