Major events in popular sport

Popular sport is very diverse, involving all kinds of different sporting activities – mostly played on a non-organised basis.
The main difference between popular sport and competitive sport is the motivation behind it. In popular sport, the focus is on boosting health and enjoying the experience. Competitive sport, on the other hand, is aimed primarily at achieving performance goals in order to be able to compete with other athletes at national or international level. However, there is no clear dividing line between popular and competitive sport. Popular sport should not be confused with club sport or amateur sport. The distinctive characteristic of amateur sport is that amateur athletes engage in other income-earning activities alongside their sporting pursuits in order to earn a living. A variety of commercial providers now offer a range of popular sporting activities such as fitness programmes, walking holidays, etc.