sports

Michael Jordan went 6-0 in NBA Finals. LeBron James is the all-time leading scorer. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the scoring record for 39 years. The 10 greatest basketball players ranked by championships, statistics, and impact.

The United States leads all-time Olympic medal tables with 2,631 total medals. China dominates weightlifting and diving. Kenya owns distance running. Jamaica dominates sprints. Here's the full breakdown of which countries dominate which sports — and what drives sporting excellence.

Worldwide, skiers made about 399 million visits in 2024/25. Austria reports roughly 52 million skier days a year, and snowmaking is now central to the business.

Russia has produced more World Chess Champions than any country — 16 of 17 champions from 1927 to 2007 were Soviet or Russian. India is now the world's fastest-growing chess nation with 80+ active grandmasters. Magnus Carlsen of Norway held the world title for 10 years. Here are the countries dominating chess.

The United States has 600,000 marathon finishers annually — the most of any country. Kenya and Ethiopia dominate elite marathon racing, winning 80%+ of major marathon titles. Japan's Tokyo Marathon has the world's largest field with 38,000 runners. Here are the countries with the most marathon runners.

When you adjust for population size, Finland, Norway, and Sweden dwarf the USA and China in Olympic gold medal performance. See the full ranking of countries by all-time Olympic gold medals per million people and discover the small-nation sports powerhouses you never knew existed.

Tom Brady won 7 Super Bowls — more than any franchise in NFL history. Jerry Rice caught 197 touchdowns — a record no one has come close to breaking. Lawrence Taylor redefined the defensive end position. Here are the 10 greatest NFL players ever to play the game.

Finland and Sweden have the highest sports participation rates — over 70% of adults play sport regularly. Australia has the most sports organisations per capita. The US has the most professional sports leagues. Here's the full ranking of the world's most sports-active nations.

Russia has produced more chess grandmasters than any other country — over 256 active and historical. The Soviet Union's chess dominance was a Cold War cultural weapon, and its legacy persists decades after its dissolution. Meanwhile, India is rapidly emerging as the new chess superpower, producing prodigies at an extraordinary rate.

The United States has won more than 1,100 Olympic gold medals since 1896 — more than any other nation. The Soviet Union, which no longer exists, ranks second. Here's the all-time medal table, the stories behind the dominant nations, and how the balance of Olympic power has shifted over 130 years.