Can You Match the Equipment to the Sport?

By: Olivia Cantor
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Match the Equipment to the Sport?
Image: krisanapong detraphiphat / Moment / Getty Images

About This Quiz

An international event that captivates audiences worldwide is the Olympics. Whether you're fans of the Summer Olympics of the Winter Olympics, it doesn't matter much as long as you appreciate and support sports in general.

The International Olympic Committee oversees the facilitation of both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics. It's a great way of seeing different countries come together and perform in friendly matches. Around 200 countries send their delegates to these events, and the worldwide audience sees where each country excels in sportsmanship.

In more recent years, the need to develop different Olympic-level events came about. The aim is to broaden opportunities for people with disabilities to compete on an Olympic level. Thus, now we have the Paralympic Games for athletes who aren't able-bodied but get conditioned enough to compete using assistive devices such as wheelchairs. There's also the Deaflympics for deaf athletes to compete in a revised environment better fit for the hearing impaired. And there's even the Special Olympics where able-bodied people with intellectual disabilities also compete.

Whatever type of athlete you're rooting for, there's universal equipment they all use for specific sporting games and competitions. We'll feature some of the most common ones here in this quiz for you to guess, OK? 

Ready, set, go! 

Baseball
Shutterstock
Hitters use a bat while catchers use a mitt in which sport?
Baseball
Kendo
Cricket
Field hockey
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

American kids grew up collecting baseball cards pictured with their favorite popular baseball superstars plus their accompanying career stats. Also included in the cards are the players' autographs.

Advertisement

Football
Erik Isakson/ Blend Images/ Getty Images
Players need to wear these helmets and shoulder pads for which game?
Harness racing
High jump
Deadlifting
Football
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To distinguish specific sports played in different regions of the world, people call North American football "gridiron football" sometimes because of the field design. Today, gridiron football is synonymous only with the football played in the U.S.

Advertisement

English Billiards
Shutterstock
A cue stick needs cue chalk for which sport?
Darts
Billiards
Croquet
Polo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Whether you play it as billiards, pool or snooker, these games share several common pieces of equipment. Since the balls they use are shiny, the cue sticks need to have their edges chalked. The chalk enables the stick to touch the balls better, enough to propel them to the desired pocket.

Advertisement

4 Swimming goggles
Fajrul Islam / Moment / Getty Images
For better underwater vision, this sport requires goggles. What is it?
Bodybuilding
Crab soccer
Swimming
Alpine skiing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Swimming as a sport requires specific swimming strokes to use for specific types of races or swim meets. There's the freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke, and the backstroke. Diving might be swimming-related, too, but it's considered a different sport altogether.

Advertisement

Archery
shutterstock
Bow and arrow sets will set you up for which sport?
Ballooning
Chase tag
Archery
Demolition derby
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you think simply pulling an arrow on a bow to shoot a target is what constitutes archery, think again! Other protective gear needs to be in place before even starting such as an arm guard, a chest guard, and finger tabs to decrease friction and chafing.

Advertisement

Hockey
Shutterstock
Having a stick and a puck means you're playing which sport?
Dodgeball
Golf
Hockey
Eightball
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Winter countries developed the game of hockey wherein they can play on frozen water or ice rinks using hook-like sticks and a round but flat puck. But aside from the popular ice hockey, there are variations to this sport which don't require wintertime weather or equipment.

Advertisement

7 Basketball
skynesher / E+ / Getty Images
Hoops, there it is! What sport makes you shoot through them?
Duckpin bowling
Billiards
Lacrosse
Basketball
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

James Naismith holds the credit for inventing basketball as an indoor sport during wintertime. He put up two baskets on opposing sides but the game had to halt whenever someone scored. To avoid the delay caused by getting the ball out of the basket, he thought of removing the basket bottoms.

Advertisement

Bowling Ball
Getty/bpablo
This sport requires the ball to have holes. Guess which one!
Volleyball
Futsal
Bowling
Gateball
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People intimidated with carrying the huge and heavy bowling ball with holes for the fingers can practice with duckpin bowling first. Unlike the usual tenpin bowling, this one uses smaller balls without holes that are not as heavy as regular bowling balls.

Advertisement

Tennis
shutterstock
Hitting the ball with this racket is the name of which game?
Javelin
Pole vault
Tennis
Hammer throw
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tennis produced great players who made a mark on the court and outside of it, too. One of them is Arthur Ashe, the Grand Slam titleholder who also boldly came out with his HIV-positive status in the early '90s. He helped educate the public about the virus during those years.

Advertisement

Karate
shutterstock
Multicolored belts are more than just fashion accessories in which sport?
Gymnastics
Hardball squash
Karate
Flag football
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although there are many martial arts that emphasize the use of weapons, karate relies on using body parts as defensive and offensive weapons. The term means "empty hand" in Japanese and newbies wear white belts. Belt colors change as players improve ranks.

Advertisement

11 Cycling
mikkelwilliam / E+ / Getty Images
Great pedals can make or break a ride in which sport?
Horse polo
Ice sledge racing
Cycling
Hang gliding
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Spectators might be familiar with Tour de France as the ultimate cycling competition for worldwide cyclists; but the French don't have a monopoly on these cycling events. The U.S. has its Amgen Tour of California, Spain has Vuelta a España while Italy has the Giro d'Italia event.

Advertisement

12 Relay racing
andresr / E+ / Getty Images
This track and field game type requires the passing of this baton. Know this one?
Inline skating
Jai alai
Kegel
Relay racing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The most common type of relay racing, when seen from the track and field category, involves runners passing on a relay baton to one another. There's a skill to passing this baton and there's an area designated for passing as well. Violating both can result to penalties or disqualification.

Advertisement

13 Badminton
Dan Prince / Cultura / Getty Images
In this sport, you let the shuttlecock fly. Familiar with this one?
Kemari
Windsurfing
Laser tag
Badminton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Like lawn tennis, badminton players also use a racket but it's not as heavy as tennis ones. But unlike tennis, there's no ball hit in badminton but a projectile called shuttlecock. It's a cone-shaped device formerly created with feathers attached to a cork center.

Advertisement

14 Boxer training
Fuse / Corbis / Getty Images
Training for this sport requires this punching bag. What high stakes game is this?
Long jump
Lumberjack
Marathon
Boxing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Two ancient ways of fisticuffs contributed to boxing as we know it today. Early boxers, known as pugilists, got that term from pugilism or fighting using uncovered clenched fists.

Advertisement

15 Muay Thai pad training
Sumalee Boxing Gym / YouTube
A Muay Thai pad is also useful for training in which sport?
Orienteering
MMA
Luge
Wrestling
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Wondering just what kinds of sports disciplines are legit in mixed martial arts or MMA? Aside from the obvious ways of boxing, athletes can also display their prowess in judo, wrestling, karate, Muay Thai or kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, taekwondo, capoeira, wushu sanshou and sambo.

Advertisement

Paintball
Joy Sale/Moment/Getty Images
Colorful grenades will hurt your ego more than your body in which sport?
Paintball
Canoeing
Paddleball
Rafting
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Need a shootout sport where no one gets physically hurt? Then try paintball shooting wherein you'll use specially designed weapons filled with gel-like capsules filled with paint colors. The object is to shoot the opponent and you'll score when they get hit by those colors.

Advertisement

Equestrian
shutterstock
A horse is the basic "equipment" you need for which sport?
Rally racing
Sandboarding
Taekwondo
Equestrianism
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

We may simply know it as "horseback riding" but the actual sporting term recognized by the International Olympic Committee is known as equestrianism. The competition involves different strands which include jumping, dressing and eventing.

Advertisement

Golf Club
Shutterstock
You use these clubs not for dancing but for hitting. What sport uses these things?
Target shooting
Golf
Pelota
Water polo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The golf we know today had its prototype originate from Scotland sometime during the Middle Ages but a similar game already existed in the Netherlands much earlier. Also, a similar game already manifested in ancient Chinese dynasties and during the Roman Empire.

Advertisement

Chess Pieces
Shutterstock
We move pieces called the queen, king, bishop, knight and pawn in which sport?
Chess
Washer pitching
Tent pegging
Squat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Naysayers don't consider chess a sport because it "lacks a physical aspect." But the English Chess Federation begs to differ and argues that there's a physical component to it. They say that to have the great mental condition needed to play, one's body must be in good physical condition, too.

Advertisement

Roller Derby
Shutterstock
Wearing skates is the key to winning in which team sport?
Steeplechase
Roller derby
Rugby union
Pushball
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Certain sporting competitions also get treated as a "spectacle sport" since scripted theatrics and exaggerated showmanship become part of its process and attracts audiences more than the sporty side of it. One such sport is the roller derby where two skater groups try to "out-skate" each other.

Advertisement

21 Kayaking race
technotr / E+ / Getty Images
Skillfully maneuvering double-bladed paddles wins the race for you in which sport?
Kayaking
Quidditch
Racquetball
Pencak Silat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

For those who get confused with kayaking and canoeing, the athlete's position and the paddle they use will tell the difference. When you see the athlete sitting, legs hidden by the contraption, using a paddle with two blades, that's kayaking. Canoeing uses a single blade paddle only.

Advertisement

22 Man surfing
John Seaton Callahan / Moment / Getty Images
Ride a shortboard or a longboard to score big in which sport?
Parkour
Surfing
Obstacle course racing
Nordic skiing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Common folks might think that surfing is just one leisurely way to while away time on the beach, but it's also a competitive sport with scheduled worldwide competitions. The World Surf League provides information for these events.

Advertisement

Fencing
Image Source/Image Source/Getty Images
Failing is not an option if you use this foil in which fighting sport?
Fencing
Nine ball
Muay Thai
Land sailing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fencing uses three types of weapons or swords for the competition; the most familiar and common to all is the foil. The épée is the second one and the third is sabre or saber. Each sword type also has its distinct areas in the body where you're only allowed to hit for points.

Advertisement

24 Rodeo
Mlenny / E+ / Getty Images
One can get by with a rope and cowboy hat in which competitive sport?
Kung-Fu
Rodeo
Judo
Hunting
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, rodeo is indeed a sport and it's also very competitive since it involves cowboys, cowgirls, horses, cattle and other livestock needed for events. While the term "rodeo" is American, the sport is also big in cattle-herding countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, among others.

Advertisement

25 race car
simonkr / E+ / Getty Images
If you got a fast car, leave Tracy Chapman behind and play this sport first.
Ice canoeing
Hydroplane racing
Auto racing
Horse pulling
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The terms Grand Prix, Formula One, Le Mans, NASCAR or Daytona 500 might be familiar to auto racing enthusiasts. To outsiders, these races might appear the same but the pros know that they're not! There are various types of races depending on the vehicle you use and how the race track gets set up.

Advertisement

Wrestling
shutterstock
The point of this sport is pinning your opponent on this mat. Can you name the game?
Horseshoes
Gliding
Wrestling
Freediving
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Grappling is the name of the game for wrestling wherein athletes need to perform specific holds and pinning down of their opponents to earn points. But the U.S.-based World Wrestling Entertainment promoted professional wrestling full of theatrics that people sometimes consider fake.

Advertisement

27 man snow skiing
Karl Weatherly / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Poles are essential to pull up your lead in which sport?
Freestyle BMX
Enduro
Dragonboat racing
Skiing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you think putting on skis and using poles to ride down a slope constitutes skiing, think again! There are different skiing types depending on the technique you use and location where you do it. There's the usual Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and freestyle skiing, to name a few.

Advertisement

28 Powerlifting
EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER / E+ / Getty Images
Brains, brawn and barbells combine to win points in which sport?
Downhill skiing
Powerlifting
Curling
Bridge
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Older generations might remember that they called this barbell-carrying sport as weightlifting before and it was just one part of the competition. However, athletes who wanted to focus more on the lifting aspect developed powerlifting as a separate game altogether.

Advertisement

Table tennis
shutterstock
They also call this a Ping-Pong ball in which sport?
Breakdancing
Table tennis
Axe throwing
Canadian football
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Table tennis is parallel in playing style with lawn tennis, the reason why it's termed as such. But when it was invented in England, it didn't have a name yet. A British entrepreneur started manufacturing equipment for it which he trademarked as "Ping-Pong" so that name stuck for a while.

Advertisement

30 Bullfighting
Miguel Michán - www.miguelmichan.com / Moment / Getty Images
Waving this red cape can be a life or death decision in which sport?
Camel racing
Decathlon
Bullfighting
Eventing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bullfighting involves a matador waving a red cape for a bull to charge or attack them; the point is to subdue the attacking animal. Contrary to popular belief, the bull doesn't react to the color of the cape. Rather, it reacts to its movement which triggers it to attack the one holding the cloth.

Advertisement

31 Motocross
Karl Weatherly / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Motorcycles take center stage in which racing sport?
Fell running
Motocross
Giant slalom
Harness racing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Motorcycle riders need to get tough and alert while competing in a motocross. It's good that they use secure helmets in this race since they're required to ride on dirt road types of terrain for the competition.

Advertisement

32 Lacrosse
Comstock / Stockbyte / Getty Images
This stick with a net on one end is useful in which sport?
Hardball squash
Ice hockey
Lacrosse
Wushu
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Indigenous peoples of the planet played many of the sports prototypes we now enjoy today such as lacrosse. This game was also a war training routine for Native American people since the rigorous way they played it was akin to strength and endurance training needed for battle.

Advertisement

Balance Beam
Shutterstock
A balance beam can make or break careers or bones in which sporting event?
Aikido
Kickball
Gymnastics
Arnis
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In gymnastics, your basic equipment is actually your body which you need to train for flexibility, strength, grace, agility, stamina, poise and of course balance. This training will reflect on how a gymnast performs in various events like the balance beam.

Advertisement

34 Bobsled
Dmytro Aksonov / E+ / Getty Images
Which winter sports game uses sleighs?
Bobsled
Kitesurfing
Letterboxing
Medieval football
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bobsled or bobsleigh races is officially a Winter Sports Olympic game where winter countries send teams to race using sleds or sleighs. So imagine a tropical country like Jamaica sending a bobsled team to compete. Watch their true story in the 1993 biopic "Cool Runnings."

Advertisement

35 Clay pigeon shooting
photographer3431 / E+ / Getty Images
Shotguns hit flying targets in which blasting sport?
Mob football
Clay pigeon shooting
Over-the-line
Paddle tennis
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In clay pigeon shooting, they release targets high in the air and shooters need to gun it down using shotguns. If you're thinking that the sports' name sounds cruel and violent, that's because this sport originated using real pigeons.

Advertisement

Croquet Mallet
Shutterstock
Open your wallet to buy a mallet if you want to play which sport?
Croquet
Outrigger canoeing
Airsoft
Discus throwing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The elongated hammer-like club used for croquet is a mallet while the hoops where the ball should go are wickets. An earlier version of this game was highly popular in France centuries ago called paille-maille or pall-mall. Croquet developed in the 1800s.

Advertisement

37 Soccer goalie
PNC / Stockbyte / Getty Images
This goal post should have a sturdy net if they kick the ball in here for which sport?
Soccer
Racquetball
Speedball
Tee-ball
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Americans who travel to Europe or South America might get confused when they hear of a football game only to find out that it's a soccer match. Nonetheless, the sport's popularity has also spread in North America and soccer players like David Beckham are popular worldwide.

Advertisement

38 Cricket game
Fuse / Corbis / Getty Images
It's not baseball but they also call this hitting stick a bat in which sport?
Rugby
Cricket
Throwball
Uneven bars
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

British-related territories such as India, Pakistan, Australia and the West Indies play cricket as a result of their colonial heritage. This is because the sport is huge in England where it's considered as their "national summer sport" just like baseball is in the U.S.

Advertisement

39 Darts game
Jose A. Bernat Bacete / Moment Open / Getty Images
Circular boards made of cork get hit for points in which sport?
Vault
Wakeboarding
Darts
Paragliding
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you think darts is just a game put up by bar and pub owners for their drinking customers, think again. There's a World Darts Federation that oversees dart tournaments and competitions. They even have their own World Cup to boot!

Advertisement

40 Figure skates
w-ings / E+ / Getty Images
Performers need good boots with sharp blades to display their talent and skill in which winter sport?
Parallel bars
Mountaineering
Figure skating
Knife throwing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dancing a complicated routine is a hard enough skill to execute; imagine if you need to dance on ice. This is what competitors in figure skating undergo every single time they perform for the judges. Nonetheless, it has been in the Winter Olympics for more than 100 years already.

Advertisement

You Got:
/40
krisanapong detraphiphat / Moment / Getty Images