Multisports is defined exactly as it sounds. When someone says they engage in multisports they are an athlete that engages in a large variety of very physically demanding sports and activities. Many times events such as a triathlon are grouped into the multisports category. A triathlon is an athletic event that consists of cycling, running, and swimming over a demanding course. These events are usually executed within the same event on the same day and can result in some of the most physically demanding activities any athlete will ever face. One of the more famous types of triathlon is called an Ironman Triathlon. In an Ironman Triathlon the competitors have to swim a distance of 2.4 miles, then bicycle a distance of 112 miles, and then they finish the competition by running a 26 mile marathon. These events are usually held in very hot conditions so, when you add the heat to the physical demands of the race, you get one of the most grueling multisports events on the face of the planet.

The definition of a true multisports type event is a little difficult to really nail down. Essentially a multisports event is any kind of sporting event that contains a variety of multiple sporting activities. Probably the single most famous multisports event is the Olympic games. With its huge variety of events spread out over many days the Olympics is easily the single most famous, and most followed, multisports event in the world. But the list of multisports competitions does not end at the Olympics and there is actually a very impressive of multisports competitions that take place throughout the world.

Prior to the Winter Olympic games that we are all familiar with now there was the Nordic Games. The Nordic Games was a multisports competition that was held primarily in Stockholm, Sweden and it ran from 1901 until 1926. Some of the sports featured in the Nordic Games were ski jumping, ice hockey, and curling. The Nordic Games were not very well attended by the international community and the dream of the Swedish Central Association For The Promotion Of Sports to have an ongoing international celebration of all sports, primarily winter sports, held in Sweden soon died. Several attempts to revive the games in the 1930’s and 1940’s were tried but the original organizer, Victor Balck, has passed away in 1928 and that, coupled with the Great Depression, had eliminated any chances of the Nordic Games ever being held again.

The Commonwealth Games is a gathering of the countries of the commonwealth of England every 4 years to compete in multisports events such as swimming, basketball, boxing, and cycling. Since it is a very British competition there are also many very British sporting events included such as rugby sevens, lawn bowls, and ten pin bowling. Over 5,000 athletes from all over the commonwealth compete every 4 years and the countries of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, Scotland, and Wales are the only countries that have sent a team to every Commonwealth Games since its creation in 1930.