Asia is quite a large continent. It is actually the largest and most populous continent in the world. So it’s only natural that people live here to be fans of many different sports. Both team and individual sports are very popular in Asia.

European football (or soccer) became extremely popular in almost all Asian countries during the last few decades. This British-born team sport literally took the world by storm. Countries like South Korea, Japan, and China developed a true national obsession with soccer. Soccer is a game played by two teams of eleven players each, on a large, rectangular field, about 120 meters long and 90 meters wide. A game lasts 90 minutes and is divided into two 45-minute rounds. The whole purpose of the game is to put the ball into the opposing team’s goal. A goalkeeper protects the goal. The team that scores the most wins the game. Unlike American football, European football (or soccer) restricts a lot of physical contact between players. It is based more on good ball control by the players, being a team sport where serious injuries are very rare. That is why football also becomes very popular among women.

Cricket, another team sport brought to Asia by the British, is very popular and loved in many countries, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Cricket is also played by two teams or 11 players, but on an oval field, with a diameter of about 200 meters. In the center of that field is the field, where two batters stand, waiting for the pitcher to deliver a ball. If the batter successfully dunks the ball and then runs to the other end of the field, it means he scored points for his team. The cricket rules are really complex and there is more than one way to play this game. However, this does not stop the people of Asia from enjoying cricket and playing for days. A single game of cricket can sometimes take up to five days to complete.

Table tennis can be played by individual players or by tow teams and is incredibly popular in many Asian countries, such as China, South Korea or Vietnam. Table tennis is played on a table with a net in the middle, with small plastic balls, which requires great concentration and coordination on the part of the players. The rules are very similar to those of field tennis: each player must return the balls and, if he does not succeed, the opponent receives points.

Gymnastics has been extremely popular in Asia for decades, especially in China, but also in North or South Korea and other Asian countries. Gymnastics is basically an individual sport, although during major competitions athletes also compete in teams. Women’s gymnastics involves four different events: uneven parallel bars, floor exercise, balance beam, and vaults. As for men, there are six tests: floor exercise, pommel horse, fixed rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar. Each exercise of a gymnast receives a point from a jury of specialists and the one with the most points wins a certain competition.

And of course, this top wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the old traditional Asian fighting styles, known collectively as martial arts. There is a great variety of these traditional sports, typical of certain countries, such as kung-fu or wushu in China and karate or sumo in Japan.