Horse racing is undoubtedly a very competitive sport. It mainly involves two or more jockeys who compete against one another on horseback to determine who will reach the finish line first. A racecourse can take on several different forms and can be presented in multiple lengths. You will also find that races can be classified by running styles, obstacle courses, and even specific horse breeds. Even though it’s considered a favourite sport for spectators, it’s also a renowned sport when it comes to gambling. For instance, in 2008, betting on horses was valued at more than $115 billion.

Largest Venues for Horse Racing

Many countries across the globe have managed to establish their very own horse racing venues, allowing spectators to observe their horses and riders. Let’s take a look at three of the biggest sites in the world determined by spectator capacity.

Tokyo Racecourse

Situated in Fuchu in Tokyo, the Tokyo Racecourse is a venue that can host 223,000 spectators with a seating capacity of 13,750. It was initially constructed back in 1933 and played host to several prestigious races every single year. The most famous horse races include the Yasuda Kinen, the Japanese Derby, and the Japan Cup. The course measurements come in at a length of 1.25 miles and are 243 feet in width. Overall, the Tokyo Racecourse provides five tracks, including Course A (on the hedge), Course B (three meters from the fence), Course C (six meters from the wall), Course D (nine meters from the wall), and Course E (twelve meters from the wall). During 2007, the Tokyo Racecourse experienced a few renovations, including a new grandstand. The venue also impresses with the most significant video screen, measuring in at 37 feet high and 218 feet wide.

Nakayama Racecourse

The second biggest racecourse is the Nakayama Racecourse situated in Funabashi, Chiba within Japan. The venue can host up to 165,676 individuals to watch the racing action. It was initially constructed in 1990 and provided two grass courses, a jump course, and a dirt course. It also comes equipped with three tracks, including Course A (on the hedge), Course B (three meters from the fence), and Course C (seven meters from the wall) and the races run between 4,000 meters and 1,000 meters, depending on the track. The venue is home to some of the best jump races in the world, including the Nakayama Daishogai and the Nakayama Grand Jump.

Churchill Downs

The third biggest racecourse track in the world is the Churchill Downs, situated in Lexington, Kentucky within the United States. The racecourse venue can host a total of 165,000 individuals and be initially opened back in 1875. During its first year, the site managed to host the very first Kentucky Derby which is one of the most famous horseracing events in the world. Other world-renowned races that take place here include the Clart Handicap, the Stephen Foster Handicap, the Kentucky Oaks, and the Woodford Turf Classic.

Sporting events in the country of Japan is exceptionally essential when it comes to the culture of the country, especially when you look at martial arts. The national sport in Japan is Sumo wrestling, while judo, kendo, and karate are also regarded as prevalent sports in Japan. There’s also a wide variety of western sporting events that are quickly gaining popularity in the country, including baseball, football, and even basketball. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most popular sports in the state of Japan.

Sumo

Japan’s national sport is sumo, and it originated from the Shinto ritual that depicts a god wrestling a human. During the late 17th century, sumo tournaments managed to gain popularity in Tokyo. Every single year, six major sumo wrestling tournaments are held in several countries across Japan with each of these tournaments lasting for at least 15 days. A sumo wrestler at the highest-ranking is referred to as a Yokozuna. It’s quite surprising to learn that no Japanese wrestler has managed to hold the title between the year 2000 and 2016 as Mongolia produced multiple Yokozuna athletes.

Baseball

Baseball is a respected sport in the country of Japan with most seeing it as an unofficial national sport in the country. It is commonly known as puro yakyu or simply yakyu. However, most people in the country will know exactly what you are talking about when you call it baseball. There are loads of people that follow baseball in Japan, and you’ll notice that thousands of fans are drawn to baseball league matches over weekends, while high school baseball matches attract fans during the summer. Even though baseball has been around since 1872, it only became a professional sport in 1936. Some of the most famous Japanese baseball teams include the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants.

Puroresu

The word Puroresu is regarded as the shortened word to describe pro wrestling in Japanese. The sport first burst onto the scene in 1951 after it failed to make a name for itself during the early 20th century. The success behind this favourite sport in Japan can be attributed to the respected Puroresu wrestler, Rikidozan. Other favourite wrestlers of this sport include Giant Baba, Tiger Mask, and Antonio Inoki.

Tennis

The first time tennis was enjoyed in the country of Japan was back in the late 19th century when five professional tennis courts were constructed for tourists in Yamate Park. During the same time, western-style physical education was brought to the country, and the sport of tennis was used as a physical activity instead of a competitive game. Tennis has a rich history when it comes to Japan and remains a favourite sport to this day.

Other Popular Sports in Japan

Apart from the sports mentioned above in the country, you will also find that golf, jukoda, boxing, motor racing, and association football plays a significant role in the culture of the country.

Centuries ago, Greeks dominated all types of military conquests and sporting events, especially at the Olympics that were also hosted in Greece. They were so extraordinary at these sporting events because sports were used as survival and military skills. Initially, the Olympics was only a one-day event before it was increased to 3 days after 684BC, and then later to 5 days.
Most of the sports that form part of the Olympic Games were either practised or invented by the ancient Greece citizens. The Greeks loved their games and even built gymnasiums for participants to compete and train. Also though modern Greece still loves the sport, they are no longer the most elite nation when it comes to the Olympic Games.

Pentathlon

This is a word with Greek origins that is created by combining two different words, including pente (which means 5) and Athlon (which means competition). Therefore, it’s easy to understand why this sport comes with five different events. The five sporting events included discus throw, javelin throw, long jump, a wrestling match, and station, which was a series of short races. However, the modern-day version of pentathlon now comprises of cross country running, equestrianism, fencing, swimming, and shooting.

Running

This is considered one of the oldest sports in the world that doesn’t have any contact. In the culture of ancient Greece, running included various speed tests of around 219 yards that was referred to as a state race, a 437-yard race that was known as diaulos, and a much longer run that was known as Dolichos. Greeks were phenomenal runners during the ancient period. In today’s Olympics, running is regarded as the most diversified sporting event with several races that range from long to mid to short runs.

Jumping

This was another prevalent sport in ancient Greece that we now call horizontal jump, board jump, or long jump. The game originated at the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. During the early Olympic Games in Greece, athletes used to run with weights or stones before they jumped, and pushed them backwards at the end of their run to propel them further forward. In ancient Greece, the long jump was the only event known back then. It symbolized the ability to make it across an obstacle. The jump has been part of the track and field events since 1896.

Discus Throw

The incredible sport of discus throw can be traced back to 708BC. The discus was initially made out of stone. However, other materials were used at different periods in ancient Greece, including bronze, lead, and iron to form a discus. Discobolus, the Myron statue, suggests that this popular sporting event might have existed as early as the 5th century BC. The technique used to throw the discus during the Olympic games in ancient Greece is very similar to the method used today. The only difference is that we use a massive circular disk today.

The Golden State Warriors have managed to earn five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals following their victory of 119-117 against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 during overtime on Monday evening in the Western Conference finals. This is the first time an NBA team has managed to make five consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals since the Boston Celtics went a total of 10 straight times from 1957 through to 1966.

Golden State Warriors Make It To Another NBA Final

Draymond Green, a Golden State Warriors forward, recently informed reporters that it’s extraordinary to make it to yet another NBA Final. He also stated that the road to the NBA Finals has been challenging and that the team had loads of mountains to climb to get here. He is quite surprised that the team managed to stick together and achieve the unthinkable. However, the primary objective was never to make it to 5 NBA Finals, the goal was to win, and therefore, the team’s job is far from over.

The Golden State Warriors made it happen on Monday evening by returning from a double-digit second-half deficit for the third consecutive match, this time crawling back from a 17-point difference. Steve Kerr stated that he hopes the performance by his team doesn’t go underrated or unnoticed. Achieving five straight Finals has only been done during the ’60s by the Celtics, and the only reason it hasn’t been done since is that it’s challenging.

Stephen Curry Leads His Team to Victory

Once again, it was the phenomenal Stephen Curry who managed to lead the Golden State Warriors on Monday evening. The two-time MVP ended the game with a triple-double and accumulated 37 points, ten assists, and 12 rebounds. This was the 5th consecutive postseason match where Curry managed to score at least 30 points and is considered the longest streak in his entire career.
Stephen Curry is regarded as the 6th player in the history of the NBA to score 35 points or more in each of the first four matches of a series. He joins Jerry West, Bernard King, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James.

Stephen Curry informed reporters after the match that he believes that although the team has been here several times, they still don’t take anything for granted. The team is well aware of how difficult it can be to win at this level and have no desire to end the streak just yet, especially not while they have full control over it.
Even though the team was up by 3-0, where most organizations would have relaxed more and waited for Game 5 to come around at home, the Golden State Warriors didn’t stop performing once and continued to play their hearts out until the final whistle went off. It’s incredible what the Golden State Warriors have achieved this week, and there’s no doubt that they will win another NBA championship for the 5th time.

History is undoubtedly going to be made at the Rugby World Cup in 2019 which will be hosted in Asia for the very first time. A total of 20 nations is going to descend on Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, in September for what is going to be the most widely-covered and unpredictable Rugby World Cup in the history of the sport. Whether you’re watching the game from home while placing an assortment of bets, or flying to Japan to catch every game live, here is everything you need to know surrounding the Rugby World Cup of 2019.

Where, Why, When, What, and Who

The very first thing that you’ll be required to do is mark specific dates on your calendar or journal. The Rugby World Cup in 2019 will take place between 20 September 2019 until 2 November 2019. This provides a total of 6 weeks of nail-biting action. Most of the matches will take place in Tokyo. However, significant events will also be featured in Sapporo, Kobe, Fukuoka, and Yokohama to mention but a few. All major betting platforms will be boasting with competitive odds on every fixture, so ensure you keep your eyes open during the tournament.

Once the rugby gets underway, you can expect to see the opening match between Russia and Japan. The hosting nation is considered an unexpected rugby world cup superstar that has been climbing the ranks for several years to transform into one of the best rugby teams in the world. This essentially means that bettors can treat themselves to loads of sizable profits by placing bets on the underdogs. Even though they don’t measure up against bigger teams in the Rugby World Cup, they are playing on home turf which automatically gives them a huge advantage.

What To Expect on the Field

Let’s get into the more critical aspects of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Whether you are catching all the rugby action from your local sports bar or flying to the land of the rising sun, you’ll need to know what to expect when it comes to the action on the field. If you consider yourself a betting enthusiast, then you placing a wide variety of bets on New Zealand who are currently regarded as massive favourites to win the trophy this year, they also managed to win loads of games in 2018, making them an unstoppable force. It’s for this reason that most betting sites will have them as the winners of the World Cup.

However, if you are interested in making a more significant profit, we highly recommend that you back the Ireland rugby team. This team has managed to grow from nothing into one of the most elite rugby teams in the world in a concise space of time. They managed to defeat their rivals, England, on several occasions to prove their worth to the world. We are confident that they will take the cup this year, mark our words!

The 2019 Cricket World Cup is going to be held in Wales and England starting from 30 May 2019 until 14 July 2019. With less than three weeks to go before the tournament begins, we decided to provide you with everything you need to know before the first match gets underway.

Wales and England will host the Cricket World Cup for the first time in two decades. Australia is the most successful team in the history of the tournament, who managed to claim the title 5 times. This included the most recent World Cup which took place in 2015 where they managed to defeat their rivals, New Zealand.

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, there will be ten national teams that will each participate in a round-robin group stage. The four best teams will advance to the semi-finals, while the final will take place at Lord’s where the two best teams will face each other to see who will be crowned as the best cricket team in the world. Spectators can look forward to 48 different matches that will take place in 11 various venues across Wales and England.

Afghanistan

This national team has made considerable strides in cricket since they participated in the Cricket World Cup in 2015 for the first time. The team had to ensure a nerve-wracking qualifying competition that took place in Zimbabwe to reach the World Cup. During the Asia Cup in 2018, they defeated Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, so it’s a team that shouldn’t be underrated.

Australia

The five-time winners and defending champions are the most successful team in the tournament. However, since they defeated New Zealand in 2015, they’ve struggled with their performance and form after the scandal that occurred in 2018. In the same year, they were demolished by England 9-1 in two series along with defeats at the hands of India and South Africa.

Bangladesh

This national team is considered underachievers and will look to improve on their quarter-final finish in 2015. In 2018, the group claimed 13 victories from 20 ODI’s, placing them behind India and England when it comes to many wins. So, they are a team worth watching during the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

England

Since 1975, England has featured in every single World Cup but hasn’t managed to win the tournament as of yet. The team had an awful exit in 2015 during the group stages for the third time in 5 appearances. However, England has several world-class players for the 2019 World Cup, so this could be their year to take it home, especially on home soil.

India

India is considered favourites to win the 2019 World Cup. They recently defeated both New Zealand and Australia and are in incredible form for the World Cup. During 2018, the team managed to defeat the West Indies and South Africa, making them a dangerous force to beat. Expect loads of exciting matches from this side.

When we think of traditional sports, it can be hard to imagine where technology could fit in. Baseball requires a ball and a bat. Basketball requires a ball and a net. Golf requires a ball, a club and a long luscious green. So what could change? As time has gone on, there have been incremental improvements in every sport. Technology has played a significant role to make games more comfortable to engage with, emphasise, analyse and ultimately enjoy. Read on for some of the most significant tech advancements.

The Basketball Shot Clock

Back in the early 1950s, basketball found it difficult to gain credibility as a major American sport. Teams used to hold onto the ball for too long and score a lot less than what is seen today. Danny Biasone, the owner of Syracuse Nationals, founded the 24-second shot clock in 1954 in an attempt to revolutionise the sport. And that is precisely what happened as, after one year of adoption by the National Basketball Association, the average score made an immense jump from 79 to 92 PPG.

Titanium Golf Clubs

Traditional golf irons were heavy and difficult to wield for some. In the early 1990s, golf clubs started to be manufactured using a new material, titanium. This lighter material allowed for a faster swing and a larger sweet spot. Brands such as TaylorMade and Callaway produced the first drivers made from titanium, and from there the sport of golf did not look back.
Composite Tennis Racquets. Before the 1980s, tennis racquets made of wood were heavy and cumbersome. The introduction of composite tennis racquets made them lighter, stronger and allowed for a larger surface. In turn, improved tennis players ability to hit the ball harder, have better control and put more spin on the ball. As a result, wooden tennis racquets were no longer produced for the market.

Light Track Shoes

Track shoes have been undergoing incremental improvements since the 1950s. Companies hired sports scientists to help develop the latest shoes for athletes using the optimal blend of lightweight material and the best grip. This allowed runners to become faster and have more traction when turning corners and has helped some of the most prominent champions such as Usain Bolt achieve their destiny on the track.

Goal-line Tech

How many times have there been fights between opposing fans on whether the ball was in or out? In 1993, goal-line technology was finally introduced allowing the referee to re-play the moment to help determine if the ball was over the goal line or not. This was truly pioneering and has since been used as a necessary tool to determine the result of many different sports games including football and hockey.

Hockey Helmets

Before 1979, hockey players were not required to play hockey with head protection. After years of several head injuries in the sport, it was time to introduce the hockey helmet. National Hockey League president, John Zeigler, can be thanked for this.

Tokyo is hosting the 2020 Olympics in which thousands of the top athletes from around the world will participate in; several changes were recently announced. The changes include new additions to sports events as well as events added back to the Olympic program. In our previous article, we listed the changes announced for archery, baseball, softball, basketball, and boxing, while we add several other changes this week.

Kayak/Canoe

Kayak/Canoe is another sports event in the Olympics where gender equality is considered since the addition of three games for women has been added. At the same time, three men’s events have been dropped from the Olympic program. New developments in the sprint for women is the C2 500 meter as well as C1 200 meter, which are one and two-person, while the men’s events dropped includes the K2 200 doubles kayak event. The second men’s event lost is the C1 200, and the new event added for men is the four-person K4 500. The women’s Ci made its Olympic debut in slalom when the C2 event for men was removed.

Cycling

At the 2008 Beijing Games BMX racing was introduced, although the BMX park contested at the X Games, is what will make its debut at the Olympic Games in 2020. For both BMX and skateboarding events, the park course will be used, which resembles an irregularly-shaped, empty swimming pool. The riders will have three runs, timed to show off their best routines to the judges.

Madison cycling is added back to the Olympic program after it was removed from the games in 2008. In the Madison event pairs of rider’s races across a set distance and there is a switching back procedure for who rests and who races.

Fencing

It will be the first time that the Olympic Games adds all six fencing team events to its program. Previously the event alternated between two games sitting out. The women’s team foil and men’s team sabre were never challenged in Rio, and in Tokyo, these will be part of the program. Other events added to the Olympic program is the women’s team epee, men’s team epee, women’s team sabre and men’s team foil.

Judo

The 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo was when Judo made its debut; it is a sports event that started in 1882 in Japan. The new events for 2020 include mixed team events and each nation gets to form a team of three women and three men in each of the three weight classes.

Karate

Karate is another event native to Japan, and this martial art form will be making its debut at the 2020 Olympic Games. The two disciplines include kumite and kata, broken down into weight classes; each team will consist of three women and men. Currently only one forms part of the game, which is where participants show their ability to perform karate movements.

Next week the changes to shooting, rowing, climbing, surfing and swimming will be discussed.

Gaming laptops are undeniably an extremely serious investment when you compare it to a decent desktop computer or even a console. The advantages of buying a laptop is the fact that you can pick it up and take it with you wherever you go. However, with so many gaming laptops on the market, it is rather difficult to determine which one is best suited for your needs. It’s for this reason that we decided to compile a list of the best gaming laptops for 2018 to help you make a more educated decision.

1. HP Omen 15

Price: $1,000
Screen Size: 15.6 inches
Battery Life: 5 hours
Weight: 2.2 Kg

The HP Omen is considered an entry-level gaming laptop and comes in a variety of different models with improved performance. It starts at $1,000 for 8GB of RAM, but with the $1,300 model, you will also receive an improved i7 processor as well as 1TB of storage along with a 128GB SSD. It offers an average battery life of around 5 hours and provides a massive selection of connections, boasting with 3 USB-C ports and three regular USB ports.

2. MSI GP72

Price: $1,000
Screen Size: 17.3 inches
Battery Life: 4 hours
Weight: 2.7 Kg

The range of gaming laptops from MSI comes with a massive variety of customisation. It’s certainly the best value for money when it comes to a 17-inch gaming laptop featuring the latest graphics card and processing capabilities. The MSI GP72 comes equipped with an i7 processor and 8GB of RAM along with 1TB of storage. The graphics card is a GTX 1050 and only weighs a mere 2.7 kg.

3. Dell Inspiron 7000

Price: $1,200
Screen Size: 15.6 inches
Battery Life: 8 hours
Weight: 2.65 Kg

If you are searching for phenomenal quality in a gaming laptop that is under $1,500, you can’t go wrong with a Dell Inspiron 7000. This laptop will allow you to play for up to eight hours thanks to its fantastic battery life and boasts with an incredible GTX 1050 graphics card from Nvidia. It also offers 128GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive. For $1,200 you will also be treated to 16GB of RAM to ensure you can play just about any AAA game you want.

4. Asus ROG Strix GL502VS

Price: $2,200
Screen Size: 15.6 inches
Battery Life: 4 hours
Weight: 2.2 Kg

The Asus ROG Strix GL502VS is considered a mid-range laptop and comes equipped with an outstanding range of components, including an extremely powerful GTX 1070 graphics card, a 512GB SSD, 16GB of RAM and loads of additional connectivity ports, such as 3 USB 3 ports, an SD card reader, ethernet connectivity, and a USB C port.

5. Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501

Price: $3,460
Screen Size: 15.6 inches
Battery Life: 2 hours
Weight: 3 Kg

The Asus Zephyrus combines incredible power with a thin profile. Although it has an extremely short battery life, it still impresses with 120Hz screen, GTX 1080 graphics card, RGB backlit keyboard, and a plethora of ports, ranging from 4 USB ports to a USB Type C port.