Locations for playing sport
Sites which were constructed for sporting purposes. Three common groups of these are: Roman amphitheatres (for gladiator fights), Roman circuses (for chariot racing) and Pre-Columbian Ball courts (for the Mesoamerican ballgame).
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Amphitheater of El Jem | Roman amphitheatre | |
| Aphrodisias | The stadium is at the north end of the city. (AB ev) | |
| Aquileia | Roman amphitheatre & circus | |
| Aranjuez | Plaza de Toros, one of Spain's oldest bullrings (1797) | |
| Archaeological Site of Delphi | Stadium for the Pythian Games (various sports) | |
| Arles | ||
| Asmara | Bowling Alley | |
| Bordeaux | "antique amphitheatre, the Palais Gallien (Gallien Palace)" (AB) | |
| Bosra | Roman amphitheatre & circus | |
| Bridgetown | Horse racing: The former grass parade-grounds are now known as the Garrison Savannah, and used as a horse racing circuit | |
| Carthage | Roman amphitheatre | |
| Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin | The Roman Amphitheater: This amphitheater was originally intended for gladiator fights to entertain the masses (off website) | |
| Caves of Yagul and Mitla | ballcourt in Yagul | |
| Centennial Hall | Used for basketball & tennis tournaments | |
| Central University City Campus of the UNAM | Olympic stadium | |
| Chichen-Itza | Pre-Columbian Ball court | |
| Cilento and Vallo di Diano | Paestum: Roman amphitheatre | |
| Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas | Olympic Stadium | |
| Copán | Pre-Columbian Ball court | |
| Corfu | The Esplanade Cricket ground | |
| Crespi d'Adda | sports centre | |
| Cyrene | Roman Amphiteatre | |
| Danube Limes | A wooden amphitheatre was found in Künzing (ID No 8). In Carnuntum (ID No 31), an "amphitheater preserved in the area which was built in the 70ies of the 1st century is (...) part of the cannabae". "The amphitheater of the civilian city is found in the southern part of the city, and has been reconstructed several times after it was built in 2nd century AD." (Nomination file, p. 65, 78-79) Amphitheatre I in Carnuntum served primarily as a weapons training ground for the legionaries. However, gladiator fights (munera) and show hunts (venationes) also took place there, probably also games arranged especially for the troops. | |
| Delos | Hippodrome and stadium for the Delian Games | |
| Dengfeng | Shaolin Kung Fu | |
| Dholavira: A Harappan City | "The rectangular Ceremonial Ground is a relatively flat area originally annexed to the Castle as a residential area, but later cleared for carving out the open space." (AB Ev) It comprises "two multi-purpose grounds as integral elements of urban planning" that "strongly appear to have been used as stadiums as well as seasonal trading areas in addition to miscellaneous social and other activities". "The presence of a large ceremonial ground that could have been used for multipurpose activities like holding recreation activities, markets, local gatherings, sport activities, is another extraordinary example at Dholavira." (Nomination text, p. 93, 356) | |
| Dougga/Thugga | "has a circus designed for chariot racing, but it is barely visible nowadays" (wiki) | |
| El Tajin | Pre-Columbian Ball court | |
| Epidaurus | Palaestra (ancient Greek wrestling school) | |
| Fontainebleau | Jeu de paume, a French precursor of tennis : "Le cercle du Jeu de Paume de Fontainebleau accueille pour la première fois en France depuis 1740 (date du premier Championnat) le championnat du Monde de Jeu de Paume. Ce titre actuellement détenu par l'Australien Robert Fahey, sera défendu pour la septième fois consécutive du 20 au 24 mai (2008) par celui-ci". | |
| Fray Bentos | historical tennis court at the residential area | |
| Great Spa Towns of Europe | Baden Baden tennis club founded in 1877 | |
| Gusuku of Ryukyu | Shikinaen: The garden contained an archery field, as was usually the case with residences for feudal lords of Edo Period Japan (nom file) | |
| Heritage of Mercury | Bullring (Almaden) | |
| Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works | Humberstone: Basketball, Tennis courts, and a Soccer Pitch. (AB ev) | |
| Hué | Tiger Arena at 678-004 Royal Arena and Voi Re Temple | |
| Incense Route of the Negev | Hypodrome at Elusa | |
| Istanbul | Roman hippodrome. Its remains are close to the Blue Mosque. | |
| Leptis Magna | Roman amphitheatre and circus | |
| Lower German Limes | "Archaeological remains in the property include (...) an amphitheatre" (Official description) – At Xanten, an "amphitheatre has been known for much longer here, and amphitheatres are known from extramural settlements elsewhere." (Nomination file, p. 55) | |
| Lyon | Roman amphitheatre | |
| Meidan Emam, Esfahan | Maidan Shah (Polo) | |
| Modernist Kaunas | "South of the Kaukas and Garden City areas lies the Ąžuolynas Park and Sports Complex. Developed as a recreational area using portions of a natural forest, it formed part of a city green belt. Sports facilities constructed in 1920-1922 included the Kaunas Stadium, the Hall of Physical Education and the Basketball Arena. The original stadium was demolished in the Soviet era and replaced by the Darius and Girėnas Stadium in 1978" (AB ev) | |
| Mérida | Roman amphitheatre and circus | |
| Nancy | Place de la Carrière was designed for equestrian games | |
| Nice | On the site of the place Mozart, there was originally a tennis club, the Lawn Tennis Club. There were tennis courts until 1920, when the club moved to a site with more space, avenue Suzanne Lenglen, where it still resides. (Nomination file, p. 105, 166) There is also the Roman amphitheatre (Arènes de Cimiez) in the Cimiez quarter, from the 1st century AD. | |
| Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin | Stade Parc in Bruay-La-Buissière | |
| Oaxaca and Monte Alban | (Monte Alban) Pre-Columbian Ball court | |
| Olympia | Various arenas (athletics, wrestling etc) | |
| Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles | "The Scrovegni Chapel stands on a site where one can still see remains of the Roman amphitheatre (known as l'Arena). In fact, various elements of that ancient structure are used by the building: the gabled façade rests on the outline of the amphitheatre's external elliptical wall, and the side walls of the chapel seem to be traced along the radial walls that were part of it." (Nomination file, p. 50) | |
| Palenque | Pre-Columbian Ball court | |
| Pampulha | golf club | |
| Paquimé | Two ball-courts have been excavated, with characteristic I-shaped plans derived from Mesoamerica. (AB ev) | |
| Paris, Banks of the Seine | Jeu de Paume (early Tennis) | |
| Pergamon | gymnasium | |
| Pompei | Roman amphitheatre ("Built in 70AD, Pompeii's amphitheatre is the oldest and most complete pre-Colosseum style amphitheatre in the Roman world.") | |
| Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos | stadium | |
| Quirigua | Ballcourt | |
| Quirigua | 2 ballcourts, one of which has been built over (wiki) | |
| Rideau Canal | The world's largest skating rink | |
| Rome | Roman amphitheatre and circus: Colosseum, Castrense Amphiteatre, Ludus Magnus, Circus Maximus, Nero's Circus, Maxentius' Circus, Circus Flaminius, Circus Varianus | |
| Saltaire | Roberts Park. The park was a significant element in Sir Titus Salt's vision of what an "ideal" worker's village should contain and included from the start an area for playing Cricket - "Saltaire Cricket Club was founded in 1869, just 16 years after the opening of the famous Saltaire Mills in 1853. Roberts Park, a recreation area covering 14 acres and the home of the cricket club, was officially opened on July 25, 1871" | |
| Samarra | "Three racecourses were built east of the main city. Two have an out-and-back course 80m wide and 10.42km long with a spectators' pavilion at the start and the third a pattern of four circles around a central pavilion (5.3km)." and "Tell Al-Alij is an artificial mound for the caliph to view the horse-races" (Nom File) | |
| Sewell Mining Town | Bowling Alley | |
| Syracuse | Roman amphitheatre | |
| Tabriz Bazaar | Garshāseb Zorkhānāsi: a palestra (nom file) | |
| Tak'alik Ab'aj | "The public architecture programme of Tak’alik Ab’aj included a clay ball court from the Middle Preclassic period, one of the earliest known in Mesoamerica" (AB ev) | |
| Taos Pueblo | "The property includes ... a track for traditional foot-races" (OUV) | |
| Tarraco | Roman amphitheatre and circus | |
| Tauric Chersonese | Roman amphitheatre | |
| Tequila | Teuchitlan site of Guachimontones, ball court | |
| The Porticoes of Bologna | Marathon Tower at the Renato Dall’Ara stadium, initially built as "Littoriale" in the fascist 1920s, is integrated with the Certosa portico. | |
| Tikal National Park | Pre-Columbian Ball courts (7) | |
| Tipasa | Roman amphitheatre | |
| Trier | Roman amphitheatre | |
| Trogir | Batarija igralište, a football field, lies partly in the core zone | |
| Tyre | Roman Hippodrome (horse racing and chariot racing) | |
| Uxmal | Pre-Columbian Ballcourt | |
| Verla Groundwood and Board Mill | Bowling Alley, built at the end of the 19th century. | |
| Verona | Roman amphitheatre | |
| Versailles | Royal Tennis Court of Versailles | |
| Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai | The Cricket Club of India stadium and Clubhouse | |
| Water Management System of Augsburg | Kanustrecke Eiskanal - an artificial whitewater river in Augsburg, Germany, constructed as the canoe slalom venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics | |
| Xochicalco | Ballcourt |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Locations for playing sport?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source