Sport and leisure

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A 14th-century depiction of a lady and youth playing a game of draughts (Photo by Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

War and pieces: 5 games from history that were about much more than fun . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration of the Circus Maximus

Fast, dangerous and bloody: inside the Circus Maximus, the home of Roman chariot racing

The England football team badge, showing three lions on a field of ten Tudor roses

Q&A Why are there three lions on the shirts of the English football team?

A composite image of athlete Gertrude Ederle and actor Daisy Ridley

Gertrude Ederle: the first woman to swim the English Channel

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A photo a two men riding horses, all dressed in jousting gear.

My life in history Jouster at the Royal Armouries . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An 1891 rugby match between England and Scotland

When was the first international rugby match, and who played in it?

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TT Pedestrianism Social WL

Video podcast The long-distance walking craze that fascinated Victorians . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pod Kassia St Clair WL

Peking to Paris: the world’s first great motor race . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi is held aloft by his team after clinching a division title in 1960.

A brief history of American football and the Super Bowl

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Vod David Horspool WL

Video podcast Britain’s long love affair with sport . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pod David Horspool WL

Britain’s long love affair with sport . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The real Boys in the Boat during the Poughkeepsie Regatta

The Boys in the Boat: the real history behind George Clooney’s underdog sports movie

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(Illustration by Hugh Cowling for BBC History Magazine)

Sportswashing: have nations always used sport to launder their reputations? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

c1880, the Paris rugby team.

When Vichy France banned rugby

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An illustration titled 'The first match of the British Ladies Football Club'

A brief history of women’s football: from Mary, Queen of Scots to the FIFA Women’s World Cup . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.