The World Sports Encyclopedia is a reference book of articles covering sports and sporting games throughout the world.

Origins

The book was spearheaded by Polish professor Wojciech Liponski with a team of co-authors, editors, and contributors worldwide. The encyclopedia

Encyclopedia

An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....

 was originally written in Polish

Polish language

Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...

 and published as Encyklopedia sportów świata by Atena Publishing House in 2001.

UNESCO support

Having received the support of UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

's Unit of Education, it was translated into English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 (World Sports Encyclopedia, 2003, Atena, MBI Books) and French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 (Encyclopedie des sports, 2005, Grund). The book features entries on more than 3,000 sports and sporting games from all over the world, including Olympic

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 and international sports, traditional and indigenous sports and games, historical and extinct sports, regional sports, extreme sports, martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

, school and children's sports and games. The book presents action photos, as well as works of sport art, prints, posters and original illustrations.