International sports is a form of sport where participants represent more than one country. Some of the most well known events are the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. International sporting competition can also be organised on neutral territory, such as a cricket match between the United States and Canada in 1844, or across several countries, such as the Rugby World Cup that was held in France this year.

The first international sports event was the Olympic Games, which were introduced in ancient Greece. The modern Olympic Games began in 1896, but it was only in the 19th century that sports became truly globalised as travel and communication technologies developed.

Today there are dozens of international sporting events. They are organised by a range of organisations that are based in the major sports countries. These are often referred to as national governing bodies, or NGBs. The main NGBs are the IOC, the FA and FIFA.

As the global sports industry grows, power imbalances can become pronounced. This is especially clear in international sporting competitions, where where you come from plays a large role in how far you go. A study of elite athletics, for example, found that European competitors had entire medical teams and computer-based analysis programs to support them while young East African athletes frequently had no more than a family member or friend to help them. This inequality can also become life-or-death in cases of violent attacks on athletes and their coaches.