A strange little side quest
World Cup 2022 may feel immediate, but the ideas around football have been evolving for a very long time. Association football's first unified Laws of the Game were drawn up in London in 1863. The timeline takes another interesting turn: Archery was already on the Olympic programme in 1900, boxing joined the modern Games in 1904, and basketball became a medal sport in 1936. It is a good reminder that simple game mechanics can carry a surprising amount of history.