I still remember that crisp autumn afternoon when I was scrolling through sports channels, feeling utterly bored with the usual football and basketball matches. My thumb paused on a channel showing athletes running across a field with what looked like giant metal detectors. "What on earth is this?" I muttered to myself. The commentator's voice filled my living room: "Their fates, however, will be known after the close of the second phase of elims on Saturday." That single sentence hooked me, and I spent the next hour completely captivated by this strange sport I'd later learn was called "endurance equestrian." Little did I know this accidental discovery would open up a whole new world of athletic pursuits for me, eventually leading me to write this comprehensive guide exploring exciting sports that start with E.
Over the following weeks, I became mildly obsessed with discovering every E-sport I could find. Endurance riding turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg. There's something uniquely thrilling about equestrian sports - the bond between rider and horse, the incredible distances covered (some events span 100 miles!), and the sheer determination required. I remember chatting with a rider at a local event who told me about preparing for a 50-mile competition. "You train for months," she said, wiping sweat from her forehead, "but until that final phase concludes, you never really know if you've made it. Their fates, however, will be known after the close of the second phase of elims on Saturday - that's exactly how it feels in endurance riding too."
But equestrian sports weren't the only discoveries in my journey through the alphabet. Take eSports, for instance - which I initially dismissed as "just video games" until my nephew dragged me to a tournament. The energy in that arena was electric, with thousands of fans cheering for teams competing in games like League of Legends and Counter-Strike. The production values rivaled traditional sports, with professional commentators, instant replays, and athletes (yes, I've come to see them as athletes) making split-second decisions that would make any chess grandmaster proud. Last year's international Dota 2 tournament had a prize pool of over $40 million - numbers that would make most traditional sports blush.
Then there's elephant polo, which I had the incredible fortune to witness during a trip to Nepal. Picture this: majestic elephants thundering across a field, riders perched precariously while swinging massive mallets. The game moves at what I'd call "deliberate speed" - you're not going to see quick turns with animals weighing several tons. The World Elephant Polo Championships have been running since 1982, though honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about the sport ethically. Watching those magnificent creatures, I couldn't help wondering if they'd rather be somewhere else.
My personal favorite discovery has been endurance running. Now, I'm no ultramarathoner myself, but I've completed a few half-marathons, and let me tell you, there's nothing quite like the feeling of pushing through that wall around mile 10. The community surrounding these events is incredible - everyone from elite athletes aiming for Olympic qualifications to weekend warriors just trying to beat their personal best. I'll never forget the atmosphere at my first trail race, watching runners disappear into forest paths knowing their fates, however, will be known after the close of the second phase of elims on Saturday - or in this case, after they crossed that finish line hours later.
What continues to fascinate me about these E-sports is how they represent both tradition and innovation. Sports like épée fencing have centuries of history behind them, with precise rules and techniques refined over generations. Meanwhile, emerging sports like eCricket (yes, it's a thing) are finding ways to blend physical activity with digital technology. I tried an eCricket simulator last month, and while it'll never replace the real thing for me, the instant feedback on my batting technique was genuinely helpful.
Exploring exciting sports that start with E has fundamentally changed how I view athletics. It's taught me that competition comes in countless forms, from the digital battlegrounds of eSports to the muddy cross-country courses of equestrian events. Each sport has its own culture, its own challenges, and its own moments of truth where athletes discover whether their training has paid off. That initial curiosity about an obscure television broadcast has grown into a genuine appreciation for the diversity of human physical achievement. Whether you're a spectator or participant, these E-sports offer something unique - stories of determination that unfold until that final moment when, as with so many competitions, their fates are known after the close of competition.
