Wikipedia:Notability (sports)

"WP:ATHLETE" redirects here. Not to be confused with Wikipedia:WikiProject Biography/Sports and games or Wikipedia:WikiProject Athletics.

This guideline is used to help evaluate whether or not a sports person or sports league/organization (amateur or professional) is likely to meet the general notability guideline, and thus merit an article in Wikipedia. The article should provide reliable sources showing that the subject meets the general notability guideline or the sport specific criteria set forth below.

If the article does meet the criteria set forth below, then it is likely that sufficient sources exist to satisfy the inclusion criteria for a stand-alone article. Failing to meet the criteria in this guideline means that notability will need to be established in other ways (for example, the general notability guideline, or other, topic-specific, notability guidelines).

Please note that the failure to meet these criteria does not mean an article must be deleted; conversely, meeting any of these criteria does not mean that an article must be kept. These are merely rules of thumb which some editors choose to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to keep an article that is on articles for deletion, along with relevant policies and guidelines such as Wikipedia:Verifiability and Wikipedia:Reliable sources.

Applicable policies and guidelines

All information included in Wikipedia, including articles about sports, must be verifiable. In addition, the subjects of standalone articles should meet the General Notability Guideline. The guideline on this page provides bright-line guidance to enable editors to determine quickly if a subject is likely to meet the General Notability Guideline. Information about living persons must meet the more stringent requirements for those types of articles.

Subjects that do not meet the sport-specific criteria outlined in this guideline may still be notable if they meet the General Notability Guideline or another subject specific notability guideline.

Any athletic entertainment event at which the results are at least partially predetermined or scripted is not covered by this page. For participants in such events (for example, professional wrestling), see WP:ENTERTAINER. At this time there is no consensus that electronic sports participants are covered by the criteria of this guideline.

Basic criteria

Main page: Wikipedia:Notability

See also: Wikipedia's basic criteria for the notability of people

A person is presumed to be notable if they have been the subject of multiple published non-trivial secondary sources which are reliable, intellectually independent, and independent of the subject. The guidelines on this page are intended to reflect the fact that sports figures are likely to meet Wikipedia's basic standards of inclusion if they have participated in or achieved success in a major international competition at the highest level.

• Trivial coverage of a subject by secondary sources may be used to support content in an article, but it is not sufficient to establish notability. This includes listings in database sources with low, wide-sweeping generic standards of inclusion, such as Sports Reference's college football and basketball databases.
• Primary sources may be used to support content in an article, but they do not contribute toward proving the notability of a subject.
• Some sources must be used with particular care when establishing notability, and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Local sources must be independent of the subject, and must provide reports beyond routine game coverage. Listings of statistics must clearly satisfy the requirement for significant coverage.

Professional sports people

American football/Canadian football

American football/Canadian football players and head coaches are presumed notable if they

1. Have appeared in at least one regular season or post-season game in any one of the following professional leagues: the Canadian Football League, the National Football League, the 1960s American Football League, the All-America Football Conference, the United States Football League.
2. Note: Players who play in minor or semi-professional leagues (such as the Arena Football League) are not presumed notable unless they meet another criterion, such as notability arising from their college football days.
3. Note: This does not apply to assistant coaches or coaching assistants.

Association football (soccer)

Association football (soccer) figures are presumed notable if they meet the following:

1. Players who have played in, and managers who have managed in, any Tier 1 International Match as defined by FIFA, or in a competitive senior international match at confederation level regardless of whether or not the teams are members of FIFA.
2. Players who have played, and managers who have managed, in a competitive game between two teams from fully professional leagues. See a list of fully professional leagues kept by WikiProject Football.

Note: For the purposes of this guideline, "played" means having appeared in a match either in the starting lineup or coming on as a substitute. Youth players, or players at the Olympics, are not presumed notable unless they satisfy one of the statements above, or if they can be shown to meet the wider requirements of WP:NBASIC.

Athletics/track & field and long-distance running

Athletes who compete in the field of athletics are presumed notable if they meet any of the criteria below

1. Have competed in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, or the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships (former IAAF World Road Running Championships).
2. Finished top 8 in a competition at the highest level outside of the Olympic Games and world championships. Individual events in these championships must contain either several heats or extended fields (e.g., European Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games, or any of the 6 World Major Marathons).
3. Finished top 3 in any other major senior-level international competition (this includes prestigious small field meets, e.g., IAAF Diamond League/IAAF Golden League meets, less-prestigious large-scale meets, e.g., Asian Games, and any IAAF Gold Label Road Race that is not explicitly mentioned above)
4. Have won an individual gold medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships, or Youth World Championships.
5. Have won their country's senior national championship, with the exception of those that have never been ranked in the top 60 on the IAAF world leading list at the end of a given calendar year
6. Have won the elite division of multiple notable* road races (including the same race multiple times), or have established a history of highly competitive, non-winning performances in many notable races (at least 10 top-threes)
7. Have at any time held a world or continental record (including world junior records, world youth bests, and masters age-group world records) ratified or noted by the relevant official body
8. Owns a mark that placed the athlete in the top 12 in the world for that calendar year in a non-relay event contested or admitted to the senior IAAF World Championships or Olympics, or an equivalent performance over a closely matching imperial distance
9. Have a non-relay mark listed on the IAAF senior all-time list or equivalent list
10. Have been inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame or the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame.

To non-athletes associated with the sport (or athletes whose main claim to notability is non-athletic activity), the following criteria of notability apply:

1. Coaches who have coached many notable athletes, including at least one non-relay Olympic medalist, World champion, or senior World Record holder during the time of the athletes' notable accomplishments.
2. Coaches who have been the official head coach of an Olympic track and field team for a country with multiple medalists.
3. Coaches who introduced a notable technique or training method, and are widely credited as the originator.
4. Clubs that have received major international coverage for their successes and have a résumé composed of many successful Olympians over a long period of time (for example, Irish American Athletic Club). If a club's success is mainly due to one coach, then only the coach is notable.

*The notability of a road race is determined by meeting any one of the following criteria

1. It has an international elite (as defined by the IAAF standards for that year) field of at least 5 different nationalities.
2. It receives broadcast or cable television coverage beyond the local market (if coverage is through the internet, the site must be independent of the sport, for example Universal Sports).
3. It is a directly competitive meeting between several notable performers (at least 5).

The following criteria may also be used to satisfy road race notability, but does not count towards the notability of athletes who compete in these races

1. It has been the site of exceptional performances or records (bests).
2. It regularly has more than 5,000 competitors.
3. It has been held over a unique course or distance consistently over a period of 25 years.

Australian rules football

Athletes who compete in Australian rules football are presumed notable if they meet any of the criteria below

1. Have appeared in a match of the Australian Football League or AFL Women's.
2. Before 1990, appeared in a match of the Victorian Football League.
3. Is known, and has received significant coverage in reliable sources, for major individual achievements in a state football league.

Coaches are presumed notable if they have been the head coach of an Australian Football League or AFL Women's team or, before 1990, a Victorian Football League team.

Badminton

Athletes in badminton are likely to be notable if they meet any of the criteria below

1. Participation at the Olympic Games, or World Championships,
2. Competed in the quarter-finals at a tournament of the highest level outside of the Olympics or World Championships (e.g., Continental Championships, BWF Super Series, BWF World Tour, or Commonwealth Games) in teams or singles or doubles competitions.
3. Medalist at the highest international teams or singles/doubles championships of a country (e.g., Canadian Open, German Open, Slovak International).
4. Medalist at tournaments of the BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix.
5. Gold medalist at a national teams or singles/doubles championship, for countries that regularly send athletes to the Olympics.

Baseball

Baseball figures are presumed notable if they

1. Are a member of a major Hall of Fame, such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum or the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
2. Have appeared in at least one game in any one of the following active major leagues: Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball, KBO League, or have participated in a major international competition (such as the World Baseball Classic or the Baseball World Cup) as a member of a national team.
3. Have appeared in at least one game in any of the following defunct leagues: All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, American Association, Cuban League, Federal League, Japanese Baseball League, National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, Negro major leagues, Players' League, Union Association.
4. Have served as a commissioner, president, general manager, owner, coach, or manager in one of the above-mentioned leagues.
5. Have served as a Major League Baseball umpire on a regular league staff.

Players and other figures who do not meet the criteria above are not presumed by this guideline to meet Wikipedia's standards for notability. To establish that one of these is notable, the article must cite published secondary source material which is reliable, intellectually independent, and independent of the subject. Fan sites and blogs are generally not regarded as reliable sources, and team sites are generally not regarded as independent of the subject. Although statistics sites may be reliable sources, they are not sufficient by themselves to establish notability.

Some minor league players receive some coverage from reliable sources, but not enough to satisfy the notability criteria for an independent article. In these cases, it may be appropriate to write a short, stub-length bio as a section within the article on the franchise's minor league players (for example, Minnesota Twins minor league players). Such mini-bios should cite reliable sources and conform with Wikipedia policies such as WP:BLP.

Basketball

Basketball figures are presumed notable if they

1. Have appeared in one game as either a player or head coach in the original American Basketball Association, Liga ACB, EuroLeague, National Basketball Association, National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (United States), Lega Basket Serie A, Women's National Basketball Association, Greek Basket League, or Israeli Basketball Premier League.
2. Were selected in the first two rounds of the NBA draft.
3. Have won an award, or led the league in a major statistical category, of the Continental Basketball Association or NBA G League.

Boxing

A boxer is presumed notable if they:

1. Have fought for a world title (for example, super, regular/full, interim) for one of the following current or historical major sanctioning bodies:

   • Men: International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Association (WBA) (and its predecessor the NBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Organization (WBO), or NYSAC
   • Women: International Female Boxers Association, International Women's Boxing Federation, Women's International Boxing Association, or Women's International Boxing Federation

2. Have won a regular/full (non-interim) non-world title listed at Wikipedia:WikiProject Boxing/Title Assessment.
3. Have been ranked in the world top ten of any weight class by the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, or The Ring magazine.
4. Have fought, as an amateur, in the final of a national amateur championship for an International Boxing Association/Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA) affiliated and World Amateur Boxing Championship medal-winning country (for Men, see Medal table (1974–present), for Women see Medal table (2001–present)), or have represented their AIBA affiliated country in a continental (or higher) tournament.

Cricket

Further information: WP:CRIN

A cricket figure is presumed notable if they

1. Have appeared as a player in at least one cricket match that is judged to have been played at the highest international or domestic level
2. Have appeared as a player for an Associate team in a Twenty20 International match after 1 July 2018 in either a World T20 (men or women) or Global Qualifier (men or women)
3. Have appeared prior to 2005 as a player in an ICC Trophy final, or have appeared since 2005 in at least one match in any of the ICC World Cup Qualifier, Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier, or ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier competitions
4. Umpires are presumed notable if they've been a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires or meet another of the above points

Note: understanding of what constitutes a match played at the highest international or domestic level is central to these criteria, and qualification of a given match is dependent on its inclusion in a substantial source. Youth players (for example, members of under-19 teams) are not notable unless they satisfy one of the statements above, or if they can be shown to meet the wider requirements of WP:NBASIC. The criteria have been taken from WP:CRIN, which should be consulted for details. Major individual matches (i.e., played outside organised competitions) are those shown to be significant, especially if historically significant, by substantial sources as outlined in Historical sources.

Cue sports (snooker, pool, billiards)

See Wikipedia:WikiProject Cue sports/Notability, which covers players and other persons, as well as governing bodies, manufacturers, periodicals, tournaments, rulesets, equipment, and venues. It is a WP:PROJPAGE, explaining how WP:Notability applies to the topic area and outlining what is likely/unlikely to be found notable, rather than setting rules or attempting to establish any variances from WP:NBASIC and NSPORT in general.

Curling

A curler is presumed notable if they

1. Have won a World Curling Tour event or participated in a Grand Slam of Curling event.
2. Have participated at the World Curling Championships or the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.
3. Have won a medal at one of the following World Curling Federation sanctioned events: the World Junior Curling Championships, World Senior Curling Championships, European Curling Championships, World Mixed Curling Championship, or Pacific-Asia Curling Championships.
4. Have participated in the Brier or the Tournament of Hearts.
5. Have won a medal at the Canadian Junior Curling Championships.
6. Have won the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, Canadian Senior Curling Championship, or Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials.
7. Have participated in the Continental Cup of Curling, Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, TSN Skins Game, or Canada Cup of Curling.
8. Is a member of the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame or the WCF Hall of Fame.

Cycling

A male cyclist is presumed notable if he:

1. Has competed in a UCI World Tour;
2. Has competed in a Grand Tour or Monument;
3. Has competed at the Olympics or UCI World Championships or UCI World Cup;
4. Won Gold at an international multi-sport event (games) (also includes races like the World University Cycling Championship);
5. Won a UCI category race (minimum classification 1.1 / 2.1, including Continental and National Championships).

A female cyclist is presumed notable if she:

1. Has competed in a UCI Women's team;
2. Has competed at the Olympics or UCI World Championships or UCI World Cup;
3. Won a UCI category race (including Continental and National Championships);
4. Won Gold at an international multi-sport event (games) (also includes races like the World University Cycling Championship).

A team is presumed notable if it is:

1. A men's road team in the 1st (UCI WorldTeam), 2nd (UCI ProContinental), or 3rd (UCI Continental) tier;
2. A UCI team (UCI women's team, UCI track team, UCI mountain bike team, UCI cyclo-cross team, etc.).

A race is presumed notable if it:

1. Is ranked with the UCI (WT, 1HC, 1.1, 1.2, 2HC, 2.1, 2.2, CDM, JO, CM, GT, CC, CN);
2. Is part of an international multi-sport event (games) (also includes races like the World University Cycling Championship);
3. Holds significant recognition (for example, Parel van de Veluwe and the People's Choice Classic).

Equestrian sport

This section does not encompass notability issues for individuals in rodeo, which is addressed at WP:NRODEO, or horse racing, which is covered at WP:NHORSERACING.

Equestrians competing at the highest level of international competition are not always "professionals", some earn money and some do not, but most have sponsors or receive money to support their activities. Both professionals and non-professionals have been put in the professional sports category for convenience.

Individual people and horses who are involved in equestrian sport are presumed notable if they

1. Have participated at the Pan American Games as a rider, driver, or official team coach
2. Have participated at the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) as a rider, driver, or official team coach
3. If prior to a competition becoming part of the combined WEG, medaled individually or been on a team that won gold, silver, or bronze at the Eventing World Championship, Show Jumping World Championships, or Dressage World Championship, Combined Driving World Championships, Endurance World Championships or World Vaulting Championships
4. Have won a FEI World Cup competition.

Persons or horses associated with equestrian competition who are not notable per the criteria outlined above may be presumed notable if they meet WP:NBASIC (or WP:GNG, for horses) for any of the following achievements:

1. A coach or horse trainer who worked with many competitors (human or animal) considered notable by the criteria above, including at least one individual Olympic medalist or World Equestrian Games champion.
2. Individual inductees into a major equestrian-oriented national hall of fame dedicated to sports with international-level competition, such as the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame.
3. Heads of national and international federations, for example, United States Equestrian Federation, Fédération Equestre Internationale.
4. A horse breeder who was the breeder of record for many notable horses including the mounts of at least one Olympic medal or World Equestrian Games championship competitor.
5. A horse notable for being a parent or ancestor of a major competitor.
6. Some but not all winners of national-level championships, particularly those considered the highest honor within a particular discipline or horse breed competition (especially where there is no significant international championship level).
7. Individuals who made major contributions to the equestrian industry such as veterinarians, researchers, artists, and inventors.

Figure skating

Figure skaters competing at the highest level of international competition are not "professional" skaters, but they are also not amateurs since they do receive money. They are called eligible skaters but have been put in the professional sports category for convenience.

For notability guideline for all figure skating-related subjects, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Figure Skating/Notability.

Figure skating figures are presumed notable if they

1. Have competed at an Olympics or at an ISU senior World Figure Skating Championships (Competing in a world championship qualifying round does not guarantee notability.)
2. Have competed in the free skate at the following ISU Championships: World Junior Figure Skating Championships, European Figure Skating Championships, Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
3. Won their country's senior national championships, with the exception of those countries that do not regularly send multiple skaters to the Olympic Games (consult this Olympic athlete tally to check whether the country qualifies).
4. Have competed at an ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating event (Skate America, Skate Canada International, Internationaux de France, Cup of China, Rostelecom Cup, NHK Trophy, Bofrost Cup on Ice, Grand Prix of Helsinki)
5. Medaled at a non-Grand Prix international senior-level event (commonly referred to as "senior B" competitions, as opposed to "A" competitions, which are the Grands Prix and ISU championships. See figure skating competitions for more information, and List of figure skating competitions for a list of events. Notable examples of senior Bs are the Nebelhorn Trophy, the Karl Schäfer Memorial, and the Golden Spin of Zagreb.)

Notability for persons associated with skating who were not notable as eligible skaters:

1. A coach or choreographer who has worked with many notable skaters, including at least one Olympic medalist or senior World Champion (for example, Pam Gregory and David Wilson)
2. Heads of national and international federations.
3. Individual members of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, or a major national figure skating hall of fame, such as the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Golf

Golf figures are presumed notable if:

1. They have competed in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, Solheim Cup, or similar international competition
2. They are enshrined in one of golf's recognized Halls of Fame (example: World Golf Hall of Fame)
3. They have won at least one professional golf tournament (examples: PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, European Tour, PGA Tour Champions)
4. They have won at least one recognized amateur golf tournament at the national or international level (examples: U.S. Amateur, British Amateur)
5. They have made the cut in one of the four Men's major golf championships, one of the Women's major golf championships (past or present), or one of the Senior major golf championships (past or present)
6. They have competed as a professional on the PGA, LPGA, European, or Champions Tour for at least one full year

Gymnastics

Artistic gymnasts are presumed notable if they meet any of the criteria below

1. Competed at the World Championships
2. Won a senior individual medal at an elite international competition*
3. Won their country's senior all-around or individual event finals national championship while competing for a country that qualified a full team into the most recent Olympics or senior World Championships
4. Won an individual medal at the senior national championships for any country that medaled in the team competition at the most recent Olympics or World Championships
5. Have been inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

Junior gymnasts are presumed notable if they meet any of the criteria below

1. Won an individual gold medal at the junior national championships for any of the following countries: USA, Russia, China, Romania (females only)
2. Won an individual gold medal, in the junior division, at an elite international competition*
3. Won an individual medal at the Youth Olympic Games or Junior World Championships

Coaches are presumed notable if they

1. Have coached many notable athletes, including at least one individual Olympic medalist or world champion
2. Have been the official head coach of an Olympic or World Championship team

*An elite international competition is

any competition with considerable international WP:GNG coverage between at least eight notable athletes (examples of such competitions include: Pan American Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, European Championships, and Pacific Rim Championships).

Horse racing

• Notability for people involved in sport horse disciplines other than horse racing are covered at WP:NEQUESTRIAN or WP:NRODEO

For expanded notability guidelines for all horse racing-related subjects, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Horse racing/Notability.

Not all participants in horse racing are athletic "professionals", particularly owners and breeders, but due to purse money and profit motive throughout the sport they are put in the professional sports category for convenience.

Horse racing figures, including horses and/or their human "connections" (horse trainers, jockeys, or horse owners and horse breeders) are presumed to most likely meet notability standards if they have accomplished any of the following:

1. Individuals who win a Grade I/Group I stakes race or the equivalent level in their respective nations. (Horses, due to their relatively short careers, at least once; humans best to have done so more than once)
2. Individuals who have won multiple significant Grade/Group 2 or 3 graded stakes races or the equivalent level in their respective nations.
3. Individuals who have won year-end championship titles, such as an Eclipse Award.
4. Members of a national Racing Hall of Fame.

Notability for horses or persons associated with horse racing who were not competitors or do not meet the criteria above may be presumed notable if they meet GNG or NBASIC for any of the following:

1. Individual humans who were significant for new advancements or trailblazing achievements. (examples: Andrew Beyer, Florence Nagle, Diane Crump)
2. Horses that may not have raced to any significant degree (usually due to injury), but had multiple significant progeny, such as Tapit.
3. Horses who are ranked the leading sire or broodmare for a given year in their respective nations (again, see Tapit)
4. Breeding farms or farm owners that do not race many horses themselves, but have produced or currently stand horses who became notable winners. (i.e., Adena Springs)
5. Agents, race track announcers (e.g., Larry Collmus), racing journalists (e.g., Steve Haskin), venue owners (e.g., Frank Stronach) and other business professionals with a significant connection to horse racing.
6. Horses and individuals involved in highly publicized thefts or other crimes, e.g., Shergar, scandals, or other nefarious activities, such as substitution scams, e.g., Fine Cotton.
7. An individual person with a connection to a notable horse is not inherently notable for that reason only, see WP:BIO1E, though if the individual's role is a large one, a significant connection to a single notable horse might justify a spinoff article (e.g., Eddie Sweat, groom of Secretariat). Conversely, a horse is not presumed notable just because the owner is famous – of Jim Rome's racehorses, Shared Belief is notable, Gallatin's Run is probably not.

Ice hockey

Ice hockey players are presumed notable if they

1. Played one or more games in the National Hockey League, Czech Extraliga, Liiga, Kontinental Hockey League, or the Swedish Hockey League, a top-level Canadian amateur league prior to 1909, the Soviet Championship League, the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League or the World Hockey Association;
2. Played at least 200 games (90 games for a goaltender) or achieved preeminent honors (all-time top-10 career scorer, First Team All-Star) in the Mestis, Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Slovak Extraliga, HockeyAllsvenskan, National League, or American Hockey League;
3. Achieved preeminent honors (all-time top-10 career scorer or First Team All-Star) in the Eishockey Liga, Belarusian Extraleague, DEL2, GET-ligaen, ECHL, Elite Ice Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Western Hockey League, Elite.A, or Beneliga;
4. Achieved preeminent honors (all-time top-10 career scorer or First or Second Team All-American) in the men's play versions of the Atlantic Hockey, Big Ten Conference, Central Collegiate Hockey Association, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East, National Collegiate Hockey Conference, or NCAA Division I independent;
5. Are a first-round draft pick of the NHL Entry Draft; or
6. Played on a senior national team for the World Championship, in the highest pool the IIHF maintained in any given year (Note: playing in lower pools that do not actually contest for the World Champion title is not enough to satisfy inclusion requirements).

For coaches or managers of ice hockey teams, substitute "coached" or "managed" for "played" in the player guidelines.

For participants in defunct leagues who satisfy any of these achievement standards, please see the ice hockey league assessment maintained by the Ice Hockey WikiProject. For leagues still in existence, only those listed above satisfy the specified criteria.

Kickboxing

A kickboxing athlete is presumed notable if they:

• Fought for a world title of a major organization or promotion (K-1, WMC, ISKA, WAKO-Pro, Glory, It's Showtime, WKN, WBC Muaythai, PKA (through 1986), or WKA (through 2000)),
• Have been ranked in the world top-10 by a major, preferably two, independent publication that meets the definition of a reliable source, or
• Have been a Lumpinee or Rajadamnern champion.

Kickboxers that have an amateur background exclusively are not notable unless the person has been the subject examined in detail (more than a single paragraph) in several reliable third-party sources (at least four), excluding local publications.

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial artists are presumed notable if they

1. Have fought at least three professional fights for a top-tier MMA organization, such as the UFC (see WP:MMATIER); or
2. Have fought for the highest title of a top-tier MMA organization; or
3. Been ranked in the world top 10 in their division by either Sherdog (sherdog.com) or Fight Matrix (fightmatrix.com).

Motorsports

Motorsport figures are presumed notable if they are

1. A driver or rider who has qualified for any of the following events:
   • A Formula One World Championship Grand Prix or a 500cc/MotoGP World Championship motorcycle Grand Prix.
   • The Indianapolis 500.
2. A driver or rider who has competed for at least one full season in any of the following series:
   • Any primarily-professional single-class series of significant international importance, such as the World Superbike Championship, Formula E, or the World Touring Car Championship.
   • Any category of a multi-class series of significant international importance in which there is not a requirement to run "amateur" or "gentleman" drivers, such as the LMP1 and GTE Pro classes of the FIA World Endurance Championship, or as a manufacturer entry in the World Rally Championship.
   • A top-level feeder series to Formula One or MotoGP, such as the GP2 Series or the Moto2 World Championship.
   • The modern-era (1972 or later) NASCAR Cup Series.
3. A driver or rider who has finished on the overall podium of any of the following events:
   • Any round of a series in the previous category, if the driver or rider in question did not complete a full season.
   • The Le Mans 24 Hours, the Bathurst 1000 Kilometres, or a pre-World Championship Grande Épreuve.
4. A driver, rider, or co-driver who has won any of the following events overall:
   • A round of any primarily-professional series of significant national importance, such as the British Touring Car Championship, Stock Car Brasil, or Super GT.
   • Another high-profile international rally as a driver (such as the Dakar Rally, Coupe des Alpes, or non-world championship editions of the Monte Carlo or RAC rallies), or a round of the World Rally Championship as a co-driver.
   • A non-championship national Grand Prix (including the Macau Grand Prix and the Gordon Bennett Cup) for cars or motorcycles.
   • Various major road races, such as one of the high-profile inter-city races of the 1890s and 1900s, an Isle of Man TT event, the Targa Florio, or the Mille Miglia.
5. A driver or rider who has won any of the following championship titles:
   • The overall championship title of any series in the previous category without winning a race (a relatively common occurrence in series whose points-scoring systems favour consistent finishes over inconsistent victories).
   • A major championship in which a large number of the competitors are amateur "gentleman" drivers or privateers, such as the European Le Mans Series, Intercontinental GT Challenge, or European Rally Championship.
6. Any driver who does not meet the previous criteria who has received an FIA platinum driver categorisation can be presumed notable. Drivers who have received an FIA gold driver categorisation are likely to be notable, although a minority of drivers in this group may not meet the general notability guideline.
7. A current or former owner or team principal for a team in a major racing series (Formula One, the World Rally Championship, MotoGP, Formula E, Indycar, DTM, Super GT, the NASCAR Cup Series, V8 Supercars, CART, or top-level IMSA) for a full season or more. This includes Cup Series crew chiefs.
8. Enshrined in any notable motorsports hall of fame.
9. A current or former holder of significant motorsports record, such as a land speed record.

Orienteering

An athlete who competes in the field of orienteering is presumed notable if they meet any of the criteria below

1. Have finished top 3 in the World Orienteering Championships or the European Orienteering Championships.
2. Have finished top 3 in any other major senior level individual international competition according to the criterion below. Presently that means the three medalists in H21E and D21E in O-Ringen, except for the competitions until 1968, when there were not so many runners.
3. Have won an individual gold medal at the Junior World Orienteering Championships, in a World Ranking Event (Swedish League etc)
4. Have won a senior national championship in a country whose athletes have received a medal in the World Orienteering Championships.

An orienteering club is presumed notable if it meets any of the criteria below

1. Has got a medal in a major relay (according to the criteria below, which mean presently Tiomila (both the Tiomila relay and the women’s relay, since 1970 when the number of team became so large that it could not anymore be organized from point A to point B) and the Jukola relay (both Jukola, from 1972, and Venla).
2. Has won a senior national championship in relay in a country whose athletes have received a medal in the World Orienteering Championships.
3. Has been represented by ten runners who fulfill the criteria above.

The notability of an event apart from the championships mentioned above is determined by meeting all the following criteria

1. It has an international elite field.
2. It regularly has more than 5,000 competitors.
3. It has been held over a period of 25 years.

Presently that means O-Ringen, Tiomila, and the Jukola relay.

Rodeo

Individuals who participate in the sport of rodeo are presumed notable if they

1. Have participated as athletes at the highest level of professional competition such as the Calgary Stampede, Canadian Finals Rodeo, National Finals Rodeo, or National Finals Rodeo (Australia);
2. Have been inducted into a national or international rodeo hall of fame such as the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Rodeo Hall of Fame, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, or Bull Riding Hall of Fame.
3. College rodeo athletes in NIRA competition will follow NCOLLATH and younger rodeo competitors will follow NHSPHSATH.
4. Named animals participating in rodeo, such as bucking horses and bucking bulls, are presumed notable if they have been named to a rodeo hall of fame such as those noted above.

Rugby league

A player or coach of rugby league football is presumed notable if they:

1. Have appeared in at least one match at a Rugby League World Cup tournament, Rugby League Four Nations tournament, Pacific Cup or Rugby League European Cup, or
2. Have appeared in at least one match between Great Britain, England, Wales, France, New Zealand, or Australia prior to 1995, or
3. Have appeared in at least one match of a fully professional club rugby league competition:
   • National Rugby League ^{(see Note 1)}, or
   • Super League ^{(see Note 1)} including Challenge Cup appearances.

Other players and personalities in the game are notable if they meet WP:NBASIC.

Note 1: or their earlier iterations in the UK, Australia or New Zealand.

Rugby union

A rugby union person is presumed notable if they have played for, coached, or administered:

1. A "High Performance Union" at any time^{(see Note 1)} or another test nation during an appearance at the men's Rugby World Cup^{(see Note 2)} or,
2. A team in a notable fully professional rugby union competition since 1995 or,
3. A team in the Rugby World Cup Sevens, World Rugby Sevens Series, Commonwealth Games, or
4. A women's national team in at least the semi-finals of the Women's Rugby World Cup.^{(see Note 3)}

Note 1: "High Performance Unions" for men are: Argentina, Australia, British and Irish Lions, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Georgia (at Rugby World Cups 2003, 2017, 2011 and 2015 and from 2016–present), Ireland, Italy, Japan, Namibia (at Rugby World Cups 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 and from 2016–present), New Zealand, Romania, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, United States, Uruguay (at Rugby World Cups 1999, 2003 and 2015 and from 2016–present) and Wales. Women do not have this criterion.

Note 2: Non-High Performance Unions nations that have appeared at the World cup are: Ivory Coast (1995), Portugal (2007), Spain (1999), Russia (2011 and 2019) and Zimbabwe (1987 and 1991)

Note 3: Nations that have played at the Women's World cup at the semi-final level are: Australia (2010), Canada (1998, 2002, 2006 and 2014), England (1991, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2017), France (1991, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2017), Ireland (2014), New Zealand (1991, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2017), United States (1991, 1994, 1998 and 2017), and Wales (1994).

The above parameters apply to all rugby union persons regardless of professional or amateur status. A player who signs for a team in a fully professional rugby competition but has not played in any games is not deemed to have participated in a competition, and is therefore not generally regarded as being notable under these criteria. Youth players are not notable unless they satisfy one of the statements above, or if they can be shown to meet the wider requirements of WP:NBASIC.

Sumo

Sumo wrestlers are presumed notable if they have been ranked in either the top (makuuchi) division or second-highest (juryo) division. Wrestlers who have only appeared in lower divisions are generally not notable, as they have not reached fully professional status.

Tennis

Tennis figures are presumed to be notable if they

1. Are a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, either in the contributor or player category
2. Have competed in one of the following international team competitions: Hopman Cup or World Team Cup.
3. Have competed in the main draw in one of the highest-level professional tournaments:

   • Grand Slam tournaments (the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, or the US Open).
   • Men: ATP World Tour tournaments (the ATP World Tour Finals, ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500, or ATP World Tour 250).
   • Women: WTA Tour tournaments (the WTA 1000,the WTA 500, the WTA 250, or the WTA Tour Championships).

4. Have won at least one title in any of the ATP Challenger tournaments.
5. Have won at least one title in any of the ITF Women's $50,000–$100,000+ tournaments, or any of the WTA 125K tournaments. Until 2007, the notability threshold shall be winning a $25,000 tournament based on the lowest payout for a men's challenger tournament in the same year.
6. Hold a tennis record recognized by the International Tennis Federation, ATP, or WTA.

Junior players are presumed to be notable if they have won at least a junior Grand Slam title, have been in the top-3 of the junior ITF world rankings, or can be shown to meet the wider requirements of WP:NBASIC.

This guideline applies equally to singles and doubles players.

More detailed tennis notability information can be found at WikiProject Tennis/Article guidelines.

Triathlon

Triathletes are presumed notable if they

1. Have had a podium finish at the Commonwealth Games.
2. Have had a top-ten finish in the final World Triathlon Series standings (or in the final World Triathlon Cup standings, prior to 2009).
3. Have had a top-ten finish in an World Triathlon sanctioned championship event.
4. Have an elite level podium finish at an World Triathlon Continental Championship.
5. Have had a professional division top-ten finish at the Ironman World Championship or at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
6. Have had a podium finish at the XTERRA Triathlon championships.
7. Have won an event that has a starting pro/elite field of at least 15 male or 10 female competitors.
8. Have set a record for a standard distance event or leg.

Amateur sports persons

College athletes and coaches

College athletes and coaches are notable if they have been the subject of non-trivial media coverage beyond merely a repeating of their statistics, mentions in game summaries, or other WP:ROUTINE coverage. Examples would include head coaches, well-known assistant coaches, or players who:

1. Have won a national award (such as those listed in Template:College Football Awards or the equivalent in another sport), or established a major NCAA Division I record.
2. Were inducted into the hall of fame in their sport (for example, the College Football Hall of Fame).
3. Gained national media attention as an individual, not just as a player for a notable team. Very rarely, a player may gain national media attention despite not being on a notable team, such as Lauren Hill.
4. Have won multiple NCAA Division I national championships as an individual in an individual sport.
5. Served as a full-time (as opposed to interim) head coach for NCAA Division I/University Division football (since the establishment of divisions in 1957), men’s basketball (since 1957) or women’s basketball (since 1982). Other college coaches in other divisions and/or other sports may also meet notability guidelines via WP:NBASIC.

Gaelic games

GAA figures are presumed notable if that figure is or has been a:

1. Gaelic footballer who has played in the National League or at senior inter-county level in the Championship
2. Gaelic handballer who has won at senior inter-county level
3. Hurler who has played in the National League or at senior inter-county level in the Championship

High school and pre-high school athletes

High school and pre-high school athletes are notable only if they have received, as individuals, substantial and prolonged coverage that is: (1) independent of the subject; and (2) clearly goes beyond WP:ROUTINE coverage. The first clause excludes all school papers and school websites that cover their sports teams and other teams they compete against. The second clause excludes the majority of local coverage in both news sources and sports specific publications. It especially excludes using game play summaries, statistical results, or routine interviews as sources to establish notability.

Organizations, venues and games notability

Teams and clubs

This guideline does not provide any general criteria for the presumed notability of sports teams and clubs. Some sports have specific criteria. Otherwise, teams and clubs are expected to demonstrate notability by the general notability guideline.

Since notability is not inherited, the notability of an athlete does not imply the notability of a team or club, or vice versa.

Olympic and Paralympic Games

• Athletes from any sport are presumed notable if they have won a medal at the modern Olympic Games, including the Summer Olympics (since 1896) or the Winter Olympics (since 1924) e.g. Ian Thorpe, or have won a medal at the Paralympic Games; e.g. Laurentia Tan. However, winning a medal in a competition with fewer than four competitors or teams (i.e., when all participants receive a medal) is not an indicator of presumed notability.
• Nations participating at an individual Summer or Winter Olympic or Paralympic Games are presumed notable, e.g., United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics or Great Britain at the 2002 Winter Paralympics
• Sports at individual Summer or Winter Olympic or Paralympic Games are presumed notable, e.g., Archery at the 2004 Summer Olympics or Wheelchair curling at the 2006 Winter Paralympics
• Events at individual Summer or Winter Olympic or Paralympic Games are presumed notable, e.g., Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's individual road race or Skeleton at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's

For details on suggested content for the above article types see Wikipedia:WikiProject Olympics/Manual of Style.

Individual seasons

Articles can be created on individual seasons of teams in top professional leagues, as these articles almost always meet the notability requirements.

Team season articles should consist mainly of well-sourced prose, not just statistics and lists of players. Wikipedia is not a stats directory. It is strongly recommended that such articles be redirected to the team page if no sourced prose can be created.

For college sports teams, weigh both the season itself and the sport (for example, if a US college or university's football and fencing teams enjoy the same level of success, the football team is likely to receive a significantly greater amount of coverage):

• A national championship season at the top collegiate level is generally notable.
• A national championship season at a lower collegiate level might be notable
• A season including a post-season appearance (or, if there is no post-season competition, a high final ranking) in the top collegiate level is often notable.
• For programs considered elite in a sport (for example, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, in men's basketball; Tennessee and UConn in women's basketball; Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, USC in football, etc.) many or all seasons might be notable regardless of the outcome (the amount written by reliable sources on a weekly basis for some of these programs is enough that almost anything or anyone having any relation to them is likely to meet the General Notability Guideline).
• In cases in which the individual season notability is insufficient for an article, multiple seasons may be grouped together in a single article. This grouping might be based on head coaches, conference affiliation, or any other reasonable standard that results in sufficient coverage for the period to warrant an article.

Individual games or series

Further information: Wikipedia:Notability (events)

Regular season games in professional and college leagues are not inherently notable. To be notable, games should be extraordinary and have a lasting impact on the sport; news coverage should be extensive (e.g., outside of the week of its occurrence and in non-local newspapers).

Some games or series are likely or almost certain to be considered notable, including but not limited to the following:

• The final series (or single game when there is not a series) determining the champion of a top league, e.g., 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, or 2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, or Super Bowl XLIII, or 2006 UEFA Champions League Final
• College bowl games (not limited to BCS or College Football Playoff bowl games, e.g. see 2009–10 NCAA football bowl games).
• All-star or similar exhibition games, e.g., 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
• A game that is widely considered by independent reliable sources to be notable, outside routine coverage of each game, especially if the game received front page coverage outside of the local areas involved (e.g., The Malice at the Palace, 2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, or the Blood in the Water match)

Articles about notable games should have well-sourced prose, not merely a list of stats.

For a games or series that is already covered as a subtopic in another article, consider developing the topic in the existing article first until it becomes clear that a standalone article is warranted. Although a game or series may be notable, it may sometimes be better to present the topic in an existing article on a broader topic instead of creating a new standalone page.

Rivalries

Sports rivalries are not inherently notable. Articles on sports rivalries, such as Yankees–Red Sox rivalry, should satisfy the general notability guideline.

Arenas, stadia and other athletic venues

As with teams and clubs (see WP:NTEAM), sporting arenas, stadia and other venues do not have presumed notability, and are expected to demonstrate notability through meeting the general notability guideline. Since notability is not inherited, neither the notability of a sports team nor of competitions played there imply the notability of a venue.

Research links

See also: Wikipedia:List of online newspaper archives

The following are some potential places to look for sources to establish sports notability:

• Chronicling America Library of Congress, historic newspapers from 1836–1922 (free)
• Google news search (mostly free)
• LA84 Foundation Digital archive of the LA84 Foundation research library; digitized books, periodicals, and magazines on sports (free)
• Newspaper archive Digitized newspapers, broad coverage (free search, paid access)
• NewsLibrary Digitized newspapers, broad coverage (free search, paid access)
• Newspapers.com Digitized newspapers, broad coverage (free search, paid access)