Wikipedia:Notability (sports)

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

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 must 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 (e.g. 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, the meeting of 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 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, standalone articles are required to 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. It is not intended that this guideline should apply to sports clubs and teams; for these the specific notability guideline is WP:ORG.

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 where the results are at least partially predetermined or scripted is not covered by this page. For participants in such events (e.g. 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 he or she has 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, for example, participated in a major international amateur or professional competition at the highest level (such as the Olympics).

• 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 the College Football Data Warehouse.
• 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 clearly 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 Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League, the National Football League, the third American Football League, the All-America Football Conference or the United States Football League, or any other top-level professional league.
2. Note: Players who play in minor or semi-professional leagues (such as af2) 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

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, (including the Olympics) are notable. The notability of these is accepted as they would have received significant coverage as outlined above in the general notability criteria.
2. Players who have played, and managers who have managed in a fully professional league, will generally be regarded as notable. 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 line-up or coming on as a substitute. 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:GNG.

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. Has competed in the Olympics, 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. Has won an individual gold medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships, or Youth World Championships.
5. Has 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. Has won the elite division of multiple notable* road races (including the same race multiple times) or has established a history of highly competitive, non-winning performances in many notable races (at least 10 top threes)
7. Has 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 appropriate 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. Has a non-relay mark listed on the IAAF senior all-time list or equivalent list
10. Has 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 that 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 that have been the official head coach of an Olympic track and field team for a country with multiple medalists.
3. Coaches that introduced a notable technique or training method, and is widely credited as the originator.
4. Clubs that have received major international coverage for its successes and has a résumé composed of many successful Olympians over a long period of time (e.g. 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. Has appeared in a match of the Australian Football League.
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 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 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, Baseball World Cup or Olympics) 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 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 active 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). Please note that 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, ABA League (and its predecessor the Yugoslav Basketball League), or the VTB United League (and its predecessors the USSR Premier Basketball League and the Russian Professional Basketball Championship).
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 Development League.

Boxing

A boxer is presumed notable if he or she:

1. Has fought for a world title (e.g. 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. Has fought for a regular/full national or higher non-world title for an affiliated organization of one of the above listed major sanctioning bodies (e.g. IBF-affiliated (USBA), WBA-affiliated (BUI or PABA), WBC-affiliated (ABCO, BBBofC (and its predecessor the NSC), EBU (and its predecessor the IBU), NABF, or OPBF), or WBO-affiliated (NABO))
3. Has been ranked in the world top ten of any weight class by the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, or The Ring magazine.
4. Has 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 he or she

1. has appeared as a player or umpire in at least one cricket match that is judged by a substantial source to have been played at the highest international or domestic level
2. has appeared in at least one ICC World Cup Qualifier match since 2005, or in an ICC Trophy final prior to 2005, as a player or umpire
3. has appeared in at least one World Cricket League match of Division Six status or above since 2007 as a player or umpire

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 (e.g. 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:GNG. 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.

Curling

A curler is presumed notable if he or she

1. Has participated in a World Curling Tour sanctioned event.
2. Has participated in a World Curling Federation sanctioned event.
3. Has participated in the Brier, the Tournament of Hearts or received a podium finish for another country's national championship, provided that the country has qualified a team into either the preceding or succeeding Olympics.
4. Has participated in an Olympic qualifying event for any country.
5. Has participated in the Canadian Mixed, Junior or Senior championship.
6. Has participated in a provincial or territorial playdown leading to the Brier or Tournament of Hearts.
7. Has participated in a TSN Skins Game or Canada Cup of Curling game.
8. Has received a podium finish at a Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship or the Canadian Masters Curling Championships.
9. Has participated at the Paralympics.
10. 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. rode professionally in a UCI World Tour;
2. rode in a Grand Tour or Monument;
3. 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. rode professionally in a UCI Women's team;
2. 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 (e.g, 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 can be satisfied through 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 Olympic Equestrian Events as a rider or official team coach
2. Have participated at the Paralympics as a rider, driver or official team coach
3. Have participated at the Pan American Games as a rider, driver or official team coach
4. Have participated at the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) as a rider, driver or official team coach
5. If prior to a competition becoming part of the combined WEG, placed 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
6. Have won a FEI World Cup competition.

Notability for persons or horses associated with equestrian competition who were not notable as competitors or team coaches as outlined above:

1. A coach who worked with many competitors considered notable by the criteria above, including at least one individual Olympic medalist or World Equestrian Games champion
2. Individual members inducted 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. A horse trainer who worked with many horses that (with their riders or drivers) competed in competition considered notable by the criteria above, including winners of at least one Olympic medal or World Equestrian Games championship
4. Heads of national and international federations, e.g. United States Equestrian Federation, Fédération Equestre Internationale.
5. 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.
6. A horse notable for being a parent or ancestor of a major competitor
7. Some but not all winners of national-level championships, particularly those considered the highest honor in a particular discipline (especially where there is no significant international championship level).
8. 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. 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. 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. Competed at a Grand Prix of Figure Skating event (Skate America, Skate Canada International, Trophee Eric Bompard, Cup of China, Cup of Russia, NHK Trophy, Bofrost Cup on Ice)
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 Grand Prixs 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 (e.g. 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 (ex: World Golf Hall of Fame)
3. They have won at least one professional golf tournament (ex: PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, European Tour, Champions Tour)
4. They have won at least one recognized amateur golf tournament at the national or international level (ex: U.S. Amateur, British Amateur)
5. They have made the cut in one of the major tournaments:

   • Men: Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, PGA Championship
   • Women: Current majors — U.S. Women's Open, Women's British Open, ANA Inspiration, Women's PGA Championship, The Evian Championship; or past majors — du Maurier Classic, Women's Western Open, Titleholders Championship
   • Senior men: Senior PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open, Senior Players Championship, Senior British Open, The Tradition

6. They have competed as a professional on the PGA, LPGA, European, or Champions Tour for at least one full year
7. They hold a golf record (ex: lowest score) recognized by the USGA, PGA, LPGA or The R&A

Gymnastics

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

1. competed at the Summer Olympics or senior 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 who 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. inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

Junior gymnasts are deemed notable if they meet any of the criteria below (females only)

1. won an individual gold medal at the junior national championships for any of the following countries: USA, Russia, China, Romania
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

Coaches are assumed notable if

1. they have coached many notable athletes, including at least one individual Olympic medalist or World champion
2. they 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 to assist in applying GNG 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 WP:GNG for notability 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 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 (i.e. Larry Collmus), racing journalists (i.e. Steve Haskin), venue owners (i.e. 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. (i.e. Eddie Sweat, groom of Secretariat). Conversely, a horse is not presumed notable just because the owner is famous: Jim Rome owns racehorses, Shared Belief is notable, Gallatin's Run is probably not.

Ice hockey

For lists of the leagues considered to satisfy each of the criteria below, please see the ice hockey league assessment maintained by the Ice Hockey WikiProject. All other leagues do not meet the specified criteria.

Ice hockey players are presumed notable if they

1. Played one or more games in an existing or defunct top professional league;
2. Played one or more games in an amateur league considered, through lack of a professional league, the highest level of competition extant;
3. Played at least 200 games (90 games for a goaltender) or achieved preeminent honors (all-time top ten career scorer, First Team All-Star) in top-level minor leagues or second tier national leagues;
4. Achieved preeminent honors in a lower minor or major junior league (all-time top ten career scorer or First Team All-Star), or in an NCAA Division I collegiate hockey league (all-time top ten career scorer or First or Second Team All-American). (Note: merely playing in one of these leagues is not enough to satisfy inclusion requirements);
5. Are a first-round draft pick in the NHL Entry Draft;
6. Played on a senior national team (such as at the Olympic Games or World Championship); or
7. Are an honored member of a national or multinational hockey Hall of Fame.

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

Kickboxing

A kickboxing athlete is presumed notable if they've:

• 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), WKA (through 2000)),
• been ranked in the world top 10 by a major, preferably two, independent publication that meets the definition of a reliable source, or
• been a Lumpinee or Rajadamnern champion.

Kickboxers that have an amateur background exclusively are not considered 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 (3) 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

See also: an essay, Wikipedia:WikiProject Mixed martial arts/MMA notability

Motorsports

Motorsport figures are presumed notable if they

1. Have driven in a race in a fully professional series. A fully professional series is one where prize money is not trivial compared to the cost of the series. For example, the SCCA Trans-Am Series is considered professional while the SCCA Spec Miata National Championship isn't.
2. Predate the sharp distinction between professional and amateur (prior to World War II).
3. Competed in a series or race of worldwide or national interest (for example, the American Championship or 24 Hours of Le Mans).
4. Have owned or been team principal for a team in a major racing series (NASCAR Sprint Cup, Formula One, IndyCar, A1GP, CART, IMSA) for a full season or more. This includes Sprint Cup crew chiefs.
5. Have been enshrined in any notable motorsports hall of fame.
6. Founded, owned, or managed any notable professional racing series.
7. Designers or engineers who have been covered extensively by the media or motorsports historians.
8. Hold or have held a significant motorsports record, such as a land speed record.

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, or National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.
3. College rodeo athletes in NIRA competition will follow NCOLLATH and younger rodeo competitors will follow NHSPHSATH.

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 surrounding the game are notable if they meet WP:GNG.

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

Rugby union

A rugby union person is presumed notable if he or she has 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 fully professional rugby union competition since 1995 or,
3. a team in the Rugby World Cup Sevens, IRB Sevens World Series, Commonwealth Games, Olympics, 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, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Romania, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, United States, and Wales. Women do not have this criterion.

Note 2: Non-High Performance Unions nations that have appeared at the World cup are: Georgia (2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015), Ivory Coast (1995), Namibia (1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015), Portugal (2007), Spain (1999), Russia (2011), Uruguay (1999, 2003 and 2015), 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), England (1991, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010), France (1991, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2010), New Zealand (1991, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010), United States (1991, 1994, 1998), 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. 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:GNG.

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 international team competitions: Fed Cup, Davis Cup, 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 Premier, the WTA International, 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. 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

This guideline applies equally to singles and doubles players. 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:GNG.

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

Triathlon

Triathletes are presumed notable if they

1. Have competed in Triathlon at the Summer Olympics or have had a podium finish at the Commonwealth Games.
2. Have had a top ten finish in the final ITU World Triathlon Series standings (or in the final ITU Triathlon World Cup standings, prior to 2009).
3. Have had a top ten finish in an International Triathlon Union sanctioned championship event.
4. Have an elite level podium finish at an ITU 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

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 Division I (NCAA) 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.

Gaelic games

Players of Gaelic games are presumed notable if they fulfill any of the following criteria:

1. Gaelic footballers who have played at senior inter-county level in the League or Championship
2. Gaelic handballers who have won at senior inter-county level
3. Hurlers who have played at senior inter-county level in the League or 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. Note that the first clause would exclude 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 and games notability

Teams

This guideline does not cover sports teams. For guidance, please see Wikipedia:Notability (organizations and companies).

Olympic and Paralympic Games

• Athletes from any sport are presumed notable if they have competed at the modern Olympic Games, including the Summer Olympics (since 1896) or the Winter Olympics (since 1924), or have won a medal at the Paralympic Games; e.g. Ian Thorpe or Laurentia Tan
• Nations participating at an individual Summer or Winter, Olympic or Paralympic Games are considered 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 considered 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 considered notable, e.g. Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 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 those 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 (e.g. 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 where 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)

Some games or series are inherently 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 bowl games, see e.g. 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. Pacers–Pistons brawl, 2009 Republic of Ireland vs 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. Regular season games in professional and college leagues are not inherently notable.

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 clearer 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.

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)