I wonder what is the etymology of the word sport.
Vasmer says that it is from disport "amusement", a contraction from Middle English disporten from Old French desporter "to take away", "to distract from the work".
But Starostin's Starling gives another etymology:
Eng. sport < Old Eng. spyrd, Goth. spɔrd-s "racing" < Proto-Germ. *spurd < PIE *sperdh- "run competition"
It gives as cognates Hittite ispart-, Avest. sparǝr- Old Indic -spūrdhán, spárdhate "competition"
So who is correct?
Note also that Vasmer connects Russian spor "dispute" to Avest pǝrǝt- and Old Indic pŕ̥tanā "struggle" so that the s- in PIE *sperdh- could be s-mobile.
Also take into account the root *per- meaning "first", "in front", "against" and Proto-Slavic perdъ "before, in front of" < PIE *per-dʰ-o.