The rich also work. What sport do billionaires from the Forbes list choose?

The rich have their own quirks, including sports. Many billionaires not only own championship teams or sponsor major competitions, but also enjoy a good workout themselves.

Some successful businessmen have a passion for a particular discipline from childhood, but as a rule, the rich still prefer the so-called elite sports that require large financial outlays. So what activities are favored by people from the Forbes list?

Tennis

Tennis has always been considered a pastime of aristocrats and still retains the reputation of an elite sport. Coincidence or not, it is the love of tennis that unites the three richest people of the planet from the latest Forbes list. While Amazon founder Jeff Bezos likes to swing a racket with his wife Mackenzie (incidentally, number 22 on the Forbes list with a fortune of $36 billion) and friends, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates has repeatedly taken part in major charity matches with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and other tennis stars.

Jeff Bezos and Anna Kournikova at an outfit presentation, 2003

Europe’s richest man Bernard Arnault, who is in the top three of the world rankings, is also friends with Federer. The owner of the Louis Vuitton fashion empire trains four hours a week and considers tennis an outlet in his busy schedule.

Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg also spent a lot of time on the court during his student days, although now he can more often be found jogging in the park near his home.

Sailing

Another traditional sport for the rich. Buying your own boat and assembling a professional crew is not cheap. Luxury yachts have long been the signature attribute of the rich, and some of them prefer to tame the wind and participate in prestigious regattas.

Larry Ellison is the world’s wealthiest yachtsman. The eccentric billionaire, ranked fifth by Forbes, became interested in sailing in his youth and sought to get rich just to buy a personal racing yacht. The Oracle co-founder never changed his passion and managed to win the America’s Cup twice.

Larry Ellison on the podium at the 33rd America’s Cup, 2010

Horseback riding

In addition to a considerable financial outlay, horseback riding requires skill, which is usually acquired in childhood. That is why heirs of wealthy parents often achieve great success in equestrian sport. Billionaires themselves are mostly limited to leisurely horseback riding or playing polo. However, there is a passionate fan of equestrian sport in the top 10 of the Forbes list. Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega once practiced show jumping at a serious level and then married his daughter to a famous horseman.

Golf

Perhaps the most common sporting pastime among billionaires. The calm and measured atmosphere of golf contributes to business negotiations in an informal atmosphere. Among the famous golf fans are Bill Gates and US President Donald Trump, and in general this not too active, but pleasant and respectable sport is practiced from time to time by the majority of Forbes list members, especially from the older generation.

Donald Trump opens a golf course in Scotland, 2012

Surfing and kitesurfing

But among the new generation of the rich, more extreme sports are common. Thus, Mark Zuckerberg likes to surf the waves in Hawaii, and one of the founders of Google Larry Page is fond of kitesurfing. The famous British businessman Richard Branson is also close to extreme sports.

Richard Branson kitesurfing in England, 2010

Running and triathlon

If the hobbies of extreme sports are caused by the desire to tickle nerves and release emotions, the passion of many billionaires to run and triathlon can be explained by testing themselves and their abilities. Zuckerberg, Bezos, Sergey Brin, one of the founders of Google, and Ilon Musk, head of Space X, are fond of long jogs. And the former top manager of Microsoft Steve Ballmer even overcame the marathon distance.

The passion for triathlon among rich people is a trend of new times. A tough test of endurance and willpower was to the liking of those who are used to setting goals and achieving them.