The author argues that the fundamental values associated with sports seem to have changed. Physical and psychological wellbeing, the playful aspect of training and the non-committal social network are of increasing importance for the practice of sports, while competition and success only remain of significance for a more limited number of people. Accordingly spaces for sports are also undergoing change. In the city of today, physical exercise takes place on streets and squares, on rooftops, in buildings that previously served other purposes, in parks and city forests and even in the harbour. The essay gives a number of examples of these new sports spaces. Their common denominator lies in their urban proximity, the combination of previously irreconcilable functions, high adaptability and the fact that they often make use of urban residual areas.