Athletism?! Is that correct?

It is quite common to think about certain words in a foreign language and spell them in a similar way to the one used in your mother tongue. You might be lucky sometimes, however, for other examples you might be totally wrong!

It is not the first time I hear Portuguese people refering to Athletics as Athletism. Well, athletism is not a word in English language. The correct term is Athletics.

This happens because the Portuguese term for Athletics is Atletismo. As you can see there is a similarity between the Portuguese word and the one some people use for English. So next time you want to talk about sports in English, make sure you don't associate the words in English with the ones used in Portuguese. If you have any doubts, have a quick look in a dictionary. Don't get in trouble in the Olympics!

Here is the word, according to: Collins Dictionary Online

• Athletics
  
  noun
  track and field events
  (as modifier) ⇒ "an athletics meeting"
  sports or exercises engaged in by athletes
  the theory or practice of athletic activities and training

Source:Collins Dictionary Online