Quoits (/ˈkɔɪts/ or /ˈkwɔɪts/) is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin).

Quoits is supposedly the game the ancient Greek deity Apollo was playing with his lover Hyacinth which ultimately resulted in his death.

[1] In Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica, Thetis sees Jason and the other heroes "delighting in mass throwing (σόλῳ ῥιπῇσί) and arrows.

The official rules first appeared in the April 1881 edition of The Field, having been defined by a body formed from pubs in Northern England.

The hobs are 18 yd (16 m) apart, while the quoits are typically around 9 in (23 cm) in diameter and weigh up to 11 lb (5 kg), almost double that of the northern game.

Quoits that land cleanly over the hob score two points, regardless of the opponent's efforts, and are removed immediately, prior to the next throw.

In the games played around South Suffolk, Stoke by Nayland (The Black Horse) the inclined beds of clay had a hidden pin, which had a piece of white paper inserted over it.

Since 2003 the USQA has conducted annual tournaments culminating in a World Championship in both singles and doubles as well as a season ending points champion.

This is a popular outdoor variation played principally in and around Pennsylvania, USA (specifically the "Slate Belt" which is in the Lehigh Valley).

Garden quoit and hoopla sets can be purchased in shops and usually involve players taking it in turns to throw rope or wooden hoops over one or more spikes.

The fairground version typically involves a person paying the stallholder for the opportunity to throw one or more wooden hoops over a prize, which if done successfully, they can keep.

Generally speaking, the odds of winning are normally heavily weighted in favour of the stallholder unless the cost of play is higher than the value of the prize.