Opponent (in sport)

[Droigheann]

What is the Gaelic for "an opponent" in a tennis match, game of chess &c? I found several words for "opponent" and "rival" in AFB, but when I tried googling them I generally got no non-dictionary hits at all, or ones which implied some intrinsic hostility, like opponents in a war or in politics. Is there such a word at all, or would one say something like "the other player/team" instead? Or can one, on the contrary, use even "nàmhaid" without evoking some kind of Celtic-Rangers enmity?

[GunChleoc]

I think "co-fharpaisiche" (co-contestant) would be best for a peaceful opponent. It's the one I picked for computer games tr*nsl*t**n. "An sgioba eile" would also work.

[Droigheann]

Facal math - mòran taing!

[Níall Beag]

I'm pretty sure I've heard luchd-aghaidh (~"those you face") on the radio and/or TV fairly frequently as "opponent" meaning the other team in sports news.

[Níall Beag]

...which of course would be "neach-aghaidh" for tennis or chess, as it's one person, not a team.

[Droigheann]

It seems that it can be ambiguous, though, also meaning "attacker, forward":
"S e an rud as cudromaich gun cum an loidhne dìon againn smachd air an luchd-aghaidh acasan."
"B' e Loch Abar a b' fheàrr a thòisich, an luchd-aghaidh a' fàgail loidhne-dìon a' Bhaile Ùir car an-fhoiseil."

[Níall Beag]

It seems that it can be ambiguous, though, also meaning "attacker, forward":
"S e an rud as cudromaich gun cum an loidhne dìon againn smachd air an luchd-aghaidh acasan."
"B' e Loch Abar a b' fheàrr a thòisich, an luchd-aghaidh a' fàgail loidhne-dìon a' Bhaile Ùir car an-fhoiseil."

Ah, maybe I heard that then. I can't claim to pay all that much attention to sports reports, as I don't care much for sport....