Spirited contest (4)
I believe the answer is:
game
I believe this is a double definition.
'spirited' is the first definition.
('game' can be a synonym of 'spirited')
'contest' is the second definition.
(game is a kind of contest)
(Other definitions for game that I've seen before include "See 3" , "Play or sport" , "Somehow disabled" , "Something to play or to chase" , "Lark" .)