National sport
Encyclopedia : N : NA : NAT : National sport
A national sport is a sport or game that is considered to be a culturally intrinsic part of a country or nation. In American English the term national pastime is often used.
Although there are normally no official parameters towards defining what is a national sport, there are some general characteristics that most national sports share:
- The rules and objectives of the sport or game are known in fairly great detail in the country or nation.
- The game or sport is widely played or watched in the country or nation.
- The game or sport has a long history of popularity or extreme current popularity in the country or nation.
In other countries, where the sport or game has such a long history, such as with baseball in the United States or sumo wrestling in Japan, the sport or game is often considered a de facto "official" national pastime.
List of current countries' national sports
- Afghanistan - Buzkashi
- Albania - Football
- Antigua - Cricket
- Angola - Football, Basketball
- Argentina - Football
- Australia - Cricket is the traditional summer sport. Different football codes are the most popular winter sports in different parts of the country. Australian Rules Football is the most popular in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania, while Rugby League and/or Rugby Union are more popular in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. Australian Rules Football is considered by some a national sport due to its origins in Australia, despite being only popular in 50% of the country. Football attracts far more players, and with the growing interest A-League is also considered a major sport.
- Austria - Football, Alpine skiing
- Bangladesh - Kabaddi is the National Game. Cricket is the most popular game. Football also popular.
- Barbados - Cricket
- Belgium - Cycling is the most popular sport in Belgium: during winter a variant of cycling called Cyclocross ("veldrijden") is the pastime for most Belgians (certainly in Flanders). Football is also quite popular.
- Bhutan - Archery
- Bolivia - Football
- Brazil - Football is considered the national sport, Futsal a indoor variant of Football is the most practiced and volleyball also has a large number of participants.
- Bulgaria - Football. Competitively weightlifting and in chess.
- Canada - Lacrosse is the official summer sport and ice hockey is the official winter sport, but hockey is by far the sport most closely followed, and most closely linked to national identity. Lacrosse is a national sport for primarily historical reasons: sports like basketball, Canadian football (but probably also American football), soccer, golf, baseball, tennis, cricket are all much more popular. Canada also fields one of the major national teams in the sport of curling.
- Cambodia - Kickboxing
- Cameroon - Football
- Chile - Football
- People's Republic of China - Table tennis, basketball and football. Many people also practise kung fu.
- Hong Kong - Dragon boat racing, badminton, windsurfing, rugby, fencing and Cricket
- Republic of China (Taiwan) - baseball
- Colombia - Tejo is the traditional sport, as is bullfighting, but football (soccer) is the main attraction, followed by baseball and basketball.
- Costa Rica - Football
- Croatia - Football. Handball, water polo and basketball are also widely popular.
- Cuba - Baseball
- Czech Republic - Ice hockey and football are almost equally popular.
- Denmark - Football
- Dominican Republic - Baseball
- Egypt - Football
- Estonia - Basketball followed by football[link]
- Fiji - Rugby union, particularly Sevens
- Finland - Pesäpallo Finnish baseball is the national sport, but ice hockey is most followed.
- France - Football, but rugby union is popular in the south. Basketball is also played and Cycling is widely followed.
- Gambia - Wrestling
- Germany - Football
- Greece - Football is most popular, closely followed by basketball and volleyball.
- Grenada - Football is most popular, with cricket close behind.
- Guyana - Cricket, with football being the next popular sport[link]
- Haiti - Football
- Iceland - Glima, but football is the most popular.
- India - Field Hockey is the National Game of India while Cricket is the most popular. Football is the major game in Kerala, West Bengal , Goa and Manipur.
- Indonesia - football, badminton
- Iran - Football (soccer)
- Ireland - of indigenous games promoted by the Gaelic Athletic Association, hurling is the most ancient (featuring in such pre-Christian legends as Cúchulainn) but Gaelic football is more widely played and popular. Gaelic handball is increasingly rare. Soccer and rugby union are also popular. Cricket is also popular.
- Israel - Football and basketball
- Italy - Football is the most practised sport by young men. Volleyball is the most practised sport by young women. Bocce is the most practised sport by seniors. Cycling is also widely popular. However, only men's football has high TV coverage.
- Jamaica - Cricket and football
- Japan - Sumo wrestling and Judo is traditionally viewed as Japan's national sport, but baseball is today more popular, and football is rapidly increasing in popularity.
- Kazakhstan - boxing
- Kenya - Football is the most watched and followed sport with Athletics being the most competitively successful. Rugby and cricket are rapidly gaining in popularity.
- Korea - Tae kwon do is the traditional national sport, though baseball is highly popular as is football. The computer game StarCraft is so popular in South Korea that is commonly (and jokingly) referred to as a "national sport".
- Latvia - Basketball is the national sport while Ice Hockey is considered the most popular sport followed by football.
- Lebanon - Football
- Lithuania - Basketball is most closely linked to national identity, with football also widely followed.
- Malaysia - Silat, gasing, and wau are traditional sports, but football followed a close second by badminton are the most popular sports today.
- Mexico - Charrería and bullfighting are traditional sports, but football is most popular by far. Baseball and American football are also widely played and followed.
- Mongolia - Wrestling and archery.
- Myanmar/Burma - Football[link]
- Nauru - Australian rules football
- Nepal - Football and Cricket
- Netherlands - Football has the largest following, but cycling and speed skating are seen as traditional sports; volleyball, baseball (known locally as honkbal) and field hockey are also played.
- New Zealand - Rugby union is the easily the most widely followed and most closely linked to national pride (rugby league being very far behind), although more young children today play soccer. Netball is one of the most popular sports among girls and young women, and men have organised some teams of their own. Cricket is played during summer and is the national summer sport. Yachting and rowing are also popular water sports.
- Nicaragua - Baseball
- Nigeria - Football
- Norway - Skiing, both Nordic and Alpine, but football is the most popular sport.
- Pakistan - Field hockey is the official national sport while Cricket is the most popular. Pakistan also has had a long history in the game of squash.
- Panama - Baseball is the national and most practiced sport. They're also successful at boxing and basketball. Soccer although is not so successfull, it is and its growing popularly
- Papua New Guinea - Rugby league. Australian rules football is also very popular.
- Philippines - Basketball is the de facto national pastime since the 1950s, attracting large crowds.[link] Boxing, Billiards and Bowling are the other sports with the largest number of participants. Sipa is the traditional sport.
- Poland - Football
- Portugal - Football, rink hockey, cycling and diving are very popular and have a great tradition.
- Romania - Oina (very similar but unrelated to baseball) is the traditional sport, but football is much more popular nowadays. Rugby also has a fairly strong following.
- Russia - Football, ice hockey, Sambo
- Samoa - Rugby union
- Saudi Arabia - Falconry and horse racing are traditional, but football draws the largest number of spectators.
- Serbia - Basketball, with football not far behind.
- Singapore - Football, swimming, badminton, basketball and table tennis
- Slovakia - Ice hockey and football are almost equally popular.
- Slovenia - Alpine skiing, but basketball is very popular.
- South Africa - Football has historically been most popular with black South Africans, rugby union with Afrikaners, and cricket with British-descended whites. This ethnic division still exists to some degree, though considerably less so than during the apartheid era.
- Spain - Football is very popular in Spain, followed by basketball, the traditional sport is bullfighting.
- Sri Lanka - Cricket is the most popular, having overtaken [[Citing sources citation needed]] Football in circa 1980.
- Sudan - Football
- Switzerland - Schwingen, stone throwing and Hornussen, all traditional games, are popular in rural Switzerland, although football is most popular overall, and ice hockey is rising in popularity.
- Sweden - Football and ice hockey are almost equally popular. Bandy is the traditional Swedish winter sport. Although floorball is the sport with the most active athletes.
- Syria - Football
- Thailand - Muay Thai
- Tonga - Rugby union
- Trinidad and Tobago- Football is the most popular sport with cricket a close second
- Turkey - Football
- Tuvalu - darts
- Ukraine - Football
- United Arab Emirates - Camel racing is traditional, but football is the most popular. Cricket is also popular.
- United Kingdom
- *England - Cricket is the national sport and Football is the most popular. Rugby union is also popular.
- *Scotland - Native sport is Shinty, but football attracts much larger crowds. Scotland was also the birthplace of golf and curling. Cricket is also popular.
- *Wales - Traditionally rugby union, but football is played by more people. However, the Welsh national rugby team attracts the most interest of any Welsh team, especially due to the weakness of Welsh soccer.
- *Overseas territories and crown dependencies of the United Kingdom
- **Bermuda - Cricket
- United States - Baseball has historically been considered America's national pastime and a significant aspect of American culture. However, American football and Stock car racing may also lay legitimate claim to being the country's most popular sport. Soccer is also growing popularly.
- *American Samoa - American football
- *Puerto Rico - Baseball
- Uruguay - Football is by far the most popular, followed by Basketball. The traditional national sports are Pato and Bochas.
- Uzbekistan - Kurash
- Venezuela - Football is now the most popular, largely in thanks to Colombian, Portuguese, and Italian immigrants, without whom baseball would probably have the most followers.
- Vietnam - Football is the dominant sport, followed by a number of sports including tennis, badminton, volleyball, table tennis and martial arts.
- Zimbabwe - Football and cricket
National sport for each country
Biggest sport for each plus one million populated country:
Football
Indonesia: 231 Brazil: 176 Russia: 144 Nigeria: 129 Mexico: 103 Germany: 83 Vietnam: 81 Egypt: 70 Ethiopia: 67 Turkey: 67 Iran: 66 Thailand: 62 France: 59 Italy: 57 Congo-Kinshasa: 55 England: 49 Ukraine: 48 South Korea: 48 South Africa: 43 Myanmar: 42 Colombia: 41 Spain: 40 Poland: 38 Argentina: 37 Tanzania: 37 Sudan: 37 Algeria: 32 Morocco: 31 Kenya: 31 Peru: 27 Afghanistan: 27 Nepal: 25 Uzbekistan: 25 Uganda: 24 Iraq: 24 Saudi Arabia: 23 Malaysia: 22 Romania: 22 North Korea: 22 Ghana: 20 Mozambique: 19 Yemen: 18 Syria: 17 Ivory Coast: 16 Kazakhstan: 16 Madagascar: 16 Cameroon: 16 Netherlands: 16 Chile: 15 Ecuador: 13 Guatemala: 13 Burkina Faso: 12 Zimbabwe: 11 Mali: 11 Malawi: 10 Serbia: 10 Greece: 10 Niger: 10 Angola: 10 Senegal: 10 Belarus: 10 Belgium: 10 Czech Republic: 10 Portugal: 10 Hungary: 10 Zambia: 9 Tunisia: 9 Chad: 8 Sweden: 8 Bolivia: 8 Austria: 8 Azerbaijan: 7 Guinea: 7 Somalia: 7 Bulgaria: 7 Rwanda: 7 Switzerland: 7 Haiti: 7 Benin: 6 Tajikistan: 6 Honduras: 6 Burundi: 6 El Salvador: 6 Israel: 6 Paraguay: 5 Sierra Leone: 5 Slovakia: 5 Denmark: 5 Libya: 5 Scotland: 5 Jordan: 5 Togo: 5 Georgia: 4 Kyrgyzstan: 4 Turkmenistan: 4 Norway: 4 Eritrea: 4 Singapore: 4 Moldova: 4 Croatia: 4 Bosnia-Herzegovina: 3 Costa Rica: 3 Lebanon: 3 Central Africa: 3 Albania: 3 Palestine: 3 Uruguay: 3 Armenia: 3 Liberia: 3 Congo-Brazzaville: 2 Mauritania: 2 Oman: 2 Emirates: 2 Lesotho: 2 Kuwait: 2 Macedonia: 2 Slovenia: 1 Namibia: 1 Botswana: 1 Gambia: 1 Guinea-Bissau: 1 Gabon: 1 Mauritius: 1 Trinidad and Tobago: 1 Swaziland: 1
Total: 2841 million
Cricket
India: 1045 Pakistan: 147 Bangladesh: 133 Sri Lanka: 19 Australia: 19 Jamaica: 2
Total: 1365 million
Table Tennis
China: 1284
Total: 1284 million
Baseball
United States: 280 Japan: 126 Venezuela: 24 Taiwan: 22 Cuba: 11 Dominican Republic: 8 Nicaragua: 5 Puerto Rico: 3 Panama: 2
Total: 481 million
Basketball
Philippines: 84 Lithuania: 3 Latvia: 2
Total: 89 million
Ice Hockey
Canada: 31 Finland: 5
Total: 36 million
Kickboxing
Cambodia: 12 Laos: 5
Total: 17 million
Rugby
Papua New Guinea: 5 New Zealand: 3 Wales: 3
Total: 11 million
Horse Racing
Hong Kong: 7
Total: 7 million
Gaelic Football
Ireland: 3 Northern Ireland: 1
Total: 4 million
Wrestling
Mongolia: 2
Total: 2 million
Archery
Bhutan: 2
Total: 2 million
Skiing
Estonia: 1
Total: 1 million
List of former countries' national sports
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.