A national sport is a physical activity or sport that is culturally significant or deeply embedded in a nation, serving as a national symbol and an intrinsic element to a nation's identity and culture.
Several sovereign states and constituent states have formally recognized a specific activity as their national sport, typically favouring sports with origins stemming from their own countries. Conversely, in many other nations, the designation of a national sport is an informal acknowledgment bestowed upon an activity that is either widely embraced or holds historical and cultural significance to that nation.
Official national sports An official national sport is an activity that has been formally recognized and designated as a national sport of a particular nation by government authorities. This recognition often comes through legislation or decrees.
The following is a list of official national sports:
Country/territory Sport Year of official recognition Basis Argentina Pato 1953 Argentina Decree Nº 17468 Canada Ice hockey (winter)Lacrosse (summer) 1994 National Sports of Canada Act Chile Chilean Rodeo 1962 Official letter No. 269 of the Consejo Nacional de Deportes and Chilean Olympic Committee Colombia Tejo 2000 Colombia Law 613 Mexico Charrería 1933 Presidential decree by Abelardo L. Rodríguez Nepal Volleyball 2017 Cabinet of Nepal decision Philippines Arnis 2009 Republic Act No. 9850 Puerto Rico Paso Fino 1966 Puerto Rico Act 64 of 2000 South Korea Taekwondo 2018 National Sport Designation Act for Taekwondo Sri LankaVolleyball 1991 Declared by committee of the Ministry of Sports Uruguay Destrezas Criollas 2006 National Law Nº 17958
Unofficial national sports An unofficial national sport is an activity that holds significant popularity or cultural and historical significance within a particular nation but lacks legal recognition as the official national sport. These informal national sports typically reflect a nation's preferences and their perceived connection to the nation's culture and identity. The designation of an unofficial national sport can be contentious, as it can vary within a nation based on regional preferences and traditions.
The following is a list of unofficial national sports:
Country/TerritorySport AfghanistanBuzkashi Anguilla Boat racing Antigua and Barbuda Cricket AustriaAlpine skiing BangladeshKabaddi BarbadosCricket BermudaCricket BhutanArchery BrazilCapoeira, association football CambodiaBokator Catalonia Roller hockey ChinaTable tennis Cook IslandsRugby league CubaBaseball Czech RepublicIce hockey DenmarkAssociation football Dominican RepublicBaseball EnglandAssociation football cricket EstoniaBasketball, Rallying FijiRugby union FinlandPesäpallo GeorgiaRugby unionThere is far more to savour in European rugby union than just the Six Nations, The Guardian Grenada Cricket Guyana Cricket HaitiAssociation football IndiaCricket, field hockey, kabaddi IndonesiaBadminton, pencak silat IranFreestyle wrestling IrelandGaelic games ItalyAssociation football Jamaica Cricket Japan Sumo, baseball LatviaIce hockey LithuaniaBasketball MadagascarRugby union MalaysiaSepak takraw MauritiusAssociation footballRichards, Alexandra.Mauritius: Rodrigues, Réunion. Bradt Travel Guides, 2009, p.90 MongoliaArchery, horse racing, Mongolian wrestling MontenegroWater polo MyanmarChinlone NauruAustralian rules football NepalDandibiyo New ZealandRugby union NorwayCross-country skiing PakistanField hockey PanamaBaseball Papua New GuineaRugby league PeruPaleta frontón PhilippinesBasketball, sipa PolandMotorcycle speedway, volleyball Romania Oina RussiaBandy Saudi ArabiaCamel racing, horse racing, falconry ScotlandGolf SerbiaBasketball SloveniaAlpine skiing SpainAssociation football SwedenAssociation football, cross-country skiing, ice hockey TaiwanBaseball TajikistanGushtigiri ThailandMuay Thai TurkeyCirit/jereed, oil wrestling Turks and Caicos IslandsCricket United States of AmericaBaseball American football
See also List of sports List of martial arts by regional origin
References