National sport

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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.

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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 official national sports:

Country/territorySportYear of official recognitionBasisRef
Argentina Pato 1953Argentina Decree Nº 17468 [1]
Canada Ice hockey (winter)
Lacrosse (summer)
1994National Sports of Canada Act [2]
Chile Chilean Rodeo 1962Official letter No. 269 of the Consejo Nacional de Deportes and Chilean Olympic Committee [3]
Colombia Tejo 2000Colombia Law 613 [4] [5]
Mexico Charrería 1933Presidential decree by Abelardo L. Rodríguez [6]
Nepal Volleyball 2017Cabinet of Nepal decision [7]
Philippines Arnis 2009Republic Act No. 9850 [8]
Puerto Rico Paso Fino 1966Puerto Rico Act 64 of 2000 [9]
South Korea Taekwondo 2018National Sport Designation Act for Taekwondo [10] [11]
Uruguay Destrezas Criollas 2006National Law Nº 17958 [12] [13]

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
Afghanistan Buzkashi [14]
Anguilla Boat racing [15]
Antigua and Barbuda Cricket [16]
Austria Alpine skiing [17]
Bangladesh Kabaddi [18]
Barbados Cricket [19]
Bermuda Cricket [20]
Bhutan Archery [21] [22]
Brazil Capoeira [23]
Cambodia Bokator [24]
China Table tennis [25]
Cook Islands Rugby league [26]
Cuba Baseball [27] [28] [29]
Czech Republic Ice Hockey
Dagestan Wrestling [30]
Denmark Association football [31]
Dominican Republic Baseball [32]
England Association football [33] [34] [ better source needed ], Rugby Union, Cricket [33]
Estonia Basketball, [35] Rallying [36]
Fiji Rugby union [37]
Finland Pesäpallo [38]
Georgia Rugby union [39]
Grenada Cricket [40]
Guyana Cricket [41] [42]
Haiti Association football [43]
India Cricket [44] , field hockey, [45] kabaddi [45]
Indonesia Pencak silat [46]
Iran Freestyle wrestling [47]
Ireland Gaelic games [48] [49] [50]
Italy Association football [51] [52]
Jamaica Cricket [53]
Japan Sumo [54] [55]
Latvia Ice hockey [56]
Lithuania Basketball [57] [58]
Madagascar Rugby union [59] [60]
Malaysia Sepak takraw [61] [62]
Mauritius Association football [63]
Mongolia Archery, horse racing, Mongolian wrestling [64] [65]
Montenegro Water polo [66]
Nepal Kabaddi, [7] volleyball [67]
New Zealand Rugby union [68] [69]
Norway Cross-country skiing [70] [71]
Pakistan Field hockey [72] [73]
Panama Baseball [72] [73]
Papua New Guinea Rugby league [74] [75]
Peru Paleta frontón [76]
Philippines Basketball, [77] [78] sipa [79]
Poland Motorcycle speedway, [80] volleyball [81] [82] [83] [84] [85]
Romania Oina [86]
Russia Bandy [87]
Saudi Arabia Camel racing, [88] horse racing, [88] falconry [88]
Scotland Golf [89]
Serbia Basketball [90] [91] [92] [93]
Slovenia Alpine skiing [94]
Spain Association football [95]
Sri Lanka Volleyball [96]
Taiwan Baseball [97] [98]
Tajikistan Gushtigiri [99]
Thailand Muay Thai [100]
Turkey Cirit, [101] oil wrestling [102]
Turks and Caicos Islands Cricket [103]
United States Baseball [104] [105] [106] American Football
Venezuela Baseball [106]
Wales Rugby union [107]

See also

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References

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