National sport

A national sport is considered to be an intrinsic part of the culture of a nation. Some sports are de facto (not established by law) national sports, as sumo is in Japan and Gaelic games are in Ireland and field hockey in Pakistan, while others are de jure (established by law) national sports, as taekwondo is in South Korea.

Official recognition of national sports

Sports declared as national sport by a law or through any other official means.

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

Unofficial national sports

The following is a list of de facto/unofficial national sport(s) by country. As opposed to a de jure national sport, the status of a de facto/unofficial national sport is informal and is provided with no legal recognition of being a national sport. Although some countries have an official national sport defined by law, other sources may also consider another sport to be a de facto/unofficial national sport of the country.

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

See also

• List of sports
• List of martial arts by regional origin

References

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2. "National Sports of Canada Act S.C. 1994, c. 16". Justice Laws Website. 12 May 1994. Retrieved 28 June 2021. The game commonly known as ice hockey is hereby recognized and declared to be the national winter sport of Canada and the game commonly known as lacrosse is hereby recognized and declared to be the national summer sport of Canada.
3. Moreira Recchione, Alberto (December 2007). . Revista de Urbanismo (in Spanish) (17). ISSN 0717-5051. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2008. A reconocerse, en 1962, el rodeo como deporte nacional y oficial [10 de enero de 1962, oficio N°269 del Consejo Nacional de Deportes y Comité Olímpico de Chile]
4. Sherriff, Lucy (9 September 2021). "Gunpowder and beer: Playing Colombia's national sport of tejo". CNN Travel. Retrieved 25 October 2021. The game originated amongst Colombian indigenous groups around 500 years ago and was declared the Latin American country's sport in 2000 under Law 613.
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6. (in Spanish). Mexican Department of Tourism. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2008. El año de 1933 fue muy importante, ya que el general Abelardo L. Rodríguez, emite un decreto presidencial, dando a la Charrería el título de único Deporte Nacional.
7. . OnlineKhabar. 23 May 2017. Archived from the original on 23 May 2017. The government on Monday decided to recognize volleyball as the national sport of Nepal.
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27. ABC News^{[dead link]}
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30. Castro, Fidel (13 August 1999). "Speech at a meeting with Pan American Games delegation members". cuba.cu. Retrieved 24 July 2008. the game that […] is […] our national sport […] I am talking of baseball
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66. Mølster, Odd (1996). "Skiing and the Creation of a Norwegian Identity – part 2". News of Norway, issue 2. Norwegian Embassy, Washington. Retrieved 21 July 2008. the national sport could become a fine weapon in time of war. In 1943, Norway's resistance movement won an epochal victory – on skis, of course
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94. "Q: Could you tell me more about the history of Muay Thai and is there a place where I can take up Muay Thai in Singapore?". Thai Embassy in Singapore. Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand and is also known as 'The Art of Eight Limbs' as the hands, shins, elbows and knees are used extensively in this art.
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102. Harris, John (Summer 2006). (PDF). North American Journal of Welsh Studies. 6 (2). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2008. rugby used to be the undisputed national sport of Wales […] Rugby Union's assumed position as "the national game" has often been questioned on the basis that it is predominantly a game played and followed in South Wales.