National sport

From TheBestLinks.com

Several countries have either official or unofficial national sports. Many countries have a traditional or official national sport that differs from the one that is currently the most popular. Other countries have no clear national sport, with many that are popular.

List of Countries' National Sports

• Afghanistan - Buzkashi
• Albania - football
• Argentina - football
• Australia - cricket is the official summer sport, Rugby League is the official winter sport in the northern states (New South Wales and Queensland) and Australian Rules Football is the official winter sport in the others.
• Austria - Alpine skiing
• Barbados - cricket
• Belgium - football
• Bermuda - cricket
• Bhutan - archery
• Brazil - football is considered the national obsession, and volleyball also has a large number of participants.
• 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 pride. Designating lacrosse as an official sport is more of a nod to history that a reflection of the present-day situation: sports like baseball, Canadian football, soccer, golf, tennis are all much more popular.
• China - table tennis
• Colombia - tejo is the traditional sport, but football (soccer) is much more popular, and baseball is played on the coastal region.
• Cuba - baseball
• Czech Republic - ice hockey
• Denmark - football
• Dominican Republic - baseball
• Estonia - basketball
• England - football (soccer) in winter, cricket in summer; rugby union and rugby league also attract large crowds.
• Fiji - rugby union (particularly Sevens)
• Finland - Pesäpallo
• France - football, but rugby is popular in the south. Basketball is also played.
• Gambia - wrestling
• Germany - football
• Greece - football (soccer) most popular, with basketball and volleyball right behind.
• Guyana - cricket.
• Hong Kong - Dragon boat racing
• Iceland - glima
• India - field hockey is the official sport (winners of 8 Olympic Golds), but cricket is the most popular (Winners of 1983 World Cup)
• Iran - wrestling
• Ireland - hurling & Gaelic football
• Israel - football and basketball
• Italy - football
• Jamaica - cricket and football
• Japan - sumo wrestling is traditionally viewed as Japan's national sport, but baseball is today more popular, and football is rapidly increasing in popularity
• Korea - Tae kwon do, but StarCraft has sometimes sarcastically been referred to as the national sport
• Latvia - ice hockey
• Lithuania - basketball
• Mexico - Charrería is traditional, but football is most popular today, with baseball also widely played.
• Mongolia - wrestling and archery.
• Nauru - Australian rules football
• Netherlands - football has the largest following, but cycling and ice skating are seen as traditional sports; baseball (known locally as honkball) and field hockey are also played.
• New Zealand - rugby union
• Nicaragua - baseball
• Nigeria - football
• Norway - Skiing, both Nordic and Alpine
• Pakistan - field hockey is the official sport (winners of the Gold in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994), but cricket is the most popular (winners of the world cup in 1992)
• Papua New Guinea - Rugby League
• Philippines - basketball
• Poland - football
• Portugal - football
• Puerto Rico - baseball
• Russia - Sambo
• Samoa - Rugby Union
  • Note: In American Samoa, American football is more popular.
• Saudi Arabia - falconry and horse racing
• Scotland - golf (which was probably invented here) is considered the traditional sport, but football attracts much larger crowds.
• Slovenia - Alpine skiing
• Soviet Union - chess
• South Africa - football has historically been most popular with blacks, rugby union with Afrikaners, and cricket with British-descended whites
• Spain - bull fighting is traditional, but football is the most popular
• Switzerland - Hornussen, a traditional game, is 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
• Thailand - Muay Thai
• Tonga - rugby union
• Turkey - kirkpinar, but football is the most popular
• United Arab Emirates - Camel racing is traditional, but football is the most popular
• United States - baseball is generally named as "the American national pastime", but American football presently has the largest number of viewers, with NASCAR (stock car racing), long popular in the southeastern states, rapidly becoming popular nationwide.
• Uzbekistan - Kurash
• Venezuela - baseball
• Wales - rugby union

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