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.
Sports declared as national sport by a law or through any other official means.
Country/Territory | Sport | Year defined as national sport |
Basis | Reference |
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Pato | 1953 | Argentina Decree Nº 17468 | [1] |
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Ice hockey (winter) Lacrosse (summer) |
1994 | National Sports of Canada Act | [2] |
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Rodeo | 1962 | Official letter No. 269 of the Consejo Nacional de Deportes and Chilean Olympic Committee | [3] |
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Tejo | 2000 | Colombia Law 613 | [4][5] |
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Charrería | 1933 | Presidential decree by Abelardo L. Rodríguez | [6] |
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Volleyball | 2017 | Cabinet of Nepal decision | [7] |
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Arnis | 2009 | Republic Act No. 9850 | [8] |
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Paso Fino | 1966 | Puerto Rico Act 64 of 2000 | [9] |
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Taekwondo | 2018 | National Sport Designation Act for Taekwondo | [10][11] |
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Destrezas Criollas (Creole [i.e. gaucho] Skills[12]) |
2006 | National Law Nº 17958 | [13] |
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.
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.
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]
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.
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.
The government on Monday decided to recognize volleyball as the national sport of Nepal.
In 1966, the Public Parks and Recreation Administration and the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee awarded official recognition of the "paso fino" horse riding sport as the autochthonous sport of Puerto Rico.
The National Assembly on Friday passed a revised act on taekwondo promotion, which states that the sport is the South Korean national martial art. / Taekwondo has customarily been perceived as the national martial art but wasn't officially recognized by the law.
displays of traditional gaucho skills (destrezas criollas)
Director of Sports, Alkins Rogers, […] reported that the Government recognizes boat racing as the national sport of Anguilla and was giving financial resources for its development.
Cricket, a left-over from the British rule, is the national sport of Antigua and Barbuda.
Ha-du-du was given the name kabadi and the status of National Game in 1972.
The national sport of Barbados is cricket
Bermuda are one of the few sides who count cricket as a national sport.
However, it (archery) was only declared as a national sport in 1971
In 1972, capoeira was officially proclaimed a Brazilian national sport, under the jurisdiction of the Federacao Barsileiro de Pugilismo
Kun Khmer, root back since ancient time of Khmer Empire, inscripted on stone wall, mark as one of the oldest martial art in Southeast Asia"
Table tennis, China's unofficial national sport since the 1950s, has given millions of Chinese a taste of national glory and prestige long before their country's more recent rise." / "Mao Zedong decreed table tennis the national sport, and invested heavily in cultivating competitive players."
Baseball is so ingrained in Cuba that it has thrived as the "national sport" through forty years of a bitterly anti-American revolution.
Most Cubans, after all, consider baseball to be their national sport, a game entwined in history with their struggle for independence from Spain and the birth of their nation.
the game that […] is […] our national sport […] I am talking of baseball
Baseball is the Dominican Republic's national sport.
Basketball is the unofficial national sport
rugby (or Rakavi) is the national sport
the national sport, "pesäpallo"[dead link]
in the first Grenada Cricket Classics [, h]eroes such as Sir Viv Richards, Joel Garner and Curtley Ambrose came together to promote what is considered by many to be the national sport in Grenada.[permanent dead link]
Cricket lovely Cricket! One cannot miss out on Guyana's national sport without participating in a game of cricket while in Guyana.
[E]ven though soccer football was and is considered the Hungarian national pastime
However, in contrast to common perception, hockey is not the national game of India. The next best answer, kabaddi, is also incorrect..." "...And those siding with the currently popular cricket are also mistaken.
The ministry of youth affairs and sports has said that the central government has not declared any sport as the 'national game' of the country (India)
Today's announcement ensures that the public will enjoy quality coverage of our national games across all of RTÉ's media platforms.
It's [the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final] a big deal in Ireland, where Gaelic games are the national sport, but the problem for the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is that no-one outside the country, save for committed expatriates, gives a fig.
The legacy of Britain also lives on in Jamaica in many ways […] the game of cricket is the national sport.
Lithuania is a country that loves basketball. It is our national sport and we are proud to be reigning European Champions.
Basketball is the only sport the 3.2 million Lithuanians truly care about—it's their second religion, after Catholicism—and their success is proportionately stunning.
If you went to school in the 90s in Nepal, chances are that you were taught that dandi-biyo is Nepal's national sport.
Regarded as New Zealand's national game from the early 20th century, when the All Blacks swept triumphantly across Britain, rugby remains hugely popular.
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
The scoreboard shows how the Norwegians placed, a performance considered much too poor in a country where cross-country skiing is a national sport.
But it would still be one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history if Papua New Guinea – the only country to have rugby league as its national sport – were to qualify for the last four.
Basketball is the major national sport in the Philippines.
The Filipinos adpted basketball as their national sport, and Filipino boxers...
Dar nici deciziile luate de autorităţile comuniste nu au salvat sportul naţional românesc de la uitare.
Basketball is the national sport of Serbia
National sport No.1 – In Serbia, basketball is a religion
The Trophy Tour had Serbia on its schedule in mid-June. But the land of basketball wants to show it to an even bigger crowd, if they win it all in China in September
Today we celebrate 95 years since the first basketball match in Serbia and the 70th birthday of the national federation, which fans of the game all over Europe and the world, describe as "Land of basketball".
Baseball can be called Taiwan's national sport
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.
Baseball justified its privileged legal status by citing the special nature and cultural significance of America's national pastime.
Tradition – that quality so instrumental in elevating baseball to its century-old status as national pastime – has become less important
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.
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