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A list of countries and their national sports and games

Despite reaching successes in the Asian, Olympic and Commonwealth Games, India does not have a declared national sport. Field hockey was formerly viewed as the country’s main sport due to the repeated wins it had in the Olympics; however, The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs has recently announced that there is no such thing. De jure and de facto games are two separate concepts; de jure are established by law while de facto are more ad-hoc. Those preparing for competitive exams will find these categories listed below for clarity.

Countries and their National Sport

Sports are an integral part of human life, with the United Nations designating April 6th as International Sports Day for Development and Peace. India celebrates its National Sports Day every year on August 29, which began in 2012 on the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand. Numerous countries have a national sport; here is a list of all the significant ones that could be asked about in competitive exams dealing with general knowledge or awareness.

National Games of countries are easy to recall, and knowing them could give an edge in competitive exams. Here, we have compiled a list of important countries and their respective national sports. This article is important for general awareness in any exam, be it a government or competitive test. It is ascertained that the national sport of a country is based either on its long history with the state, or its popularity in the region. Therefore, examiners looking to do well in tests would do well to memorise this list of nations and their corresponding main games. Additionally, they will also get details of essential sports popularised by each nation.

CountryNational Sports/ Games
BahamasCricket
ArgentinaPato
BhutanArchery
BangladeshKabaddi
CanadaLacrosse (summer)
Ice hockey (winter)
BrazilCapoeira
ColombiaTejo
ChileRodeo
IranVarzesh-e Bastani, Wrestling, Polo
ChinaTable Tennis
NamibiaFootball, Netball, Rugby
MexicoCharrería
PhilippinesArnis
NepalVolleyball

The List of National Sports that are not Official

CountryNational Games/ Sports
AnguillaBoat racing
AfghanistanBuzkashi
AustriaAlpine skiing
Antigua and BarbudaCricket
BermudaCricket
AustraliaCricket
BarbadosCricket
Basque CountryBasque pelota
DenmarkDarts
CubaBaseball
EnglandCricket, Association football, Rugby football, tennis
Dominican RepublicBaseball
FinlandPesäpallo
EstoniaBasketball (summer), Ice hockey (winter)
GrenadaCricket
GeorgiaRugby union
HaitiAssociation football
GuyanaCricket
IndiaField Hockey (Undeclared)
IndonesiaPencak Silat
IsraelAssociation football
IrelandGaelic games
ItalyPalio, Pallone, Tamburello, Bocce
JamaicaCricket
JapanSumo
LatviaIce hockey
LithuaniaBasketball
MadagascarRugby union
MalaysiaSepak takraw
MauritiusAssociation football
MongoliaArchery, Mongolian wrestling, Horse racing
New ZealandRugby union
NorwayCross-country skiing
PakistanField hockey
Papua New GuineaRugby league
PeruPaleta Frontón
PhilippinesSipa
RomaniaOina
RussiaBandy
ScotlandGolf
SerbiaBasketball
SloveniaAlpine skiing
South AfricaRugby union
SpainFootball
Sri LankaVolleyball
TajikistanGushtigiri
TaiwanBaseball
TurkeyOil wrestling & Cirit
Turks and Caicos IslandsCricket
United StatesBaseball
VenezuelaBaseball
WalesRugby union

FAQ – Frequently Ask Questions

Cricket is the national sport of which country?

Cricket is the national game of Australia, England, Bahamas

What country has Sumo wrestling as its national sport?

Japan’s national sport is sumo wrestling.

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