National sport

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.

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 of official national sports:

Country/territory	Sport	Year of official recognition	Basis	Ref
Argentina	Pato	1953	Argentina Decree Nº 17468	[1]
Canada	Ice hockey (winter) Lacrosse (summer)	1994	National Sports of Canada Act	[2]
Chile	Chilean 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]
Sri Lanka	Volleyball	1991	Declared by committee of the Ministry of Sports	[12][13]
Uruguay	Destrezas Criollas	2006	National Law Nº 17958	[14][15]

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/Territory	Sport
Afghanistan	Buzkashi[16]
Anguilla	Boat racing[17]
Antigua and Barbuda	Cricket[18]
Austria	Alpine skiing[19]
Bangladesh	Kabaddi[20]
Barbados	Cricket[21]
Bermuda	Cricket[22]
Bhutan	Archery[23][24]
Brazil	Capoeira[25]
Cambodia	Bokator[26]
China	Table tennis[27]
Cook Islands	Rugby league[28]
Cuba	Baseball[29][30][31]
Czech Republic	Ice Hockey[32]
Dagestan	Wrestling[33]
Denmark	Association football[34]
Dominican Republic	Baseball[35]
England	Association football[36][37] cricket[36]
Estonia	Basketball,[38] Rallying[39]
Fiji	Rugby union[40]
Finland	Pesäpallo[41]
Georgia	Rugby union[42]
Grenada	Cricket[43]
Guyana	Cricket[44][45]
Haiti	Association football[46]
India	Cricket,[47] field hockey,[48] kabaddi[48]
Indonesia	Pencak silat[49]
Iran	Freestyle wrestling[50]
Ireland	Gaelic games[51][52][53]
Italy	Association football[54][55]
Jamaica	Cricket[56]
Japan	Sumo,[57][58] baseball[59]
Latvia	Ice hockey[60]
Lithuania	Basketball[61][62]
Madagascar	Rugby union[63][64]
Malaysia	Sepak takraw[65][66]
Mauritius	Association football[67]
Mongolia	Archery, horse racing, Mongolian wrestling[68][69]
Montenegro	Water polo[70]
Nauru	Australian rules football[71]
Nepal	Kabaddi,[7] volleyball[72]
New Zealand	Rugby union[73][74]
Norway	Cross-country skiing[75][76]
Pakistan	Field hockey[77][78]
Panama	Baseball[77][78]
Papua New Guinea	Rugby league[79][80]
Peru	Paleta frontón[81]
Philippines	Basketball,[82][83] sipa[84]
Poland	Motorcycle speedway,[85] volleyball[86][87][88][89][90]
Romania	Oina[91]
Russia	Bandy[92]
Saudi Arabia	Camel racing,[93] horse racing,[93] falconry[93]
Scotland	Golf[94]
Serbia	Basketball[95][96][97][98]
Slovenia	Alpine skiing[99]
Spain	Association football[100]
Sweden	Association football, cross-country skiing, ice hockey[101]
Taiwan	Baseball[102][103]
Tajikistan	Gushtigiri[104]
Thailand	Muay Thai[105]
Turkey	Cirit,[106] oil wrestling[107]
Turks and Caicos Islands	Cricket[108]
United States	American football,[109] baseball[110][111][112]
Venezuela	Baseball[112]
Wales	Rugby union[113]

See also

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