Countries and their national games

1. Afghanistan
Buzkashi is the national game of Afghanistan which is also known as Kopar, Kupari and Ulak
Tartysh.

Source: www.ontravelarabia.com

National Game: Buzkashi

2. Antigua and Barbuda
It has a very rich culture which is complimented by the rich history. European sports largely influence
the region and among all the sports, Cricket is the most popular among them. Hence on the basis of
popularity, Cricket became national game.

Source: www.rosewoodhotels.com

National Game: Cricket

3. Argentina
Although Argentina well known World’s is one of the best Football playing nation but Pato is the
official national sport since 1953.
Source: www.argentinaindependent.com

National Game: Pato

4. Australia
Australian sports culture is one of the important features of sporting landscape. Cricket, Australian
Rules football, rugby union and horse racing are among the earliest organised sports in
Australia.Among all games, Cricket and Australian Rules Football (AFL) are taken as national
game/ sport not only because of popularity but also its sporting history.
National Game: Cricket and Australian Rules Football (AFL)

5. Bangladesh
Cricket, Football and Kabaddi are considered as the most popular games in Bangladesh
but Kabaddiis the national game of the country.

National Game: Kabaddi

6. Barbados
Cricket is considered to be an intrinsic part of the culture of Barbados. Recently, government has
implemented a policy of sports-based tourism. Barbados Cricket Association is the apex body to
govern the cricket locally. Barbados has given famous cricketers- Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Everton
Weekes, Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Frank Worrell.
National Game: Cricket
7. Bermuda
There are varieties of sports played in Bermuda but Cricket is most popular due to British influence.
National Game: Cricket
8. Bhutan
Archery is the national sport declared by the Kingdom in 1971 when it became the member of UN.
Throughout the history of Bhutan, bow and arrow were an important means of survival in the
highlands during wars and hunts and also it plays a significant role in their myths and legends. For
example- images of gods holding bow and arrow.

Source: www.michiganarchersassociation.com

National Game: Archery

9. Brazil
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that is combination of dance and music, and is marked by
deft, tricky movements. It is culturally significant and evolves during colonial times by slaves. It is
popular not only in Brazil but also practices internationally through computer games and movies.

Source: www.youtube.com

National Game: Capoeira

10. Bulgaria
Bulgaria is well known for its weightlifter because weightlifters won medals on almost every big
weightlifting and set many world records on championships including the Olympic Games. The most
distinguished weightlifters are Stefan Botev, Nikolay Peshalov, Demir Demirev and Yoto Yotov.

Source: www.olympicweightlifting.eu

National Game: Weightlifting

11. Canada
It has two national games- Ice hockey (In Winter) & Lacrosse (In Summer). National Sports of
Canada Act quotes: "Hockey and Lacrosse to be national sports. 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."

National Game: Ice hockey (In Winter) & Lacrosse (In Summer)
12. Chile
Chilean Rodeo is not only traditional sport but also national sport (declared in 1962).
Source: cdn.c.photoshelter.com

National Game: Chilean rodeo

13. China
China has not formally declared a national sport but on the basis of popularity table tennis called as
national game.

Source: www.languageties.com

National Game: Table Tennis

14. Cuba
Cuban sports culture is very influence from the United States of America, hence among all the sports
baseball is very popular among Cuban people.
National Game: Baseball
Source: totalsportscomplex.com
15. Czech Republic
Football and Ice Hockey are the two leading sports played in the country but ice hockey draws more
attention because of popularity and professional stability.
National Game: Ice Hockey

16. Dominican Republic

Baseball is the most popular sport in the country. After the United States, it has the second-highest
number of baseball players in Major League Baseball (MLB).
National Game: Baseball
17. England
Soccer is the nation’s most popular sport but Cricket is the national game not by law but de facto.
National Game: Cricket
18. France
Sports culture is very rich in France that reflected its popularity among French people and sporting
history. Football became de facto national game.
National Game: Football
19. Haiti
National Game: Football
20. Hungary
Water Polo is a national game of Hungary. They are considered the world's top power in the history
of water polo, having won 15 Olympic, 10 World Championship, 5 FINA World League, 8 FINA
World Cup and 21 European Championship medals.
National Game: Water Polo
Image source: stagebanter.ca

List of Chinese Funded Companies in India

21. India
The Golden Era of hockey in India was the period from 1928 - 1956 when India won 6 successive
gold medals in the Olympic Games. Now cricket is more popular than hockey in india.

Note: As per recent RTI, the Sports Ministry has made it clear that it has not declared any sport as
national game whereas the web portal of Government National Portal of India has posted an article
glorifying field hockey under the heading 'National Game'.
22. Israel
Football is the most popular sport in Israel. The sport is under the jurisdiction of the Israel Football
Association. It joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954, but was booted out in 1974 due to
political pressure from Arab world during the Arab–Israeli conflict.
National Game: Football
23. Italy
Football (Calcio in Italian) is a national sport of Italy and currently the second most successful
football team in World Cup history, after Brazil, having won four FIFA World Cup championships.
National Game: Football
24. Indonesia
Badminton is the national game from both the participation and spectating aspect. It has won gold
medals in badminton in every Olympic Games since the sport was first introduced to the Olympics in
1992 except in 2012 Summer Olympics.
National Game: Badminton
Source: sport.co.in
25. Lithuania
Basketball is the only sports which religiously followed by the people after Catholicism.
National Game: Basketball

26. Iran
Wrestling is regarded as national game due to its long tradition and history. There are many styles of
folk wrestling, from Varzesh-e Pahlavani to Zurkhaneh which have similarities with modern freestyle
wrestling.
National Game: Wrestling
27. Jamaica
Sport is a significant part of Jamaican culture. It is one of the leading countries in sprinting with the
current world record holder for 100m and 200m, Usain Bolt and the former 100m world record
holder, Asafa Powell but on the basis of popularity, cricket is considered as national game.
National Game: Cricket
28. Japan
Sumo wrestling is considered to be country’s national sport. It is a competitive full-contact wrestling
sport where a rikishi (wrestler) attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring (dohyo) or into
touching the ground with anything other than the soles of his feet. The characters literally mean
"striking one another".
National Game: Sumo Wrestling
Image source: www.bloomberg.com
29. Malaysia
Sepak Takraw is the national sport of the Malaysia. It is similar to volleyball or badminton except
players cannot use their hands.
National Game: Sepak Takraw

Source: img.antaranews.com
30. Mongolia
There are three national games of Mongolia, known locally as 'the three games- Mongolian
wrestling, archery and horse riding.
National Game: Mongolian wrestling, archery and horse riding.

31. Mauritius
The national sport of Mauritius is Football and became a member of FIFA in 1962 and Confederation
of African Football in 1963.
National Game: Football
32. Mexico
The national game of Mexico is Charrería. It is a competitive event similar to rodeo and was
developed from animal husbandry practices used on the haciendas of old Mexico.
National Game: Charreria
Source: s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com
33. Nepal
Dandi Biyo (similar to Indian Gilli Danda) is played with a stick about two feet long and a wooden pin
about six inches long. The pin is a small wooden stick with pointed ends.
National Game: Dandi Biyo
34. New Zealand
Rugby union is the national game in New Zealand, and is popular across all sections of New
Zealand society, and many New Zealanders associate it with their national identity.
National Game: Rugby union

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
35. Norway

The national sport of Norway is Cross-country skiing. It is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their
own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of
assistance.
National Game: Cross-country skiing
36. Pakistan
The National game of Pakistan is Field Hockey.
National Game: Field Hockey
37. Philippines
The National game of Philippines is Arnis. It is the system of Filipino fighting arts founded by Remy
Presas as a self-defense system.
National Game: Arnis

Source: theobamaforum.com
38. Poland
National Game: Football
39. Peru
Paleta frontón is a Peruvian sport which similar to tennis.
National Game: Paleta Fronton
Source: i.ytimg.com
40. Russia
Chess is the most popular game in Russia but Bandy (form of hockey) is considered to be national
game.
National Game: Bandy

41. Scotland
The national game of Scotland is Golf because of its origin. More than six centuries ago, the first
courses and rule of the game were developed.
National Game: Golf

Source: calamigosguestranch.com
42. Serbia
The Football, basketball, volleyball and water polo are the most popular sports in Serbia but there is
no official announcement for national game.
43. Slovenia
The national game of Slovenia is skiing.
Source: upload.wikimedia.org

National Game: Skiing

44. South Korea
Taekwondo is the national game because it is often claimed to have historical origins on the Korean
peninsula with origins said to have been traced as far back as the 1st century BCE.
National Game: Tae-kwon-do

Source: www.darumamartialarts.com
45. SriLanka
The national sport of Sri Lanka is Volleyball. Other popular sports are water sports, badminton,
athletics, football, basketball and tennis.
National Game: Volleybal
46. Switzerland
The National game of Switzerland is Shooting and Gymnastics.
National Game: Shooting and Gymnastics
47. Tajikistan
The national sport of Tajikistan is Gushtigiri (type of wrestling).
National Game: Gushtigiri
48. Turkey
Oil wrestling / grease wrestling is the Turkish national sport. It is so called because the wrestlers
douse themselves with olive oil.
National Game: Oil wrestling
49. USA
The national game of USA is Baseball not by law but through de facto.
National Game: Baseball

Source: quotezee.blogspot.com
50. Venezuela
The national game of Venezuela is Baseball. It is known to produce some of the most skilled
baseball players in the world for example Luis Aparicio.
National Game: name of countries and their national games
Name of Countries National Game

Afghanistan
Buzkashi

Antigua and Barbuda

Cricket
Argentina
Pato

Australia
Cricket and Australian Rules Football (AFL)

Bangladesh
Kabaddi

Barbados
Cricket

Bermuda
Cricket

Bhutan
Archery

Brazil
Capoeira

Bulgaria
Weightlifting

Canada
Ice hockey (In Winter) & Lacrosse (In
 Summer)

Chile
Chilean rodeo

China
Table Tennis

Cuba
Baseball

Czech Republic
Ice Hockey

Dominican Republic
Baseball

England
Cricket

France
Football

Haiti
Football
Hungary
Water polo

India
Field hockey*

Israel
Football

Italy
Football

Indonesia
Badminton

Lithuania
Basketball

Iran
Wrestling

Jamaica
Cricket

Japan
Sumo Wrestling
 Malaysia
Sepak Takraw

Mongolia
Mongolian wrestling, archery and horse
riding.

Mauritius
Football

Mexico
Charreria

Nepal
Dandi Biyo

New Zealand
Rugby union

Norway
Cross-country skiing

Pakistan
Field Hockey
Philippines
Arnis

Poland
Football

Peru
Paleta Frontón

Russia
Bandy

Scotland
Golf

Serbia
Football, basketball, volleyball and water
polo

Slovenia
Skiing

South Korea
Tae-kwon-do
 SriLanka
Volleyball

Switzerland
Shooting and Gymnastics

Tajikistan
Gushtigiri

Turkey
Oil wrestling

USA
Baseball

Venezuela
Baseball