List of Countries And Their National Games: Sports are an essential part of the human race, to make sports a day-to-day part of our life the United Nations has declared an International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on 6 April. India celebrates its National Sports Day every year on 29 August. The National Sports Day was first celebrated on 29 August 2012 on the birth anniversary of Major Dhyanchand. Most countries have their own National Game.
There are many continents such as Asia, Africa, Antarctica, Europe, North America, etc. There are many countries on each continent and so far there are 195 countries in the total continent. Each country has its own tradition, culture, and national sport. In this post, we are going to know the countries and their national games and found year.
Table of Contents
Countries and their National Sports/ Games
Despite hitting a milestone in the Asian, Olympics, and Commonwealth games, India doesn’t have any National sports. We used to consider Field Hockey as our National game due to consecutive winning in the Olympics but recently Ministry of Sports and Affairs has declared that India doesn’t have any national games.
Some sports are established by a law called de jure and some sports that are not established by law are called de facto. The below-given list of de facto and de jure sports are classified in separate tables for a better understanding of aspirants who are preparing for competitive exams.
List of Countries And Their National Games
| Name of Countries | National Games in the World | Other Important Games |
| Afghanistan | Buzkashi (Also called Kopar, Kupari and Ulak Tartysh) (DeFacto) | Cricket, football, boxing & basketball |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Cricket (DeFacto) | Football |
| Argentina | Pato (DeJure – 1953) | Association football, Basketball, Rugby union |
| Australia | Cricket (DeFacto) | Australian Rules Football (AFL), Rugby, Horse Racing, Netball |
| Bangladesh | Kabaddi (DeJure – 1972) | Cricket & football |
| Barbados | Cricket (DeFacto) | Football, Golf, Tennis |
| Bermuda | Cricket (DeFacto) | Football, Rugby and Tennis |
| Bhutan | Archery (DeJure – 1971) | Basketball, football, futsal |
| Brazil | Capoeira (DeJure – 1972) | Volleyball and Basketball |
| Bulgaria | Weightlifting (DeFacto) | Gymnastics, Rowing, Biathlon and Cricket |
| Canada | Ice hockey (In Winter) & Lacrosse (In Summer) (DeJure – 1994) | Football, Golf, basketball and baseball |
| Chile | Chilean rodeo (DeJure – 1962) | Tennis and football |
| China | Ping Pong (Table Tennis) (DeFacto) | Volleyball, Martial Arts, Shooting, Badminton |
| Cuba | Baseball (DeFacto) | Boxing, Volleyball, Basketball |
| Columbia | Tejo (DeJure – 2000) | |
| Czech Republic | Ice Hockey (DeFacto) | Football |
| Dominican Republic | Baseball (DeFacto) | Football and Boxing |
| England | Cricket (DeFacto) | Football, Rugby and Basketball |
| France | Association Football (Defacto) | Rugby, Motor Sports and tennis |
| Haiti | Football (DeFacto) | – |
| Hungary | Water Polo (De Facto) | – |
| India | Field Hockey (De Facto) | Cricket, badminton, kabaddi |
| Israel | Association Football (De Facto) | Basketball, Swimming, canoeing |
| Italy | Calcio – type of Football (DeFacto) | – |
| Indonesia | Badminton (DeFacto) | – |
| Lithuania | Basketball (De Facto) | Football, Athletics, Cycling |
| Iran | Wrestling, Varzesh-e-Bastani (DeJure – 1976) | Polo, football |
| Jamaica | Cricket (DeFacto) | Association football, Athletics |
| Japan | Sumo Wrestling (De Facto) | Ju-Jitsu (Martial Arts), Baseball, Football |
| Malaysia | Sepak Takraw – similar to Volleyball or Badminton(DeFacto). Players cannot use their hands to play | – |
| Mongolia | Archery (DeFacto) | Mongolian wrestling, horse riding, Football, Basketball |
| Mauritius | Football (DeFacto) | Athletics, Basketball, Badminton |
| Mexico | Charreria- similar to Rodeo (DeJure – 1933) | Association football and Boxing |
| Nepal | Dandi Biyo – similar to Indian Gilli Danda, Volleyball (DeJure – 2017) | Cricket, football |
| New Zealand | Rugby Union (DeFacto) | Cricket, Net ball, Basketball, Golf, Tennis |
| Norway | Cross-country skiing (DeFacto) | Wrestling, Cycling, Shooting |
| Namibia | Football, Netball, Rugby (DeJure – 2018) | – |
| Pakistan | Field Hockey (DeFacto) | Cricket, Kabaddi, Squash, Snooker |
| Philippines | Arnis – Type of Fighting Art (DeJure – 2009) | Basketball, Badminton, boxing |
| Poland | Football (DeFacto) | – |
| Peru | Paleta Frontón – type of Tennis (DeFacto) | – |
| Puerto Rico (united States) | Paso Fino (DeJure – 1966) | – |
| Russia | Bandy- type of Ice Hockey (DeFacto) | Chess, football, Basketball, Gymnastics |
| Scotland | Golf (DeFacto) | Tennis, Rugby |
| Serbia | Football, basketball, volleyball and water polo (DeFacto) | – |
| Slovenia | Alpine Skiing (DeFacto) | Ski Jumping, Athletics, Basketball and Boxing |
| South Korea | Tae-kwon-do (DeJure – 2018) | Football and Basketball |
| SriLanka | Volleyball (DeFacto) | Cricket, badminton, Watersports |
| Switzerland | Shooting and Gymnastics (DeFacto) | Football and Ice Hockey |
| Tajikistan | Gushtigiri- type of wrestling (DeFacto) | – |
| Turkey | Oil wrestling (DeFacto) | Soccer, Basketball, VolleyBall |
| USA | Baseball (DeFacto) | Football, Ice Hockey, Golf, Tennis |
| Uruguay | Destrezas Criollas (DeJure – 2006) | – |
| Venezuela | Baseball (DeFacto) | football |
The list of national games in the world is useful for exams like SSC, RRB, Bank, IBPS, and other government exams.
List of Countries And Their National Games PDF
Different Countries and Their National Games
Different countries have their national games or sports that hold cultural and historical significance. Here are some examples of national games from various countries:
- India: Field Hockey is often considered India’s national game, although it does not have official national game status. Cricket, however, is the most popular and widely played sport in India.
- Japan: Sumo Wrestling is Japan’s national sport, deeply rooted in its history and culture.
- South Korea: Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea.
- Canada: Lacrosse is Canada’s national summer sport, while ice hockey is considered the national winter sport.
- Australia: Australia’s national sport is considered to be Australian Rules Football (AFL), while cricket is also widely followed.
- United States: Baseball is often referred to as America’s national pastime, and American football is another popular sport in the United States.
- China: Table Tennis, also known as ping pong, is a highly popular sport in China and often considered its national sport.
- England: England’s national sport is often regarded as Cricket, while Football (soccer) is incredibly popular and widely played.
- Russia: Bandy, a team sport similar to ice hockey, is considered one of Russia’s national sports.
- Brazil: Football (soccer) is the national passion in Brazil and often referred to as its national sport.
- New Zealand: Rugby Union is New Zealand’s national sport, with the national rugby team, the All Blacks, being highly successful and renowned worldwide.
- Pakistan: Field Hockey is a historically significant sport in Pakistan and has been its national sport for many years.
- Mexico: Charrería, a Mexican rodeo, is considered the national sport of Mexico.
- Ireland: Gaelic Games, which include Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie, hold a special place in Irish sports culture.
- Nepal: Volleyball is considered one of Nepal’s national sports and is widely played across the country.
National Game of India
Many people assume hockey to be the national game of India, but this is not true. [Source: RTI] Neither Hockey nor Kabaddi is the national game of India. In fact, India does not have an officially declared national game. While field hockey has historically been associated with India and has enjoyed immense popularity, there has been no official designation of any sport as the national game by the Indian government.
Hockey was considered the National Game of the country because of its golden era from 1928 to 1956 when India won 6 successive gold medals in the Olympic games. However, recently, the Ministry of Sports Affairs has made it clear that it has not declared any sports to be the National Sports of the country. Despite this clarification, field hockey holds a special place in the hearts of many Indians and continues to be cherished and celebrated across the nation.
Interesting facts about different National Sports
- Buzkashi, the national game of Afghanistan is known to be a highly aggressive sport. It requires players to mount on horses and place a calf or goat carcass in a specific goal drawn on the field. is also known as Kopar, Kupari and Ulak Tartysh.
- Pato the national game of Argentina combines elements of Basketball and polo.
- Capoeira the national game of Brazil is a form of martial arts that combines various elements of acrobatics, dance, and music.
- Canada has two national games, Ice hockey for the winter months and Lacrosse is the national game for the summer months.
- The national game of Finland, Pesapallo is a very moving bat and ball game.
- Tae Kwon Do a form of Korean martial art is the national game of South Korea.
- Charreria the game of Mexico is a competitive sport similar to rodeo except that performing cowboys, called charros, are judged on style and execution.
- Arnis the national martial art of the Philippines is also known as Eskrima and Kali. It actually emphasizes weapon-based fighting which is done using knives, bladed weapons, sticks, and various others.
- Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team’s goal.
- Sepak takraw or Kick Volleyball differs from the footvolley in its use of a rattan ball and only allowing players to use their feet, knee, chest, and head to touch the ball. Sepak takraw is the national game of Malaysia.
- A recent RTI revealed that India has no national game. However, still, the GOI website shows Field Hockey as the national game of India. The Sports Ministry confirmed that it had not declared any sport or game as the ‘national game.’
National Games In The World – Sample Questions For GK/GA
To understand the importance of the topic Countries and their National Games for the competitive exams, it is imperative for candidates to know the type of questions asked in the examination based on it.
Hence, for candidates reference, given below are a few sample questions based on the National Games in the world.
Q.1. The country Barbados has given some prominent players like Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Frank Worrell. Which sports do these players belong to?
- Football
- Cricket
- Basketball
- Hockey
Answer (2)
Q.2. The players Nikolay Peshalov, Stefan Botev, Yoto Yotov and Demir Demirev from Bulgaria are associated with which sport?
- Wrestling
- Judo
- Water polo
- Weightlifting
Answer (4)
Q.3. The National Game of Canada ____ is played with a flat ball.
- Lacrosse
- Golf
- Ice Hockey
- Field Hockey
Answer (3)
Q.4. What is the National Sports of Tajikistan?
Q.5. The National Game of Russia is Bandy, It is a type of___.
- Wrestling
- Horse racing
- Buzkashi
- Soccer
Answer (1)
- Polo
- Wrestling
- Ice Hockey
- Golf
Answer (3)
Countries And Their National Games:FAQ
Cricket is the national game of which country?
Cricket is the national game of Australia, England, the Bahamas, and some other countries.
What are the national sports of India?
Field Hockey is considered as the national sports of India but officially it is not declared.
