Countries and their National Games

the national sport and a "passion" in Afghanistan where it is often played on Fridays and matches draw thousands of fans. A traditional sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat or calf carcass in a goal.

• Polo

• Buzkashi

• Goat Pulling

• Horse Whipping

The earliest reference to this sport was in England during the mid-16th century. It spread globally with the expansion of the British Empire, with the first international matches in the second half of the 19th century. Today it is the national sport of many Caribbean nations and of course, England.

• Softball

• Paddle Ball

• Crochet

• Cricket

a full contact sport involving 15 players on each team,with 7 substitutes on the bench. The aim of the game is to score more points than the other side and points are scored through tries, conversions, penalty kicks and drop goals. Considered the national sport of New Zealand and Namibia.

• Football

• Rugby

• Soccer

• Quidditch

Cross-country skiing 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. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity and is still considered the national sport of this nation

• Switzerland

• Norway

• Poland

• Austria

Baseball's American origins, as well as its reputation as a source of escape during troubled points in American history, have led the sport to receive the moniker of "America's Pastime"; since the late 19th century, it has been unofficially recognized as our national sport. One other country claims baseball as it's national sport

• Mexico

• Venezuela

• Uruguay

• Puerto Rico

A sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great advantage. The sport has been an Olympic event since 1988 and is the national sport of China

• Ping Pong

• Table Tennis

• Whiff Whaff

• Pickleball

Badminton is played using racquets to hit a "shuttlecock" across a net. The most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players per side). Formal games are played on a rectangular indoor court. Points are scored by striking the shuttlecock with the racquet and landing it within the opposing side's half of the court. It is considered the national sport of this nation

• Singapore

• Vietnam

• Philippines

• Indonesia

National Sports of Canada Act - S.C. 1994, c. 16

Assented to 1994-05-12

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: The game commonly known as ice hockey is hereby recognized and declared to be the national winter sport of Canada.

What other country lists ice hockey as its national sport?

• Finland

• Sweden

• Czechia

• Switzerland

Water polo as a team sport began as a demonstration of strength and swimming skill in mid-19th century England and Scotland, where water sports and racing exhibitions were a feature of county fairs and festivals. Men's water polo was among the first team sports introduced at the modern Olympic games in 1900. This country lists water polo as their national sport.

• Italy

• Hungary

• Romania

• Greece

Sepak takraw, or Sepaktakraw, also called kick volleyball, is a team sport played with a ball made of rattan or synthetic plastic between two teams of two to four players on a court resembling a badminton court.

One country boasts that this sport is that national sport of their nation

• Malaysia

• Thailand

• Taiwan

• Phillippines