List of countries' national sports/pastimes * Afghanistan -
Buzkashi * Albania - Football * Argentina - Football * Australia -
Cricket is the traditional summer sport. Different football codes
are the most popular winter sports in different parts of the
country. Australian Rules Football is the most popular in Victoria,
South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, while Rugby League
and/or Rugby Union are more popular in New South Wales, Queensland
and the Australian Capital Territory. * Austria - Football, Alpine
skiing * Bangladesh - Cricket * Barbados - Cricket * Belgium -
Cycling is the most popular sport in Belgium: during winter a
variant of cycling called Cyclocross ("veldrijden") is the pastime
for most Belgians (certainly in Flanders). Belgium dominates this
cycling discipline. Football is also quite popular. * Bhutan -
Archery * Brazil - Football is considered the national obsession,
and volleyball also has a large number of participants. * Bulgaria
- Football Bulgarians are often dominant in weightlifting and in
chess * Canada - Lacrosse is the official summer sport and ice
hockey is the official winter sport, but hockey is by far the sport
most closely followed, and most closely linked to national pride.
Designating lacrosse as an official sport is more of a nod to
history than a reflection of the present-day situation: sports like
basketball, Canadian football (but probably also American
football), soccer, golf, baseball, tennis are all much more
popular. Canada is also the world's dominant force in the sport of
curling. * People's Republic of China - Table tennis, but Football
is gaining popularity at an increasing rate, as demonstrated by the
increasing amount of success enjoyed by the national team. o Hong
Kong - Dragon boat racing, badminton, windsurfing, rugby, fencing *
Republic of China (Taiwan) - baseball * Colombia - Tejo is the
traditional sport, as is bullfighting, but football (soccer) is the
main attraction, followed by baseball and basketball. * Croatia -
Football. Handball, water polo and basketball are also widely
popular. * Cuba - Baseball * Czech Republic - Ice hockey and
football are almost equally popular. * Denmark - Football *
Dominican Republic - Baseball * Egypt - Football is the most
popular and most watched sport. * Estonia - Football * Fiji - Rugby
union, particularly Sevens * Finland - Pes�pallo (Finnish baseball)
is the national sport, but ice hockey is most followed * France -
Football, but rugby union is popular in the south. Basketball is
also played. Cycling is also very widely followed. * Gambia -
Wrestling * Germany - Football * Greece - Football is most popular,
with basketball and volleyball right behind. * Guyana - Cricket *
Haiti - Football * Iceland - Glima * India - Field hockey is the
official sport (winners of 8 Olympic Golds), but cricket is the
most popular (Winners of 1983 World Cup) * Indonesia - Badminton,
football * Iran - Football (soccer) is by far the most popular
sport, although there are many other sports played in Iran. *
Ireland - of indigenous games promoted by the Gaelic Athletic
Association, hurling is the most ancient (featuring in such
pre-Christian legends as C�chulainn) but Gaelic football is more
widely played and popular. Gaelic handball is increasingly rare.
Soccer and rugby union are also popular, and the Irish are noted
for turning up in great numbers for virtually any sporting occaison
where there are Irish competiting. * Israel - Football and
basketball * Italy - Football is the most practised sport by young
men. Volleyball is the most practised sport by young women. Bocce
is the most practised sport by seniors. Cycling is also widely
popular. However, only men's football has high TV coverage. *
Jamaica - Cricket and football * Japan - Sumo wrestling is
traditionally viewed as Japan's national sport, but baseball is
today more popular, and football is rapidly increasing in
popularity. Rugby also has a substantial following. * Kenya -
Football is the most watched and followed sport with Athletics
being more competitive because of International success. Rugby is
also popular and is the fastest growing sport. * Korea - Tae kwon
do is traditional, baseball is highly popular as is football. South
Korea is also a major force in archery, speed skating (mainly short
track), and women's golf. * Latvia - Novuss, football, ice hockey *
Lebanon - Football * Lithuania - Basketball is most closely linked
to national identity, with football also widely followed. *
Malaysia - Silat, gasing, and wau are traditional, but football and
badminton are the most popular today. * Mexico - Charrer�a is
traditional, but football is most popular today, with baseball also
widely played and followed. * Mongolia - Wrestling and archery. *
Montenegro (Serbia and Montenegro until 2006, Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia 1992-2006, Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia
1945-1992, Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1918-1945, Kingdom of Montenegro
until 1918) - Basketball, Volleyball, Water Polo (in all 3 sports
several times European, World and Olympic champions and
vice-champions under names Serbia-Montenegro and FR Yugoslavia);
Tennis is very popular (with Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic, and
Jelena Jankovic in world top singles, and Nenad Zimonjic and Janko
Tipsarevic in world top doubles; previously with Monika Seles as a
world champion - before taking dual Serbian-American citizenship,
and Slobodan - Boba Zivojinovic (in double witn McEnroe); Football
is the most practised sport by young men; Volleyball is the most
practised sport by young women; Karate is very popular and
Montenegrin teams and individuals are constantly in world top, with
many world champion medals; Mountaineering, Alpine Climbing, Free
Climbing and Speleology are olso very popular activities/sports in
Montenegro. * Nauru - Australian rules football * Netherlands -
Football has the largest following, but cycling and speed skating
are seen as traditional sports; volleyball, baseball (known locally
as honkbal) and field hockey are also played. * New Zealand - Rugby
union is the easily the most widely followed and most closely
linked to national pride (Rugby League being very far behind),
although more young children today play soccer. Netball is one of
the most popular sports among girls and young women, and men have
organised some teams of their own. Cricket is played during summer
and is the national summer sport. Yachting and rowing are also
popular water sports. * Nicaragua - Baseball * Nigeria - Football *
Norway - Skiing, both Nordic and Alpine, but football is the most
popular sport. * Pakistan - Field hockey is the official sport
(winners of the Gold in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994), but cricket is
the most popular (winners of the world cup in 1992) * Papua New
Guinea - Rugby league * Philippines - Basketball is the de facto
national pastime, attarcting huge crowds. Badminton, volleyball and
chess, along with basketball have the largest number of
participants. Sipa is the traditional sport. Plus Baseball is
increasing in popularity. * Poland - Football * Portugal -
Football, rink hockey and cycling are very popular and have a great
tradition. * Romania - Oina (very similar but unrelated to
baseball) is the traditional sport, but Football is much more
popular nowadays. Rugby also has a fairly decent stronghold. *
Russia - Football, Ice Hockey, Sambo * Samoa - Rugby union * Saudi
Arabia - Falconry and horse racing are traditional, but football
draws the largest number of spectators. * Serbia (Serbia and
Montenegro until 2006) - Basketball, Volleyball, Water Polo (in all
3 sports several times European, World and Olympic champions and
vice-champions); Tennis is very popular (with Novak Djokovic, Ana
Ivanovic, and Jelena Jankovic in world top singles, and Nenad
Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic in world top doubles; previously with
Monika Seles as a world champion - before taking dual
Serbian-American citizenship, and Slobodan - Boba Zivojinovic (in
double witn McEnroe); Football is the most practised sport by young
men; Volleyball is the most practised sport by young women; Karate
is very popular and Serbian and Montenegrin teams and individuals
are constantly in world top, with many world champion medals;
Swimming is also very popular (Dragan Cavic world record holder in
butterfly); Mountaineering, Alpine Climbing, Free Climbing and
Speleology are olso very popular activities/sports in Serbia and in
Montenegro. * Singapore - Football, swimming, badminton, basketball
and table tennis * Slovakia - Ice hockey and football are almost
equally popular. * Slovenia - Alpine skiing * Soviet Union - Chess,
Ice Hockey * South Africa - Football has historically been most
popular with blacks, rugby union with Afrikaners, and cricket with
British-descended whites. This ethnic division still exists to some
degree, though considerably less so than during the apartheid era.
* Spain - football is very popular in Spain. * Sri Lanka - Cricket
* Switzerland - Schwingen, stone throwing and Hornussen, all
traditional games, are popular in rural Switzerland, although
football is most popular overall, and ice hockey is rising in
popularity. * Sweden - Football and ice hockey are almost equally
popular. Bandy is the traditional swedish wintersport. * Thailand -
Muay Thai * Tonga - Rugby union * Trinidad and Tobago- football was
the most popular sports on the twin Caribbean islands with cricket
a close second; TT will be part of the partnership in hosting the
World Cup Cricket Tournament in the Caribbean in 2006. * Turkey -
Football * Ukraine - Football * United Arab Emirates - Camel racing
is traditional, but football is the most popular. * United Kingdom
o England - Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in England
and is their national sport, though Rugby Union is also popular,
and Rugby Leauge attracts crowds in the North. Cricket is played
more in the summer. o Scotland - Native sport is Shinty, but
football attracts much larger crowds. It was also the birthplace of
golf, which is more often associated with Scotland than anywhere
else. o Wales - traditionally Rugby union, but football is played
by more people. However, the Welsh national rugby team attracts the
most interest of any Welsh team, especially due to the weakness of
Welsh soccer. Certainly only rugby union can attract instances like
the 40,000 supporters who travelled to Scotland for a Six Nations
game or the 400,000 who watched Wales win the Grand Slam in a
public square. o Overseas territories and crown dependencies of the
United Kingdom + Bermuda - Cricket * United States - Baseball has
historically been considered America's national pastime and a
significant aspect of American culture, but American football and
stock car racing presently have a larger number of television
viewers. Other popular sports include basketball and ice hockey o
American Samoa - American football o Puerto Rico - Baseball *
Uzbekistan - Kurash * Venezuela - Football is now the most popular,
largely in thanks to Colombian, Portuguese, and Italian immigrants,
without which Baseball would probably have the most followers. *
Vietnam - Football is the dominant sport. Many others are striving
for second place, such as tennis, badminton, volleyball, table
tennis and martial arts.