Every two to four years I forget that I’m not a sports fan and become obsessed with the excitement and spectacle of the Olympics. How, I always wonder, do people develop a passion for delicately pushing stones into a circle or hurling themselves down a tunnel of ice at ridiculous speeds?
It is easy to forget that sport encompasses more than just football and cricket, especially when you live in Australia. Watching the Olympics always reminds me of how narrow our perception is.
So this week, inspired in equal parts by my post-Olympic slump and the newly acquired knowledge that curling is NOT (to my great disappointment) the official (or even unofficial) sport of Canada, I decided to explore the world of national sport.
National sports are defined by their cultural value or significance rather than popularity, so many remain relatively unknown on a global scale. Unexpectedly, a majority of countries do not even have a de jure (established by law) or de facto (unofficial) pastime.
The four national sports highlighted in this article are unique, extraordinary and dynamic. I hope the concise summaries below will spark your curiosity and encourage you to find out more about these incredible games
Pato, the sport de jure of Argentina, seems like a wonderful mixture of polo, basketball and quidditch. Played on horseback, teams of four fight for control over a ball, which sits in a type of harness with six handles. Points are accrued by throwing the ball throw a vertically aligned, netted hoop.
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This national has an interesting and rich history reaching back to the 17th century. It was originally played with a caged duck instead of a ball, which is why the sport was initially called juego del pato (the duck game).
Cirit, also known as Jereed, is a Turkish ceremonial game which emerged during the 11th century. This equestrian sport involves two teams of six, eight or twelve competitors who do their best to hit their opponents with long, rubber tipped sticks. Players demonstrate incredible skill and horsemanship to avoid hits and take down the opposing team members.
Developed by nomadic tribes as a way of celebrating the sacred nature of horses, Cirit also served as a war game, providing soldiers with an opportunity to maintain their marital skills in times of peace. Although the game has changed over the years, players still observe ceremonial elements and folklore groups continue to promote and preserve the traditional sport.
The defacto sport of Indonesia, sepak takraw, is actually played throughout southeast Asia and originated in the Malaysian region during the 15th century. Similar to volley ball (although this game predates it by several hundred years), teams of three attempt to hit a ball over the net, and into the scoring zones of the opposing side’s court.
What makes this game so distinctive, and compelling to watch, is that players are only allowed to use their feet, knees, chest and head to move the rattan ball. This may sound limiting but, as you can see in the video above, the results are spectacular; players leap, twist and perform incredible movements to keep the ball in the air and propel it into the other court.
Buzkashi is perhaps the most combative and chaotic sport on this list. The objective of the game is to hold or carry the carcass of a goat or calf (yes, an actual carcass) into a goal area. Like Cirit and Pato, the game is played on horseback, however, there are no teams and individual riders, called Chapandaz, wear heavy clothing and protective head gear to avoid injury while they fight for control over the carcass.
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There are variations of Buzkashi played throughout Central Asia, where the game emerged in the 11th century, and in Western China the Tajiks of Xinjiang players ride yaks, instead of horses. Briefly banned by the Taliban, Buzkashi has continued to draw thousands of spectators since its reinstatement.
Conducting the research for this article has been so much fun; I always relish the reminder that the world is wonderfully wide and that there is still so much I don’t know. Social media can make our lives seem so very small and homogenous.
Personally, there’s one or two sports here I’d love to see at the Summer Olympics. What do you think? Leave a comment below and feel free to call out any national sports you would have added to this list.
It is easy to forget that sport encompasses more than just football and cricket, especially when you live in Australia. Watching the olympics always reminds me of how narrow our perception of sport is. Every two to four years I forget that I'm not a sports fan and become obsessed with the excitement and spectacle of the Olympics.
