Whether by government decree or by popularity, national sports [1] are part of the cultural makeup of every country. People from many walks of life come together to participate, watch or root for their favorite athletes or teams. Check out which unique national sports Colombia, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates have.
Tejo Niguateros [2] by Luis Perez [3]
In Colombia, ramiroparias [es] [4] uploads the following video explaining the rules of tejo [5], a game which consists of throwing from a distance a 2 kg weight at a platform filled with clay in order to score points related to a circle incised on the clay surface with 4 chips called “fuses” around it. You can view a game in progress on this video uploaded by yecido [6].
In Japan, Sumo wrestling [7] is the national sport. Sumo is a highly traditional and ritualistic contact sport where two wrestlers attempt to take the opponent out by pushing him outside a circle or by making them touch the ground with anything other than the soles of their feet. The following video by purnamabs [8]shows a match that took place during November in Fukuoka, Japan.
From Malaysia and Indonesia we have Silat [9]: a martial art/folk dance. User pssgmswk shares a presentation [10].
In Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Camel Racing [11]is part of their heritage, and now it has been brought to modern times. Before, small children as young as 6 were used to ride the camels due to their low height and weight. Nowadays, robots are being used to ride the camels, as you will be able to see on this video uploaded by qatarvisitor. [12]
To view more countries with distinct national sports: check out oina in Romania [13], the charreada in Mexico [14], and Mongolian archery [15]