National sport

A national sport is a sport or game that is considered to be a popularly intrinsic part of the culture or is the most popular sport of a country or nation. In American English the term national pastime is often used.

Although there are normally no official parameters towards defining what is a national sport, there are some general characteristics that most national sports share:[citation needed]

* The rules and objectives of the sport or game are known in fairly great detail in the country or nation.[citation needed]
* The game or sport is widely played or watched in the country or nation.[citation needed]
* The game or sport has a long history of popularity or extreme current popularity in the country or nation.[citation needed]

In some countries, sport or game can become the official national pastime by mandate of the government, such as in Canada with lacrosse and ice-hockey in 1994. In other countries, where the sport or game has such a long history, such as with baseball in the United States or sumo wrestling in Japan, the sport or game is often considered a de facto "official" national pastime. This article generally goes by the popularity of the sports in all the countries.