10 Popular Sports In India
Sports have been an integral part of the world culture dating back as far as ancient civilizations. The most eminent example of sports culture and society, the Olympic Games are more than 3,000 years old. Sports have always had an extraordinary impact on society, culture, economy, and every other facet of a nation. For those engaged in sports, sports are the epitome of diligence, hard work, and dedication. The popularity of sports culture can be determined by the fan base football and cricket enjoy worldwide. Sports help people maintain the best of their physical, mental and psychological health. Owing to the widespread popularity of the internet and television, people consume sports on a massive scale. The celebrity status of top sportspersons validates the importance associated with sporting events.
The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) (previously Sport Accord) is the umbrella organization for all international sports federations, and has developed a definition of sport to determine whether an applicant federation qualifies as an international sports federation.
The GAISF's definition of sport is as follows:
The sport proposed should include an element of competition.
The sport should not rely on any element of "luck" specifically integrated into the sport.
The sport should not be judged to pose an undue risk to the health and safety of its athletes or participants.
The sport proposed should in no way be harmful to any living creature.
The sport should not rely on equipment that is provided by a single supplier.
In layman’s language sport is ...
A human activity involving physical skill and exertion.
Governed by a set of rules/procedures or customs.
Undertaken competitively and capable of achieving a result.
India is one of the largest countries in the world in both area and population. India is also one of the few countries that have retained the popularity of their indigenous games among its people. Games like gilli-danda, kabaddi, pehlwani and kho kho. India is also where some of the oldest forms of martial arts originated like musti yuddha, kalerippayattu, silambam as well as marma adi. India also has a few board games, most popular of which is the chaturanga, believed to be the origin of modern chess. This is further reinforced with the rise of a number of chess grandmasters from the country.
Popular sports in India
1.Cricket;
Cricket has been the most popular sport in India, the country has hosted and won the Cricket World Cup on multiple occasions. Field Hockey is the most successful sport for India at the Olympic Games; the Indian men's team have won twelve Olympic medals including eight gold medals.
It is one of the most popular sports in India that holds the interest of worldwide viewers. Cricket is not just a game; it’s an emotion for Indians, and cricketers have a huge fan base than any other country on the earth. Sachin Tendulkar, the former cricketer, is considered the ‘God of cricket’, and such lifetime achievements have been rarely seen in other sports around the world.
The Indian cricket team is one of the best in the world and has won many prestigious tournaments, including the Cricket World Cup. The game was invented by the Britishers and adopted by India with love. It consists of 11 players on each team and played on a 22-yard field. Also called a gentleman’s game that teaches us about discipline.
2. Hockey
Hockey is another popular sport in India and is the national game of the country. Hockey is a team sport that is played with a stick and a ball. The game is played between two teams of 11 players each.
The aim of the game is to score goals by hitting the ball into the other team’s net. The team that scores the most goals in the match wins. Hockey is a very fast-paced and exciting game to watch.
The Indian Hockey team was one of the strongest team in the world. Under the leadership of Dhyan Chand, the team once dominated the international player and consecutively received eight gold medals in the Olympics.
3.Football
Football is another popular sport in India and is played by people of all ages. Football is a team sport that is played with a ball. The game is played between two teams of 11 players each.
The aim of the game is to score goals by kicking the ball into the other team’s net. The team that scores the most goals in the match wins. Football is a very exciting and popular sport to watch. The Indian football team is not as successful as the cricket or hockey teams, but it is still this sport has a substantial fanbase among the youth of the country. India currently ranks 108 in FIFA rankings. Players like Baichung Bhutia and Sunil Chetri have excelled in the sport and also done promotional activities for football in India. Indian Super League (ISL) was started in India on the lines of IPL.
4.Tennis
Tennis is a popular sport in India and is played by people of all ages. Tennis is a racket and ball sport that is played between two players or two teams of two players each. In this game, you hit the ball over the net into the other player’s court. The aim of the game is to score points by hitting the ball in such a way that the other player cannot return it. The first player to reach four points wins the game.
Tennis is a very popular sport in India and there are many professional players from the country. These include Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, and Mahesh Bhupathi.
5.Badminton
Badminton is another popular sport in India and is played by people of all ages. Badminton is a racket and shuttlecock sport that is played between two players or two teams of two players each.
In this game, you hit the shuttlecock over the net into the other player’s court. The aim of the game is to score points by hitting the shuttlecock in such a way that the other player cannot return it. The first player to reach 21 points wins the game.
Badminton is a popular sport among the general public but never gained popularity internationally. However, the game slowly started catching fire over the last few decades, and it was the year 2012 when a well-known sports personality in today’s time won the first bronze medal in London Olympics.
It was Saina Nehwal, who made us proud by winning the medal in the Olympic games for the first time in Badminton.
The story didn’t end here, as, in 2016, PV Sindhu won a silver medal at the Rio Olympics and proved that Badminton is not only a general sport but a name that can be made in this field. Other shutters who have brought him major honours include K Srikant, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, and yesteryear giants Prakash Padukone and Pulella Gopichand, in addition to Olympic medals.
6.Kabaddi
Kabaddi is undoubtedly one of the most popular sports presents in India. It is also believed to have originated in India. Indian people are very fond of this contact sport. Amar, Suranjeevi, huttuttoo, and Gaminee are the four forms of kabaddi played in India. The dominance of the Indian National team is evident from the fact that the Men’s team has won all 3 World Cups organised till date, 7 Gold medals in Asian Games. The Women’s National Kabaddi team has also won 2 Gold medals in Asian Games. In 2014, Pro Kabaddi League was started in India to promote kabaddi.
With the unexpected rise of the Pro-Kabaddi League (PKL), which is conducted annually in several locations across India, Kabaddi has gained mainstream recognition among the traditional sports of India.
The PKL became India’s second most popular league in 2014, which is just next only to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kabaddi is positioned well to boost audiences in rural areas of India. Due to its clear appeal and establishing new viewers who are steadily learning more about the sport. Kabaddi has created a strong viewer base and a set of willing sponsors.
At present, India and Iran are the two world’s best kabaddi teams. Until 2017, India has created records and won all Kabaddi World Cups and international tournaments.
7.Wrestling
Wrestling has been a very famous sport in India, especially in the rural region. It is better known as ‘Kushti or Pehlwani’ in India. The culture of wrestling in India includes the ‘Akhara’ which is the place where it is practised. India has won medals in different styles of wrestling in various tournaments ranging from Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships. The famous Indians in this sport are Dara Singh, K.D. Jadhav, Sushil Kumar, Geeta Phogat, Yogeshwar Dutt.
8.Boxing
A big reason for the popularity of Boxing in India is MC Mary kom, who has won 6 World Championships, Bronze in Olympics, Gold in Asian and Commonwealth games. Taking inspiration from her, many sportspersons have emerged in this sport. Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar, Sarita Devi are the other famous players of the sport.
9.Chess
This indigenous game has also got immense popularity in India. This is because a lot of mind work is involved while playing the game. Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand got fame after becoming a grand master in the game. Undoubtedly, youngsters and teenagers are taking an interest in this game because of this man who has gained an excellent reputation in the world. The All-India Chess Federation is the official body for it.
10. Table Tennis
This is actually the fastest racquet game in the world. It is popular among youth as it improves the reaction time of a person. It is played in various categories like cadet, sub-junior, junior, senior. Some of the famous international Indian players in this sport are Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran.
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