When people
say sports - the first image comes our mind is Football, Cricket, Tennis,
Baseball, Gymnastics and Athletics and so on. But we look at some of those
sports or games which are the national games of countries but are very less
known to the rest of the world. We would like to introduce you to some of the
games which inculcate traditional and sports values. We present them in two
parts for better understanding:
Rodeo
Rodeo is a traditional sport in Chile. It was declared the national
sport in 1962. It has since thrived, especially in the more rural areas of the
country. Chilean rodeo is different from the rodeo found in North
America. In Chilean rodeo, a team (called a collera) consisting of
two riders (called Huasos) and two horses rides laps around an arena
trying to stop a calf, pinning him against massive cushions. Points are
earned for every time the steer is properly driven around the corral, with
deductions for faults. Rodeos are conducted in a crescent-shaped corral called
a medialuna.
Eskrima or Arnis
Eskrima, Arnis and (in the West) Kali are umbrella terms for the traditional martial
arts of the Philippines that
emphasize weapon-based
fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons,
and various improvised weapons. It also includes hand-to-hand
combat and weapon disarming techniques.
Pato
Pato, also called juego
del pato (literally
"duck game") is a game played on horseback that combine elements
from polo and basketball. It is the national sport of Argentina. The playing
field would often stretch the distance between neighboring estancias (ranches). The first team to
reach its own casco (ranch house) with the duck would be declared the
winner. In modern pato, two
four-member teams riding on horses fight for possession of
a ball which has six conveniently-sized handles, and score by throwing the ball
through a vertically positioned ring (as opposed to the horizontal rim used in
basketball).
Charreria
The charreada is a competitive event similar
to rodeo and was developed from animal husbandry practices used
on the haciendas of old Mexico.
The sport has been described as "living history," or as an art form
drawn from the demands of working life. The modern Charreada developed
after the Mexican Revolution when charro traditions were
disappearing. The competing charros often came from families with a tradition
of Charreria, and teams today are often made up from extended families
that have been performing for up to five generations. The charreada consists
of nine events for men plus one for women, all of which involve horses, cattle
or both. Some of the events in the charreada have been criticized by
animal advocacy groups and some states have banned certain events.
Tejo
Tejo is a traditional sport in Colombia. The sport originated by the
Chibcha people from pre-Hispanic central-western Colombia. It is played by
throwing a metal plate or disc at a board spotted with gunpowder, named tejo,
weighing about 680 g at a target so as to make it strike the "mechas"
(folded paper). There is a stringent point system in place. Alternatively, in a
recreational context, people play different point variations of the game,
usually betting the bill of the tejo arena which includes the use of the arena,
as well as the beverages and food of every participant in a particular match.
Buzkashi
Buzkashi is the Afghan national sport. It is
also a popular sport among the south Central Asians such as
the Uzbeks, Hazaras, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Turkmens and Pashtun.
In the West, the game (Turkish: Cirit) is also played
by Kyrgyz Turks who migrated to Ulupamir village in
the Van district of Turkey from the Pamir region.
Buzkashi is often compared to polo. Games are played between people on
horseback; both involve propelling an object toward a goal, and both get fairly
rough. However, polo is played with a ball, and buzkashi is played with a
headless goat carcass. Polo matches are played for fixed periods totaling
about an hour; traditional Buzkashi may continue for days, but in its more
regulated tournament version also has a limited match time.
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