Cultural sports: where history engages with athleticism

BY INAAYA YOUSUF

All around the world, participating in sports can create lasting, meaningful and impactful bonds between people of different creeds, ethnicities and cultures. While many people are aware of popular sports in the U.S., such as soccer, basketball and baseball, there are many sports whose cultural roots are often overlooked yet still widely practiced around the world. Here are some of the sports that have been enjoyed for many decades with cultural ties and history.

Cricket, first introduced to India by British colonizers in the 1700s, caught the attention of Indian elites. The first recorded competitive match took place in 1721, as it gained popularity around the country. Cricket is played with two teams, each consisting of 11 players. The batting team aims to score by striking a white ball and running between two sets of wickets — stumps placed behind the batsman — while the fielding team prevents the opposing team from scoring. Cricket has become a unifying force, growing from a colonial introduction to a nationwide cultural phenomenon and bringing together communities under the passion for the sport.

Across China, badminton holds an important cultural significance.

Although the sport has ties to England from more than 2,000 years ago, many historians say badminton has a connection to the Chinese game of jianzi. Jianzi is played using various body parts, excluding the hands, with the objective of keeping a shuttlecock in the air. Badminton, on the other hand, is played with a racket, net and shuttlecock, with the objective of scoring points by landing the shuttlecock on the opponent’s side of the net. The modern version of badminton flourished in China in the 1950s, when the sport’s popularity rose. Today, badminton has not only created a sense of national pride with its national team’s successes, but has also influenced international collaborations.

Kendo, a modern martial art from Japan, stems from Kenjustu and can be traced back to the 18th and 19th centuries, incorporating the Japanese swordsmanship techniques of Samurai warriors. In kendo, opponents wear protective armor called “bōgu” and use bamboo swords called “shinai.” Kendo requires precision and control to score points and strike opponents. It is also characterized by a traditional fighting style that pays tribute to the sport’s ancestry, focusing on posture and precision. The sport is currently considered one of the most popular martial arts in Japan and is widely practiced around the world.

Originating in Montreal and spreading throughout the 19th century, ice hockey has become a Canadian staple. Initially, many thought that the game originated from field hockey due to their many similarities. However, newer research has revealed the sport could have its roots in the practices of the Mi’kmaq Indians in Nova Scotia in the early 1800s. The game is played on an ice rink between two teams, with six players per team. The objective of the game is to guide a rubber disk, the puck, past the opponents’ goal line to score points. The sport has had an Olympic presence in the men’s division since 1920 and the women’s division since 1998. The popularity of ice hockey has since spread past Canada, becoming a beloved international sport for many to enjoy and follow.