Overview of sports in Bhutan
Sports in
Bhutan
comprise both traditional Bhutanese and modern international games.
Archery
is the national sport in Bhutan.
[1]
Competitions are held regularly in most villages.
[2]
[3]
[4]
Other traditional Bhutanese sports include
khuru
,
soksom
,
pundo
and
digor
.
International sports enjoy considerable popularity in modern Bhutan. Besides archery, many people in Bhutan play
basketball
.
[1]
Other popular sports include
football
and
futsal
.
Cricket
has gained popularity in Bhutan, particularly since the introduction of television channels from India.
Traditional sports
[
edit
]
Traditional Bhutanese sports include
archery
first and foremost. Traditional archery has been historically prominent in Bhutanese religion, ritual, and recreation, and enjoys modern popularity and practice in
tsechus
(festivals) and matches. It differs from modern international archery in rules and metrics; players shoot at comparatively small targets at great distances. Bhutan also participates in modern international archery competitions, and maintains an Olympic archery team.
Khuru
is an indigenous
dart game
, and like traditional archery, requires players to strike relatively small targets at long distances. It is played especially during festivals, along with
soksom
, akin to the
javelin throw
; and
digor
and
pundo
, akin to the
shot put
.
Archery
[
edit
]
Archery
is a
national
and most popular sport in Bhutan
[1]
and is organized nationally within the
Bhutan Archery Federation
.
[5]
Traditional
Bhutanese archery
differs from
Olympic
standards in technical details such as the placement of the targets and atmosphere. The distance to the
target
is about 130 metres (430 ft).
[6]
The relatively small targets are cut from wood and brightly painted, usually measuring about 3 feet (91 cm) tall and 11 inches (28 cm) wide.
[4]
Bullseyes are called
karay
.
[7]
Traditionally, Bhutanese bows are made of
bamboo
, and arrows from bamboo or
reeds
, fletched with feather vanes. Arrows may be painted and tipped with metal arrowheads. The
quiver
may be wooden, with an animal hide covering and a woven strap.
[4]
[6]
Bhutanese archery teams number at 13 players; teams take turns shooting two arrows at a time first in one direction, then in the opposite direction. The first to score 25 points wins, however because the scoring system is complicated, winning can take a very long time.
[4]
For example, a second hit by an opponent can invalidate the other player's score.
[3]
In addition, the interplay of wider socializing and festivities, with archery as the nominal focus, give Bhutanese archery competitions an excruciatingly slow pace. In the past, the most traditional matches could last for as long as a month, though modern matches tend to span a number of days.
[4]
Traditional Bhutanese archery is a social event and competitions are organised between villages, towns, and amateur teams. There is usually plenty of
food
and
drink
complete with singing and dancing. Attempts to distract an opponent include standing around the target and making fun of the shooter's ability.
[3]
[4]
[6]
The most notable archery competition in Bhutan is the Yangphel tournament.
[8]
[9]
Other major archery competitions are held during
Losar
, the Bhutanese and Tibetan
New Year
.
Increasingly, Bhutanese archery has modernized even in traditional matches. Compound bows,
[4]
corporate sponsorships,
[9]
copious cash and material winnings,
[10]
[11]
[12]
injuries, and occasional fatalities
[13]
have become established features of archery. The popularity of archery has also raised questions of Bhutan's susceptibility to
doping
, including by alcohol, in the sport.
[11]
It has also drawn attention to the danger in the sport, especially to spectators, residents, and passers by near archery ranges.
[13]
[14]
Since 2010, Bhutan has held the Lyonchen
Jigmi Y Thinley
Archery Tournament, encouraging the use of traditional bows and the development of
gewog
teams.
[15]
Khuru
[
edit
]
Khuru
(
darts
) is a popular outdoor team sport often played during festivals and archery tournaments. When playing khuru, heavy wooden darts pointed with a 10 centimetres (3.9 in) nail are thrown at a
paperback
-sized target 10 metres (33 ft) to 20 metres (66 ft) away.
[16]
[17]
Soksom
[
edit
]
Soksom
, akin to the
javelin throw
, is a sport in which players throw a
javelin
a distance of 20 metres (66 ft).
[17]
Digor
[
edit
]
Digor
is a game resembling
shot put
,
horseshoes
, and
petanque
. It is played with a pair of spherical flat stones that are hurled at two targets (pegs) fixed in the ground about 20 metres (66 ft) apart. It can be played one-on-one or in teams of up to seven players. Digor is played all over Bhutan, though most often by men in rural areas.
[17]
Pundo
[
edit
]
Pundo
is a traditional Bhutanese game most resembling
shot put
. It is played by throwing a stone weighing over a kilo as far as possible. The throwing movement is from the shoulder, with the stone held flat in the hand. It is usually played by laymen.
[17]
International sports
[
edit
]
Bhutan participates in modern international sports in three main areas.
Archery
, the national sport, is played internationally as well as domestically using modern equipment, and the kingdom maintains an
Olympic
archery team. Further, Bhutanese basketball, football and
futsal
teams compete at national, international, and Olympic levels.
Cricket
also enjoys a considerable following in Bhutan.
The
Bhutan Olympic Committee
was formed in 1983 and recognized by the
IOC
the same year.
[18]
For each
Summer Olympic Games
since 1984,
Bhutan
has fielded male and female archers to compete in the kingdom's national sport.
[19]
They have never competed in the
Winter Olympic Games
nor the other events of the Summer Olympic Games; they also have never won an Olympic Medal.
[20]
Bhutan sent only one athlete to the
2010 Summer Youth Olympics
but lost in the quarterfinals of the athletics event.
The sport of football in
Bhutan
is run by the
Bhutan Football Federation
. The association administers the
Bhutan national football team
as well as the
A-Division
.
In 2002, Bhutan's
national football team
played
Montserrat
, in what was billed as
The Other Final
; the match took place on the same day Brazil and Germany in the
World Cup Final
, but at the time Bhutan and Montserrat were the world's 2 lowest ranked teams. The match was held in Thimphu's
Changlimithang national stadium
, and Bhutan won 4?0.
Football is the fastest-growing sport in Bhutan.
Cricket
[
edit
]
The
Bhutan national cricket team
represents the kingdom in international cricket matches and is one of the most successful affiliate nations in the region. Bhutan became an affiliate member of the
ICC
in 2001. They made their international debut at the 2004
ACC Trophy
, where they made the quarter-finals. They again competed at the ACC Trophy in 2006 but were eliminated in the first round after a series of heavy defeats. Their only win came against newcomers
Myanmar
.
Following the 2006 ACC Trophy, the tournament was split into two divisions, Elite and Challenge. Bhutan took part in the 2009 ACC Trophy Challenge, where they were runners up. This result qualified them for the next ACC Trophy Elite as well as Division eight of the
World Cricket League
.
The
Bhutan women's national cricket team
made its international debut at the
2009 ACC Women's Twenty20 Championship
. It has played regularly since then.
Basketball
[
edit
]
The Bhutan Basketball Federation joined the international basketball federation
FIBA
in 1983. Its national team has played many qualification games for the
FIBA Asia Championship
but still waits for its breakthrough.
Futsal
[
edit
]
The
Bhutan national futsal team
represents
Bhutan
in international
futsal
competitions and is controlled by the
Bhutan Football Federation
.
Baseball
[
edit
]
As of 2023, baseball is the fastest growing sport in Bhutan.
[21]
The Bhutan Baseball and Softball Association reports that more than 6,000 children consistently play baseball.
[21]
Venues
[
edit
]
Changlimithang Stadium
in
Thimphu
is the main venue for major sporting events in Bhutan, including archery and football. With a capacity of 25,000, the stadium has also hosted theatrical performances and celebrations as part of
national holidays
and major events such as the
royal wedding in 2011
.
[16]
[22]
[23]
As archery is especially popular, every village has a field for the sport.
[16]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"Bhutan at Play"
. Impress BHUTAN Travel
. Retrieved
2015-11-21
.
- ^
Bisht, Ramesh Chandra (January 2008).
International Encyclopaedia Of Himalayas
. Mittal Publications. p. 134.
ISBN
978-81-8324-265-3
. Retrieved
2011-09-20
.
- ^
a
b
c
Rennie, Frank; Mason, Robin (2008). "12: The Metaphorical World of Archery, Karma Pedey".
Bhutan: Ways of Knowing
. IAP. pp. 95?103.
ISBN
978-1-59311-735-1
. Retrieved
2011-09-25
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Carpenter, Russell B.; Carpenter, Blyth C. (2002).
The Blessings of Bhutan
. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 3, 21?24, 36, 141.
ISBN
0-8248-2679-5
. Retrieved
2011-09-25
.
- ^
Prince Claus Fund,
Bhutan Archery Federation profile
Archived
2013-04-15 at
archive.today
- ^
a
b
c
Grayson, Charles E.; French, Mary; O'Brien, Michael John (2007).
Traditional Archery from Six Continents: the Charles E. Grayson Collection
. University of Missouri Press. pp. 97, 103?106.
ISBN
978-0-8262-1751-6
. Retrieved
2011-09-25
.
- ^
Wangdi, Nima (2011-08-19).
"18 Karay in 15 Rounds"
.
Kuensel
online
. Retrieved
2011-09-19
.
- ^
"Picture Story: Yangphel archery tournament's best archer Tshering Gyeltshen of Pelden Group prays before driving home the Maruti Suzuki A star, which he won after hitting 14 karays in 15 rounds"
.
Kuensel
online. 2011-09-05
. Retrieved
2011-09-19
.
- ^
a
b
Palden, Karma (2011-09-03).
"Yangphel Final Tomorrow"
.
Bhutan Observer
online. Archived from
the original
on 2011-09-19
. Retrieved
2011-09-19
.
- ^
Palden, Karma (2011-09-30).
"Paro Archery Underway"
.
Bhutan Observer
online. Archived from
the original
on 2011-09-30
. Retrieved
2011-10-01
.
- ^
a
b
Wangchuk, Jigme (2010-12-15).
"Let Sports Be Clean and Fair"
.
Bhutan Observer
online. Archived from
the original
on 2011-09-19
. Retrieved
2011-09-19
.
- ^
"Royal Wedding Archery"
.
Kuensel
online. 2011-10-28. Archived from
the original
on 2012-06-16
. Retrieved
2011-10-29
.
- ^
a
b
"The Dear National Game"
.
Bhutan Observer
online. 2010-09-10. Archived from
the original
on 2011-10-08
. Retrieved
2011-09-19
.
- ^
Chelsea, Karma (2010-11-20).
"Buying Risks into Archery"
.
Bhutan Observer
online. Archived from
the original
on 2011-10-10
. Retrieved
2011-09-19
.
- ^
Namgyal, Gembo (2010-10-30).
"Lyonchen Jigmi Y Thinley Archery Tournament Underway"
.
Bhutan Observer
online. Archived from
the original
on 2011-10-13
. Retrieved
2011-09-19
.
- ^
a
b
c
Brown, Lindsay; Armington, Stan (2007).
Bhutan
(3 ed.).
Lonely Planet
. pp. 62, 105, 108, 113.
ISBN
978-1-74059-529-2
. Retrieved
2011-09-25
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Pommaret, Francoise (2006).
Bhutan: Himalayan Mountain Kingdom
(5 ed.). Odyssey Books and Guides. p. 290.
ISBN
962-217-810-3
. Retrieved
2011-10-31
.
- ^
"Bhutan"
.
International Olympic Committee
. Retrieved
2011-10-31
.
- ^
"Bhutanese Traditional Archery"
.
Atang.org
.
Kuensel
. Retrieved
2011-10-31
.
- ^
"Bhutan"
. Sports Reference online. Archived from
the original
on 2020-04-17
. Retrieved
2011-10-31
.
- ^
a
b
Clair, Michael (August 3, 2023).
"Bhutan hopes to be next great baseball country"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
2023-08-03
.
- ^
Plowright, Adam (2011-09-06).
"Bhutan Gets Royal Wedding Fever"
.
Google News
.
Agence France Presse
. Retrieved
2011-10-02
.
- ^
"Historic Changlimithang Stadium Inaugurated"
.
Bhutan Broadcasting Service
. 2007-10-13. Archived from
the original
on 2013-05-20
. Retrieved
2011-10-31
.
|
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Summer Olympic Sports
|
- Aquatics
- Diving
- Swimming
- Synchronized Swimming
- Water Polo
- Archery
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Canoeing
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Handball
- Judo
- Modern Pentathlon
- Rugby 7's
- Rowing
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Table Tennis
- Taekwondo
- Tennis
- Triathlon
- Volleyball
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
| |
---|
Winter Olympic Sports
|
- Biathlon
- Bobsleigh
- Curling
- Skating (Figure, Speed & Short Track)
- Ice Hockey
- Luge
- Skeleton
- Skiing (Alpine, Cross Country, Nordic Combined, Freestyle & Jumping)
- Snowboarding
|
---|
Other IOC Recognised Sports
|
- Air sports
- Auto racing
- Bandy
- Baseball
- Billiard Sports
- Boules
- Bowling
- Bridge
- Chess
- Cricket
- Dance sport
- Floorball
- Karate
- Korfball
- Lifesaving
- Motorcycle racing
- Mountaineering and Climbing
- Netball
- Orienteering
- Pelota Vasca
- Polo
- Powerboating
- Racquetball
- Roller sports
- Rugby
- Softball
- Sport climbing
- Squash
- Sumo
- Surfing
- Tug of war
- Underwater sports
- Water Ski
- Wushu
|
---|
Paralympics and Disabled Sports
| |
---|
Others Sports
| |
---|
|
|
---|
Sports
| | |
---|
National teams
|
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Football
- Futsal
|
---|