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Sport in the Indian subcontinent
Many sports are played in the Indian subcontinent, with cricket being the most popular of them; 90% of the sport's worldwide fans live in the Indian subcontinent.[1] Football is followed passionately in some parts of India, such as Kerala and Bengal.[2][3][4] Field hockey was popular for several decades, with some of the India's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport.[5] Some native Indian games are played professionally in the region, such as kabaddi and kho-kho, and also feature in regional competitions such as the South Asian Games and Asian Games.[6][7]
History[edit | edit source]
Ancient and medieval period[edit | edit source]
Some martial arts were practiced during this time period, such as kalaripayattu.[8] Several variations of tag were played at the time, with kho-kho having been mentioned in the fourth century BCE,[9] and atya-patya around 300 CE.[10] The South Asian board game chaturanga formed the foundation of the modern game of chess.[11]
Colonial period[edit | edit source]
British colonisation of South Asia introduced several British sports into the region, such as cricket, football, and hockey.[12][13] Several native South Asian sports began to be standardised during this period in Maharashtra.[14][13][15] Some South Asian board games were transmitted overseas, such as the game now known as snakes and ladders.[16][17]
Modern period[edit | edit source]
Field hockey was popular for several decades after the colonial era.[5] After India's victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup, cricket started to grow in South Asia.[18] The introduction of Twenty20 cricket, a format that greatly reduced playing time, as well as the advent of the Indian Premier League, which made cricket a strong economic force in the region, further grew the popularity of the sport.[19] Cricket also grew in Afghanistan with the return of refugees who had learned the sport in Pakistan.[20]
Various traditional sports have had professional leagues started for them in the 21st century, such as the Pro Kabaddi League, which has significantly grown kabaddi,[21] as well as Ultimate Kho Kho and the Pro Panja League for arm wrestling.[22][23] Some national and sub-national initiatives have also been undertaken to promote sports in South Asia, such as Khelo India and the Chhattisgarhiya Olympics.[24][25]
Competitions[edit | edit source]
Major sporting leagues or competitions[edit | edit source]
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See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Explained snippets: Cricket has 1 billion fans, 90% of them in subcontinent". The Indian Express. 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ Bastian, Ron (2022-11-13). "For football-crazy Kerala, FIFA World Cup is its biggest festival". thefederal.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "Why Bengal is obsessed with football?". The Indian Express. 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "50 years of Victory: What has Bangladesh achieved in the field of sports?". The Business Standard. 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 History of hockey in India: Taught by the British, India conquered the world https://olympics.com/ Rahul Venkat
- ↑ Taneja, Nidhima (2023-01-27). "Pro kabaddi, kho-kho leagues chase IPL viewership. India rediscovering regional sports". ThePrint. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "OCA » Ancient tag game of kho kho catching on fast". ocasia.org. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ Sunder, Kalpana (2021-05-31). "What is kalari? The world's oldest martial art from India is making a comeback". The National. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "The Evolution Of Kho Kho Mats In India: A Historical Overview". English Jagran. 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ Arasu, S. T. (2020-07-04). "Galah Panjang and its Indian roots". On the sport. Be part of it. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ Wiley, Melissa. "The fascinating history of chess, from attempts to ban the game to the rise of supercomputers". Insider. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "'The Revenge of Plassey': Football in the British Raj". LSE International History. 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sen, Ronojoy (2015). Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India. Columbia University Press. doi:10.7312/sen-16490.
- ↑ Bromber, Katrin; Krawietz, Birgit; Maguire, Joseph (2013). Sport Across Asia: Politics, Cultures, and Identities. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-88438-9.
- ↑ Kho Kho, a kabaddi-like sport linked with Indian epic Mahabharata - know all about it https://olympics.com/ Utathya Nag
- ↑ "Who invented the board game Snakes and Ladders?". The Times of India. 2008-10-12. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "Monopoly, Senet and Game of Twenty: India Taught the World to Roll the Dice". News18. 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ Subramanian, Samanth (2008-06-24). "1983 win started it, but cricket became big biz only after 1999". mint. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "The Indian Premier League is taking over global cricket". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "From refugee camps to Kabul: The story of Afghan cricket". BBC News. 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "The rise and rise of kabaddi, an ancient Indian sport". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ IANS. "Ultimate Kho Kho takes a giant leap in viewership with massive 164 million reach". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "From Handball To Panja, Why Sports Leagues Are Taking Off In India". Forbes India. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ ANI (2023-02-10). "Khelo India has given platform to thousands of young players: Anurag Thakur". ThePrint. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ↑ "CM Bhupesh Baghel inaugurates 'Chhattisgarhiya Olympic' in Raipur". Hindustan Times. 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2023-08-14.