Fact Check: Is field hockey the national game of India?

Is hockey national game of India? Or is it ever-popular cricket? Or maybe even kabaddi? Internet is filled with users trying to guess national game/sport of India. One of  reasons behind confusion is a slew of fake messs on messaging platforms like WhatsApp, where every year around National Sports Day (August 29), re are claims that hockey has been declared as national sport of India. As for cricket, sheer popularity of sport in country makes it a strong contender to be national sport. Is re any truth to claims?

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Origin

While cricket became a household name in India in late 1980s, hockey has been a popular sport for Indians for almost a decade w. Indian Hockey Team has long been considered one of best in world. And although results of late haven't shown expected dominance, it is well established that India dominated hockey at international st. Since making its Olympic debut in 1928, India has won a record eight gold medals. last one came in 1980 - ironically just before boom of cricket in India.  cultural impact of hockey in country coupled with its strong legacy mean people have often considered it to be national sport of India.

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Fact Check: Is hockey national game of India?

Well, . And it is neir cricket. As a matter of fact, India does t have a national sport. Back in 2012, Times of India reported a 10-year-old Aishwarya Parashar filed an RTI query to confirm her doubts about India's national sport. RTI query prompted a swift response from  Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, which confirmed that it had t declared any sport or game as ‘national game.’ That was 2012. Fast forward to 2020, India is still without a national game and this could be a major reason for that: 

With 28 states and 8 Union Territories, India boasts a highly diverse demographic. cultural relevance of such a large population becomes a major factor while deciding national sport of country. While states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are kwn predominantly for cricket, states like Goa and rth-Eastern states are kwn for ir excellence in football. Meanwhile, Kabaddi and Hockey have a particular following in several states across country. With so many sports to choose from, coupled with cultural diversity, it might just explain why India hasn't yet recognised a sport as 'national game'.

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(Im Credits: Hockey India Twitter Handle)