Sentinel Digital Desk
Many believe India has a national game, often assumed to be hockey, given its rich history in the sport. However, this is not true.
India's hockey success, including eight Olympic gold medals, has led to the misconception. Yet, hockey is not officially the national game.
Despite India's dominance in kabaddi and cricket's immense popularity, neither has been declared the national game.
In 2020, a government response to an RTI filed by a school teacher from Dhule district from the state of Maharashtra, revealed that India has not declared any sport as its national game.
"The government has not declared any sport/game as the national game of the country, as the objective of the government is to encourage/promote all popular sports disciplines," the ministry of youth affairs and sports replied.
Following India's strong performance in Tokyo 2020, there have been calls to designate hockey as the national game, but no official action has been taken.
A lawyer filed a petition to make hockey the national sport, but it was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
As of now, India does not have an official national game, and the government encourages the promotion of all sports.