Sport represents many things to many people.

And for many countries they have become part of their national identity.

While in this age of globalisation there has been an inevitable crossover with the majority of sports being played in many different countries, many nations claim one or two in particular to be their own. Sometimes this is related to the nature of a country, in others it’s linked to the climate and other local conditions. In each sport there are also superstars that reach the status of national heroes, further embedding it into the culture.

Cricket in India

Cricket is a prime example of sport being used as a form of cultural colonialism and then being subverted. It was first introduced to the sub-continent by the British in the 18th century. But fast-forward to today and it’s India that effectively controls the sport worldwide.

Among the huge population many millions of people are fans and competitions like the Indian Premier League attract the top players from around the world.

National heroes include players like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli who are likely to be mobbed whenever they appear in public and virtually every park in the country will see impromptu games being played by children keen to emulate their heroes.

Football in the US

The US is unusual in that it has a number of sports that are uniquely American. While other countries do play baseball and basketball they really are quintessentially US sports

But the one that really only takes place in the country is the sport run by the NFL. Even people not generally interested in sport get swept up in the excitement surrounding the Super Bowl played each February and whose half-time performances by artists like Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar are as memorable as the action on the field.

The NFL is also actively involved in trying to introduce the sport to more countries around the world, for example by staging a number of matches in the UK each season.

Soccer in the UK

Some form of soccer has been played ever since the time of ancient China, but the game we know today has its origins in the UK in the 19th century.

Today it has surpassed the position of cricket as the national sport with many people watching, as well as betting on games every day.

The Premier League is regarded by many as being the best domestic league in the world attracting players from Europe, Africa and even the US to play.

Every World Cup there is great anticipation that the self-proclaimed home of football could win. But ever since 1966 these dreams have failed to be become reality.

Ice Hockey in Canada

Here’s a prime example of a country whose climate has dictated the sport that the nation can call its own.

Called just hockey in the country itself, the long, cold winters provided the first outdoor rinks for the sport that’s now been brought inside. There are US teams in the NHL but it’s a predominantly Canadian league with the Montreal Canadiens being the most successful team to date in terms of wins in the Stanley Cup, the sport’s equivalent of the Super Bowl.

Gaelic Football in Ireland

While Ireland could justifiably claim that horse racing is its national sport, the title should probably go to gaelic football.

Like rugby, it’s a game with fifteen players on each side and the objective is to score points and goals against the opposition. The oval-shaped ball can carried, bounced, passed and thrown up the pitch. A team scores points if the ball is kicked or thrown over the goal’s crossbar, for a goal to be scored it has to be kicked under it into the net.

Other countries are also starting to play the game, most notably in France in the Celtic region of Brittany but it’s yet to catch on in the UK as a whole.

Australian Rules Football in Australia

Australian Rules Football, or just Aussie Rules to fans, probably has its origins in the first Irish settlers in the country. In this sport there are 18 players to a team and it’s not just the ball that’s oval, the whole pitch is.

This makes out-of-season cricket grounds perfect for the sport which is known for its high levels of physical contact. As in gaelic football, points and goals can be scored but throwing the ball is forbidden. Also, players running with the ball must bounce it intermittently.

It makes for a very fast-moving and exciting sport, and one that is almost exclusively confined to Australia.

So there you have them. Six sports with their own distinctive national identities, all of which have huge followings in their own countries, and sometimes also abroad.