Archery, the national sport
In Bhutan, archery is the undisputed national sport. This ancient cultural practice has even been elevated to the status of an art. And all generations of people take part in tournaments, real social events, and no competition starts without the traditional ceremony of abundance, Zhugdrel Phunsum Tshogpa. Competitions that are usually accompanied by banquets and held in traditional dress. This sport reserved for men is practiced on two targets placed face to face, at 140 m. Even today, archery is still practiced in the respect of traditions, even if the equipment has obviously evolved. Archers have swapped their heavy wooden bows for ultra-sophisticated equipment.
Popular traditional sports
Some traditional sports, often derived from athletics, also have their fans. These include sokum javelin (a kind of javelin throwing), pungdo, which consists of throwing a one-kilo stone as far as possible, or keshi, the local wrestling. Also worth mentioning is khuru, a game of darts with dimensions quite different from those we know: teams compete outdoors to hit a target placed 10 to 20 metres away! Finally, the degor is practiced by the monks, who must get as close as possible to a stick planted by throwing stones. This game can be compared to pétanque, by its objective and its gestures.
Some contemporary disciplines
Cricket in the lead, the sports " modernes " have made their appearance in the kingdom and teams regularly defend the colours of Bhutan during competitions organized in Asia. As soon as they appeared, football and basketball, tennis, golf and taekwondo quickly gained popularity. But there is still work to be done to glean rewards! In the spring of 2020, Bhutan was ranked 189th in the International Football Federation (FIFA) world ranking, for example.
Let's take on the rivers and trails!
Rafting and kayaking. River rafting and kayaking are relatively new activities with great potential. Many river sections offer class 3 to 5 descents. Among the most notable are the Mo Chhu in the west and the Ema Datse Canyon in the centre. The best times for rafting are from March to May and October to December.
ATV. Beware of the calves, sportsmen only have to behave! The topography of Thunder Dragon Country offers a dream playground for mountain biking enthusiasts. But as with hiking, there's no question of riding alone, without a guide.
