13 Most Popular Sports in Canada

himanirawat816
himanirawat816 Sports
25 Min Read
Photo by Kalen Emsley on Unsplash

Clothing, Accessories and Lifestyle Store

The most popular sports in Canada are baseball, Ice Hockey,  cricket and many more. Canada is a country with a variety of games and sports. Canada showed their dominance in world sports and games such as the Olympics. Sports in Canada have a special place in the hearts of native people.

Canadians are very sports-attracted people, so there are many followers of the team Canada in the cheering space who always come to support their team.

In Canada, there is an official governing body or organization for every sport that deals with that sport and, from time to time, arranges activities related to that sport to attract people’s interest and attention towards that sport, which is a charming strategy focused by the government to maintain people interested in the sports.

These bodies keep organizing various leagues such as the Canadian Premier League, professional league, world curling championship, professional curling competitions, world lacrosse championship, professional lacrosse leagues, and many more. The organization also conducts national summer and winter sports in the country.

They also encourage the Canadian team to participate in the Summer and Winter Olympics. And this is the reason that Canadian athletes and Canadian teams are very famous all over the world.

The most popular sport in Canada is those sports that are very famous and mainly played in the country. Popular sports have a huge fan following in that country; people participate actively in those activities and show interest in the sport in every aspect. There are various governing organizations for every sport, such as Canada soccer for soccer.

These organizations are essential in maintaining people’s interest in a particular game. These organizations organize various leagues such as major league baseball for baseball, major league soccer for soccer, rugby league for rugby, and Canadian football league for football. The Canadian football league is very popular in the country and its neighboring countries.

These organizations also help in organizing national winter sports and official summer sports. They are responsible for making rules and regulations for the respective sports, and they are responsible for maintaining the reputation of the teams and helping the team players to perform better and represent their country on international platforms.

Sports in Canada are important in people’s lives; they treat sports as an essential part of their lives and think sport is as important as education. That is why sports in Canada are prevalent.

The most popular sports in Canada are stated below. These popular sports include golf, tennis, basketball, baseball, football, and many more sports.

1. Golf

In the past half of the 15th century, golf was the first game played in Scotland. This game is also called an Ancient and Royal Game. When the people from Scotland emigrated to other parts of the country and also to Canada, they took this professional game with them.

The first golf club, Montreal Golf Club was built in November in the year 1873. The recent president is Liz Hoffman, and the CEO is Laurence Applebaum. The body that governs golf in Canada is called Golf Canada.

Golf is on the list of the most popular sports in Canada. Club and ball sports are used in this game. The players use clubs of different kinds and sizes to hit the ball. The ball is passed to several series of holes one by one. The strokes are specified for each player, and they have to use those specific strokes to reach the final destination.

pexels kindel media 6572957
Photo from: Pexels

Unlike most other ball games, golf can not use any specific area for playing. Almost 18 holes are arranged in the series for playing on the entire ground.  It is among the popular sports in Canada.

The teeing ground is especially required to start the game. The hole having an approximate diameter of 11 centimeters is used in this game.

2. Rugby

The Royal Navy introduced Rugby in Canada in 1823. After some time, this game became existent in the country; it was again re-introduced to the country’s population by announcing the national team for the National Hockey League. It is among the most popular sports in Canada nowadays.

The Canadian rugby championship is famous worldwide. The organization also conducts rugby league.

2.01. Rugby Union

Rugby union is also called rugby. Rugby union is a very close contact. In other words, we can say that neck is a to-neck team game that originated in England. Rugby football has majorly two codes. One of them is running while carrying the ball.

Rugby union is a sport played between two teams. Each team has fifteen players. An oval ball on a regular field shape is called a pitch. H-shaped goalposts are present at the end of the field.

3. Tennis

Another very popular and motivating sport for the Canadian population is Tennis. Tennis Canada is the name of the organizing governing organization for this particular sport. This organization named Tennis Canada is the governing organization that keeps trying to maintain sports integrity and interest among the population. This body is responsible for taking essential decisions for the tennis team.

Tennis is called the game of professional sport. Tennis is widely played in Canada. It is also known as a professional sport in Canada.  It is the most-viewed sport in Canada. People of Canada are keenly interested and eager to take part in any activity related to this sport. Canada conducts several leagues for this sport.

pexels oliver sjostrom 1103829
Photo from: Pexels

4. Cricket

The governing body of Canada Cricket is also known as Cricket Canada. Canada is yet not allowed to play the test matches. However, the Canadian national cricket team is allowed to take part in each and every type of tournament whether they are a single day or a series of matches.

The country Canada also has a women’s cricket team along with a men’s cricket team. The women’s cricket team is very hardworking and has a lot of potentials. They also represent their country at different levels. and also able to win several tournaments for their country. The country is proud of its women’s cricket team.

The Canadian national cricket team is the men’s cricket team that represents the country in international cricket. The team is organized by Cricket Canada, which became an associate member of the international cricket council in 1968.

pexels patrick case 3657154
Photo from: Pexels

Canada played its first international match against a team other than the U.S came in the year 1932, on their Australia tour. Canada was the country among the first two participants in the International Cricket Council. While on the other hand, this game was a cricket match played in New York City in 1844.

Cricket is also among the most popular sport in Canada. The T20I cricket team captain is Navneet Dhaliwal, and the team’s coach is Amarinder Bhinder. They played a total of 77 ODIs and won 17 among them. They appeared 4 times in the world cup and qualified for the world cup 10 times.

5. Baseball

Baseball is one of the very famous and popular sports in Canada. It is one of the oldest played games in the whole country. This game has an unbeatable fan following who support this sport each and every time and motivate the players of this game at every tournament. The oldest baseball park is still working and supporting players. The park is operated in the city named Labatt Park in Ontario. The country organized only one major league. The name of that league is Toronto Blue Jays.

pexels steshka willems 1308713
Photo from: Pexels

Baseball Canada is the governing organization responsible for all the arrangements and fulfilling this sport’s requirements. They also organize major league baseball to grab people’s attention this sport. And this Toronto Blue Jays is famous worldwide.

Additionally, several other league teams which are independent also exist in Canada and participate in the various events organized by the country and worldwide.

6. Soccer

Soccer is among the most popular game in Canada. Soccer was played with various rules and regulations. The ever first soccer match in Canada took place in the city of Toronto between two local and small clubs of Canada. The central concept of soccer was there.

The women’s Canadian soccer team has great potential and has many times succeeded at an international level. In the 2012 London Olympics of summer, the women’s team was able to qualify and performed well in the entire tournament.

The soccer team of Canada is having a very huge fan following, and people from all over the world support and motivate the team. The team is very much dedicated to their sport and shows great sportsmanship while playing their matches with different teams. The team is very down to earth and loves their country a lot. They try their best to make their nation around in each tournament. The main goal is to make the country number one in the whole world in the field of soccer.

2015 FIFA women’s world cup, was organized by Canada. The game lasted for about a month. Soccer rank third in the ranking of most popular sport in Canada.

pexels pixabay 46798
Photo from: Pexels

The governing body of soccer in Canada, also known as Canada soccer, organizes various tournaments and leagues across the country to maintain local people’s interest in the game.

Canada also has many soccer clubs which train professional soccer players for the game. These clubs’ primary focus is to develop professional soccer who can join their national team and help it win the various tournaments and leagues.

Soccer is one of the very competitive sports in Canada. Canadian soccer association is responsible for any changes in the rules and regulations in sports. The organization has the power to make changes in the respective sports according to the need. A soccer match is trendy among the small kids of Canada.

7. Ice Hockey

It is the most popular sport in Canada. Ice hockey is also announced as the national winter sport of the country of Canada. The Canadian National Hockey league (NHL) was established in Canada and in the united states. Canada is having around seven teams recently playing in the NHL, or the Canadian NHL teams, namely Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Ottawa. The governing body of hockey Canada governs ice hockey.

The Canadian men’s national ice hockey team is Team Canada. Equipe is the ice hockey team that represents Canada internationally.

The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the international ice hockey federation. From the year 1920 until the year 1963, Canada’s international representation was done by senior amateur club teams.

The Canadian national ice hockey team was founded in 1963 by Father David Bauer as a part of the Canadian amateur hockey association, which also paid out of the University of British Columbia.

pexels pixabay 33286
Photo from: Pexels

The nickname or the short name was first used in 1972 in the summit series and has been frequently used to refer to the Canadian national men’s and Canadian national women’s teams ever since.

Ice Hockey is an essential and integral part of Canadian sports. The ice hockey team appeared in the IIHF world championship 75 times. The ice hockey team appeared in the Canada and world cup 8 times, and among them, it won 6 times. The ice hockey team has 9 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze medals in the Olympics.

8. Gridiron Football

It is also known as North American Football and in North America called football; it is a family of football team sports in Canada and the united states. American football has 11 players on the team. It is usually played in the United Nations, the world’s best-known form of gridiron football. Instead, Gridiron Football is played with 12 players in Canada. It is one of the most prevalent sports in Canada.

9. Rugby Football

Rugby Football is the collective name for the sports rugby union and rugby league team. The earlier form of football in which Australian rules football and gridiron football evolved.

The two variants of gridiron football, first Canadian football and second AF, were once considered forms of rugby football. The governing organization of  Canadian football is football Canada. This sport comes in the most competitive sports types in Canada.

pexels football wife 1618269
Photo from: Pexels

10. Canadian Football

Canadian football is a type of sport in Canada in which basically two teams of each 12 players compete or fight to take control of a whole field. The playing area in this field is 110 yards,  each team tries to attempt to score a pointed white and black oval-shaped ball into the opposing team’s scoring area which is the end zone. It is an outdoor game, and the equipment used in this sport is football.

In Canada, the word football may refer to Canadian football and also American football.  The Grey cup is one of Canada’s most significant sporting events. This event is having very much demand in the country, and hence it gathered a nice number of audience. Another major league player in the country is the CFL.

Canadian football is a very popular sport among students along with adults. This sport is at the bantam, in many high schools, semi-professional, and collegiate, the Canadian football junior league, was built in the month May in the year 1974. Another league that is usually organized for the kids is the junior Quebec league.

11. Basketball

Canada basket or basketball Canada is the governing body for basketball in the country. This national federation was founded in the year 1923. This organization is responsible for selecting and training various players who represent the women’s and men’s national teams and then finally represent Canada in international competitions, including the Olympics, the FISU Games, Pan American, and FIBA World championships.

The recent or current president or CEO is Glen Grunwald. Canadian basketball oversees programs at amateur and grassroots levels throughout the country. Some successful Canadian male players follow Steve Nash, Lars Hansen, and Stacey Dales.

pexels pixabay 163452
Photo from: Pexels

Basketball is among the most popular sports in Canada. The country launched the Steve Nash Youth basketball program in September 2007. Basketball is the fastest-growing sport in Canada, attracting many young Canadians from all backgrounds. Basketball is the best example of a professional sport.

12. Disc Sport

Disc sports in the country starts basically in the year the 1970s, with various promotions. Disc sports include freestyle,  disc double court,  golf, and many more. The Canadian open frisbee championships, Toronto in the year 1972-85. The two events, the team sport of disc ultimate and disc golf, are introduced worldwide. And today, these sports are played with equal enthusiasm as some professional games played.

pexels anete lusina 4793225
Photo from: Pexels

Over time, disc sports gain its popularity worldwide, and now it is one of the most popular sports in Canada. It has gained very much importance and has become an integral part of Canadian sports. The professional disc golf association and the freestyle players association are the organizations that make rules and regulations for flying disc sports worldwide.

13. Lacross

Lacrosse is a famous sport in nova scotia, the 13th province, and territory. Lacrosse is a trendy sport in the country. Lacross is typically played with a Lacross stick and ball. It is one of the oldest organized sports in America, or we can say in North America, with its origins from indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century.

European colonists later extensively modified the game, reducing the violence to create more professional team sports.

It was first time played in the early 17th century. The types of equipment of these supports are lacrosse sticks and lacrosse balls, in addition to various pads and body armour. The sportsperson also uses other protective gear for different versions for their safety. This sport had its presence in the summer Olympics in the years 1904 and 1908.

This support also comes under the list of famous sports in Canada. Players of this sport use the head of the lacrosse stick to carry, catch, pass and shoot the lacrosse ball into the goal. This sport has four versions with different sticks, rules, files, and equipment.

The modern version of this sport is governed by World lacrosse, the international sports organization that recognizes first nations bands. The different versions of lacrosse

Lacross
Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash

13.01. Field Lacrosse

This type or version of lacrosse is prevalent among the people, and this version comes under the category of most popular sports in Canada. Field lacrosse is the men’s outdoor sports version of this sport. There are 10 players on each team, 3 attackmen, 3 defensemen, 3 midfielders, and one goalie. Each player carries the lacrosse stick.

13.02. Box Lacrosse

This version is played by the five members of each team, which are called runners plus with a goalie on an ice hockey rink, where the artificial turf covers the ice. The enclosed area for playing is called the box.

13.03. Women’s Lacrosse

Women’s lacrosse is a popular sport among women. The rules of this significantly differ from the men’s lacrosse sport. Most notably, the difference is seen in equipment and the liberty of allowable physical contact. The rules of this game also differ from place to place. Women’s lacrosse does not allow physical contact; the players’ only protective equipment is the mouth guard and eye guard.

13.04. Intercross

It comes under the category of professional sports played by the professional teams. It is also called the soft stick lacrosse. Intercross is a competitive adult sport that is very popular in Quebec, Canada, and many parts of European countries, basically in the Czech Republic.

Conclusion

Sports in itself are an excellent source of knowledge and information about life. We enjoy sports while playing and learn vital skills such as teamwork, patience, leadership, competitiveness, and determination to succeed. These are essential qualities that an individual must have in their own lives and personality. Various sports are generally played for passion, success, and fitness. Also, some people use sports as a hobby.

Canada is a country that places a lot of importance on sports. The government makes so many governing organizations to develop the local people’s interest in sports, and they conduct time-to-time activities to maintain the interest of the people in sports. The most played sport in the country is ice hockey. Ice hockey is their national sport. It is one of the most popular sports in the country.

Canada is a country promoting the sport in a vast area, and they also get to organize the summer and winter sports in their country. Along with this, they also held amateur sports regularly.

Canada has a separate and professional team for each sport; they select players and train them to their best abilities to represent the country in the professional league and other competitions. The country participates in almost all kinds of sports theatre. They are an individual or team sports. Team Canada is also a favorite for many of us.

Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty

Share This Article
16 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *