In which US state is jousting an official state sport?

Jousting is a sport that has long been bound up with Maryland’s history. It has survived in Maryland since the founding of the original colony in 1632.

Jousting tournaments in Maryland are "ring tournaments" which involve charging a horse at full-gallop through an 80-yard course toward suspended rings. Using a long, fine-tipped lance, the rider has 8 seconds to complete the course and "spear" the rings, scoring points accordingly.

Those who follow the sport in Maryland enjoy it because of its colourful, friendly, traditional aspects. Men, women and children participate often in the same classes, and always under the same set of standard rules. As a result, a Maryland Jousting Tournament is a unique experience. Some Marylanders claim that the sport is a fitting symbol of one of the state’s two mottoes: "Fatti maschii, parole femine" (“Manly Deeds and Womanly Words”).

During the special February session of the Maryland legislature in 1962, the Honorable Henry J. Fowler Sr., Delegate from St. Mary's County, introduced a bill into the Maryland House of Delegates giving recognition to the sport of jousting as the Official State Sport of Maryland. This bill passed both chambers of the Legislature by an overwhelming vote and was signed into law by Governor J. Millard Tawes. Thus, on 1 June 1962, Maryland became the first state in the United States to adopt an official state sport.