Tejo is the national sport in which country?

Colombia's official national sport is not football, baseball, basketball or soccer, it is tejo. It was designated the official national sport by a 2000 Congressional vote. This sport is a modernized version of an ancient indigenous game practiced for centuries in central Colombia. It was played in the high plateau that went from the capital, Bogotá, to the region of Boyacá. Today, tejo has expanded to the rest of the nation, and even some neighboring countries.

The sport of tejo now involves hurling metal discs at explosives. Players also like the sport because they can drink beer while playing. Tourists and locals always seem to look at it with some form of fascination. But for many Colombians, it was a game that at times was viewed as synonymous with uneducated farmers, alcoholics, and vagabonds.

In light of its rich history, it has shifted from an indigenous tradition to a way for large groups of people to show national pride (patriotism). It has gone from being a game heavily associated with drinking, to a proper sport and a symbol of national identity. Colombia's government has lately stated that tejo has greatly helped to preserve nationalism and has propelled nationalism to a place where it can defy class barriers.