Sports of Philippines
Asia
Originating in Philippines
Sports whose history and codification began here.
Escrima
From Philippines
Filipino national martial art of stick and blade — rattan stick fighting, empty-hand and knife defence.
Sipa
From Philippines
Philippine national game — kick a woven rattan ball or lead-and-feathers shuttle repeatedly in the air with the feet.
Yo-yo
From Philippines
Ancient skill toy consisting of an axle-connected pair of disks with string wrapped around axle — spun down/up with wrist flicks, modern competitive scene includes tricks like 'sleeping,' 'walking the dog,' complex string manipulations in 5 competition divisions.
Widely played in Philippines
Baccarat
From Italy
The Bond-favoured casino card game — bet on Player, Banker or Tie, aiming for a two- or three-card total closest to 9.
Bingo
From Italy
Number-matching game where players mark drawn numbers on a card, aiming to complete a pattern (line, house, or shape) and shout 'Bingo!' first.
Blackjack
From France
The most-played casino card game — beat the dealer's hand by getting closer to 21 without going over.
Bodyboarding
From United States
Surf sport riding waves on a small rectangular foam board (~1m long) in prone (lying) or drop-knee position; uses fins for propulsion. Easier entry than surfing but capable of dramatic aerial tricks + heavy-wave riding (Pipeline, Teahupoo, Nazaré).
Boxing
From United Kingdom
Two fighters in a roped square trade punches — win by knockout, technical stoppage or points over 3-12 timed rounds.
Cheerleading
From United States
Team performance sport combining tumbling, jumps, stunts (partner + pyramid lifts), and dance in 2:30 routines — competed on spring floor mats, judged on difficulty + execution — plus traditional sideline cheer at football + basketball games.
Craps
From United States
Fast-paced dice game in which players wager on the outcome of two dice rolled across a specially marked table, with dozens of betting options ranging from safe pass line bets to long-shot 'hard-way' proposition bets.
Darts
From United Kingdom
Precision throwing sport in which players hurl small missiles at a segmented circular board, aiming to reduce a starting score (usually 501) to exactly zero, finishing on a double.
Dodgeball
From United States
Team throwing/dodging game in which two teams throw rubber/foam balls at each other, eliminating opponents by hitting them below the shoulders while avoiding being hit themselves.
Dominoes
From China
Classic tile-matching game played across cultures worldwide with rectangular tiles divided by a line, each half showing 0-6 (or higher) pips; goal is typically to be first to play all tiles or reach a target score.
Dota 2
From United States
Iconic multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) esport by Valve — 5 vs 5 team battle to destroy opponent's Ancient across three lanes; features 120+ unique heroes with complex ability + item interactions.
Dragon Boat Racing
From China
Ancient Chinese team paddling sport (2,000+ year history) — long narrow decorated boat with 20 paddlers + 1 drummer + 1 steerer race over 200-2000m. Traditional Duanwu Festival ritual + modern global sport with world championships since 1995.
Gin Rummy
From United States
Fast 2-player card game invented in 1909 in New York — race to form sets (3-4 same rank) and runs (3+ same suit consecutive) in your 10-card hand, then 'knock' when unmatched cards total 10 or fewer, or shout 'Gin!' with all matched.
Hopscotch
From Italy
Ancient children's game found across world cultures in which players toss a marker (stone/beanbag) into numbered squares chalked on the ground, then hop through the pattern without stepping on lines or the marker.
Jai Alai
From Spain
Explosive Basque ball sport — players hurl 125g pelota at 300+ km/h against 3-walled court using curved wicker cesta strapped to arm. World's fastest ball sport by verified ball speed. Popular in Basque Country, Spain, France, Florida, Philippines.
Kendama
From Japan
Traditional Japanese skill toy — wooden 'ken' (sword-shaped handle) with three cups + spike, connected by string to a wooden 'tama' (ball); players perform tricks catching ball on cups or spike, with modern competitive scene featuring 100+ tricks.
Keno
From China
Lottery-style casino game — players pick 1-20 numbers from 1-80; casino randomly draws 20 winning numbers; payouts based on how many of your picks match. Simple, fast-paced, high house edge (25-30%).
Kickball
From United States
American playground + adult league team sport combining SOCCER + BASEBALL. 9-11 players per team; batter KICKS PITCHED BALL + runs bases (like baseball). Invented USA 1917. Ubiquitous US elementary school PE + growing adult recreation leagues. Governing body: WAKA + Kickball 365. Simple, accessible, social.
Kitesurfing
From France
Extreme water sport combining surfing + kite flying + wakeboarding — rider stands on small board (kiteboard or surfboard) while being pulled across water by large controllable power kite; jumps 10-30m high, back-rolls, kite-loops. Olympic sport since Paris 2024 (Formula Kite class).
Ludo
From India
Beloved family race game — 2-4 players race 4 tokens each around cross-shaped board from home to center goal. Derived from ancient Indian PACHISI (~6th c). British 'Ludo' patented 1896; global adaptations: Parcheesi (USA), Parchís (Spain), Mensch ärgere Dich nicht (Germany), Ludo King mobile app (2016) reignited global craze during COVID-19.
Mancala
From Egypt
Ancient African + Middle Eastern family of 'sowing' or 'counting' board games — players scoop seeds/stones from cups and 'sow' them one-by-one around the board, trying to capture opponent's pieces; oldest known board game family (~5000 years).
Marbles
From Global (ancient)
Ancient game using small colorful glass or stone balls — players flick their 'shooter' marble at target marbles inside a ring or hole; hitting/knocking out targets wins them. Countless regional variants; global children's game with 5,000+ year history.
NBA 2K
From United States
Definitive basketball simulation by Visual Concepts (2K Games) — annual release; 5-on-5 NBA basketball with realistic physics, all 30 NBA teams + international leagues. NBA 2K League (2K esports) partnered with real NBA — first sports league to own official esports league. MyTeam + MyCareer flagship modes.
Overwatch
From United States
5-vs-5 team-based hero shooter by Blizzard — 40+ unique heroes with distinct abilities across 3 roles (Tank, Damage, Support); map-based objective modes (control, escort, hybrid, push, flashpoint). Overwatch League 2018-2023; now OWCS competitive circuit.
Pai Gow
From China
Chinese gambling game — 32-tile version (traditional) or card version (Pai Gow Poker, 1985 casino invention using 53 cards including joker) — players form TWO hands (high + low) from 7 cards/4 tiles that must both beat the dealer's two hands to win.
Pokémon Trading Card Game
From Japan
World's #2 collectible card game — 2 players battle using decks of 60 Pokémon + Trainer cards. Launched Japan 1996; global explosion via Pokémon franchise; 43+ billion cards printed by 2023. Pokémon TCG World Championships since 2004; Charizard rare cards sold for $420,000+; annual sales $1B+.
Pool
From United States
Cue sport played on a 7-9 ft pocketed table with 15 numbered object balls and a white cue ball; primary variants are 8-Ball (stripes vs solids) and 9-Ball (lowest to highest).
PUBG: Battlegrounds
From South Korea
The battle royale that started the genre — 100 players parachute onto shrinking island; scavenge weapons + gear; last player/squad standing wins. Brendan 'PlayerUnknown' Greene created it 2017 based on Battle Royale novel/film. Spawned Fortnite, Warzone, Apex Legends. PUBG Global Championship + PUBG Mobile Global.
Roblox
From United States
Massively multiplayer online game creation and gameplay platform where users build, share, and play millions of user-generated 3D 'experiences' — from social hangouts to obstacle courses to full RPGs.
Rock Paper Scissors
From China
World's most-played hand game — 2+ players simultaneously make 1 of 3 hand shapes (Rock, Paper, or Scissors). Rock crushes Scissors; Scissors cuts Paper; Paper covers Rock. Origins in ancient China (~200 BC 'shoushiling'); modernized Japan Edo era (jan-ken); global dispute-resolution tool. World RPS Society championships since 2002; $10K+ prizes.
Scrabble
From United States
The classic word-building board game — form crossword-style words on a 15×15 grid using seven lettered tiles per rack, scoring for length, letters and premium squares.
Sepak Takraw
From Malaysia
Southeast Asia's answer to volleyball — three players per side vault into acrobatic scissor-kicks over a badminton-height net, using only their feet, knees, chest and head.
Sic Bo
From China
Ancient Chinese dice casino game — three dice shaken in a covered container; players bet on possible outcomes (specific numbers, sums 4-17, small/big totals, triples, doubles). Payouts range 1:1 to 180:1 based on outcome probability.
Snakes and Ladders
From India
Universal children's board game — 2-4 players race tokens from square 1 to 100 by rolling dice; ladders shortcut up, snakes drop you down. Originally ancient Indian MOKSHA PATAM (~2nd c BC) with SPIRITUAL/KARMA themes teaching virtue vs vice. British Victorian adaptation 1892; Milton Bradley 'Chutes and Ladders' 1943.
Softball
From United States
Bat-and-ball team sport related to baseball — played with a larger ball, an underhand pitch and a smaller diamond over seven innings.
Spades
From United States
American 4-player partnership trick-taking card game — spades are always trump; players bid the number of tricks they'll take + score based on hitting bids exactly. Wildly popular in USA (military, college, prisons, online).
Ten-Pin Bowling
From United States
Precision sport in which players roll a heavy ball down a 60-foot wooden lane to knock down 10 pins arranged in a triangle at the far end, scoring across 10 frames.
Texas Hold'em Poker
From United States
World's most popular poker variant — 2-10 players receive 2 hole cards + share 5 community cards. Best 5-card poker hand wins pot. Exploded globally via 2003 WSOP Chris Moneymaker win + online poker boom + televised broadcasts. WSOP Main Event $10K buy-in draws 10,000+ players; $10M+ prizes.
Ultimate Frisbee
From United States
Self-officiated non-contact team sport played 7v7 with a flying disc on a football-sized field — advance disc down the field by passing (thrower can't move), score by catching in the endzone; first to 15 wins.
Valorant
From United States
5-vs-5 tactical first-person shooter esport by Riot Games — combines CS-style bomb defusal with hero-shooter abilities (23 unique 'Agents' with signature powers), on maps designed for precise gunplay + tactical utility use.
Wushu
From China
Modern Chinese martial art with two competition disciplines — Taolu (choreographed forms judged on technique + artistry) and Sanda (full-contact combat with punches, kicks, throws, and takedowns) — descended from thousands of years of traditional Kung Fu.
Xiangqi
From China
Ancient Chinese strategy board game played on a 9×10 grid with a central 'river' — pieces move on line intersections; goal is to checkmate the enemy General.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
From Japan
World's #3 collectible card game — 2 players duel with decks of 40-60 monster/spell/trap cards. Based on manga/anime by Kazuki Takahashi (1996). Launched Japan 1999; global anime boom 2001+. Guinness Record most sold TCG (2011): 25.1+ billion cards sold; Blue-Eyes White Dragon + Dark Magician iconic; Konami owns rights.