Sports of Singapore
Asia
Widely played in Singapore
Andar Bahar
From India
Simple Indian card-guessing casino game — dealer draws a 'joker' card, then alternately places cards on two piles (Andar = inside, Bahar = outside); winner is whichever side gets a matching-rank card first. Players bet on Andar or Bahar.
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.
Badminton
From India
The fastest racket sport in the world — hit a feathered shuttlecock over a 1.55 m net using a light racket; win by driving the shuttle to the floor of your opponent's court.
Blackjack
From France
The most-played casino card game — beat the dealer's hand by getting closer to 21 without going over.
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.
Diabolo
From China
Ancient Chinese juggling skill toy — spool-shaped device balanced + spun on string held between 2 hand sticks; tricks include spinning acceleration, tosses to great heights, 'suicide' releases, whip-catches, and choreographed multi-diabolo routines. Popular Chinese cultural performance + modern juggling sport.
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.
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.
Escape Rooms
From Japan
Live team-based puzzle experience — 2-8 players 'locked' in themed room, solve interconnected puzzles + riddles to escape within 60 minutes. Originated Japan 2007 (SCRAP's 'Real Escape Game'); global explosion 2012+; 10,000+ facilities worldwide by 2020s; $2B+ industry.
Floorball
From Sweden
Indoor team sport similar to hockey — 6-a-side, plastic sticks, light plastic ball with holes. Originated Sweden/Finland/US 1970s. Massive popularity Sweden + Finland (top participation sports). 2 halves × 20 min each. IFF World Championships. Growing global sport; IOC recognized.
Formula 1
From United Kingdom
The pinnacle of open-wheel single-seater motor racing — 20 drivers, 10 teams, 24 grands prix, one world championship.
Gaelic Football
From Ireland
Irish team sport played 15-a-side with a round ball on a 130-145m pitch, combining elements of football, rugby, and Australian rules — score by kicking under the crossbar (goal, 3 points) or over (point, 1 point).
Horse Racing (Thoroughbred)
From United Kingdom
Ancient equestrian sport — thoroughbred horses race over flat courses (dirt, turf, synthetic) with jockeys, wagering, and championship classics. Modern thoroughbred breeding since 1700s England (Darley Arabian, Godolphin Arabian, Byerley Turk). Iconic races: Kentucky Derby (1875), Epsom Derby (1780), Melbourne Cup (1861), Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Jianzi
From China
Chinese traditional sport of kicking a heavy shuttlecock (jianzi) with feet + body. Origins Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). Individual freestyle or team net games (like volleyball with feet). International Shuttlecock Federation (ISF) formed 1999. Popular in China + SE Asia + international competition.
Mahjong
From China
Chinese four-player tile game — arrange 14 tiles into four sets and a pair before your opponents, using draws, discards, and locked melds.
Mallakhamb
From India
Traditional Indian sport combining gymnastics + yoga + wrestling on a WOODEN POLE (Mallakhamb pole), ROPE (Rope Mallakhamb), or HANGING POLE. Practiced primarily by wrestlers as training. Documented 12th century (Manasollasa text). Declared 'National Sport of India' by some states; increasing global recognition. Athletes perform aerial poses + acrobatics.
Netball
From United Kingdom
Ball sport played predominantly by women — 7 vs 7 on a rectangular court (30.5 × 15.25m) with a raised goal ring at each end; players pass the ball (no dribbling) and only 2 specific position players can score.
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.
Pickleball
From United States
Paddle sport on a small tennis-sized court using a perforated plastic ball and solid paddles — combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. The fastest-growing sport in the United States.
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+.
Reversi / Othello
From United Kingdom
Abstract strategy game invented 1883 in England — 2 players place black/white discs on 8×8 board; flanking opponent's discs converts them to your color. Simple rules ('A minute to learn... a lifetime to master'); huge in Japan; WOF World Othello Championship since 1977; computer-solved for perfect draw (2023).
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.
Roulette
From France
Casino wheel game in which players bet on where a small ball will land among numbered pockets (0 or 00-36) spinning inside a wheel.
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.
Swimming
From United Kingdom
Aquatic racing sport contested in a pool over set distances in four legal strokes — freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly — plus medley events.
Table Tennis
From United Kingdom
Fast-paced indoor racket sport played on a 9-foot table divided by a low net — hit a lightweight ball with a rubber paddle before it bounces twice.
Tchoukball
From Switzerland
Swiss team sport invented 1970 by Dr. Hermann Brandt (biologist) to REDUCE INJURIES + PROMOTE FAIR PLAY. 7-a-side; throw ball at REBOUND FRAMES (like trampolines) at each end of court; opponent must not catch rebound. NO CONTACT, NO OFFSIDE — designed as maximally cooperative team sport. Small but passionate global following. FITB governs. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS since 2004.
Teen Patti
From India
Popular Indian gambling card game descended from the British 'Three Card Brag,' in which 3 cards are dealt to each of 3-7 players who bet blind or seen on the highest hand ranking (Trail > Pure Sequence > Sequence > Colour > Pair > High Card).
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.
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.
Warhammer 40,000
From United Kingdom
Iconic tabletop miniature wargame set in the grim dark future of the 41st millennium — players assemble, paint, and battle armies of intricately detailed plastic + metal figures across science-fiction battlefields.
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.