sports
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Thailand
SLIDESHOW: Thai Boxing, Fire Twirling, Songkran (Thai New Year)
Flattened bamboo creates the walls of many houses of the Karen people. Mosquito netting is pulled back before a group ... read more
by Anna Schwaber
08 Jul 2009
Thailand
Everyone Wants To Watch The Foreigner Fight
“Round three!” The hulking Thai man clapped his boxing pads together and repeated loudly, “Round three! Come on!” I was spent, rounds one and two having totaled eight minutes of ... read more
by Seth Leighton
01 Oct 2007
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Insider Tips
United Kingdom
Learn to love the original football
Football (aka soccer) is addictive--It's the most popular sport worldwide, and I find it fascinating that it hasn't caught on in the U.S. Go Arsenal! read more
by Ann Clark
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Soccer, that's it
The most surprising aspect of sports in Chile was that despite the fact that there are university soccer teams, the players on those teams aren't students at that university ... read more
by Matthew Hintsa
10 Feb 2009
Norway
Skiing without the sunburn
For a country with a supposedly untouched countryside, I couldn’t get over one thing—what is the deal with all of these streetlights in the woods? With the winter ... read more
by Patrick McCue
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Soccer politics trump all
As an (American) football lover, I had little interest in soccer until I lived in the Middle East. But after spending countless nights in cafes puffing on a shisha and ... read more
by Adam Lichtenheld
10 Feb 2009
Uganda
England's still the team to root for
I found it surprising that Ugandans seem obsessed only with teams from England, their former colonizer. read more
by Pete Muller
10 Feb 2009
Cuba
Patriotism and beer step up to the plate
While American and Cuban cultures are very different, the traditions surrounding professional baseball in the two countries are almost exactly the same: Everyone stands and sings the national anthem at ... read more
by Haley Wallace
05 Mar 2009
Cuba
Seventh-inning propaganda
Professional baseball stadiums in Cuba are nothing like Major League stadiums in the United States. There are no advertisements anywhere; instead, they showcase slogans of Cuban nationalism and anti-imperialist sentiment read more
by Miguel Torres-Castro
05 Mar 2009
Cuba
National loyalty comes to bat
Every province has a baseball team, but the Havana Industriales are the dynasty — sort of like the Yankees of Cuba. Their big rival is a Santiago de Cuba, a team ... read more
by Michael Fletcher
05 Mar 2009
Bangladesh
The sport, not the insect
Aside from dodging speeding rickshaws on crowded streets, cricket (the sport) is definitely Bangladesh's most popular pastime. It's not the most exciting sport--there's a lot of standing ... read more
by Amy Adoyzie Lam
29 Mar 2009
Switzerland
Wrestle for a Cow
Don't miss a Schwingen match. Schwingen is a popular form of Swiss Wrestling. While hiking the Alps, you just might come upon a couple of men wearing burlap diapers ... read more
by Chantal Panozzo
02 Apr 2009
Switzerland
Bad Teams. Loyal Fans.
Soccer. Most Europeans will think there's something wrong with you if you're not a fan. The Swiss are no exception. Even though their team is usually kicked out ... read more
by Chantal Panozzo
02 Apr 2009
India
Hone your basketball skills
Tibetans love their basketball, and they’re good too. How well you play proves your social status. One day, my Tibetan teacher decided to have a fun class outside and ... read more
by Emily Strasser
11 May 2009
Iran
Watch from afar
Be prepared to visit your embassy in Tehran if you’re a woman and want to watch a live sporting event. If you’re an American woman, forget about watching ... read more
by Mimi Hanaoka
11 May 2009
Ecuador
Fútbol frenzy
To truly get to the heart of Ecuadorian life—especially that of a young adult—you must attend a soccer match. Many Ecuadorians practically live and breathe by their soccer ... read more
by Ashley Haugo
03 Jun 2009
Swaziland
Soccer is where it's at
The big sport in Swaziland is soccer and the best thing to do on a weekend is to head to Somhlahlo National Stadium in Lobamba is to watch a Swazi ... read more
by Mallory Primm
17 Jun 2009
Spain
Real Madrid or FC Barcelona?
The first night I arrived in Granada my host family put me in the car, dropped my stuff off at the house, and rushed me to a bar to watch ... read more
by Mike Mian
27 Jul 2009
United Kingdom
Nothing like a Saturday soccer game
There is nothing like a watching a "football" (soccer) game on a Saturday. If you think the turnout is big for Patriots' games against the Jets, wait until you see ... read more
by William Hardy
12 Aug 2009
United Kingdom
Weekend sports
Saturday morning football games on the local park pitch are usually pick-up, and walk-ons are welcome! Just don't forget to bring your cleats, or "boots" as they are known ... read more
by William Hardy
12 Aug 2009
Laos
Two unusual sports: pentaque and kator
Lao people are big fans of soccer, which, of course, they call "football" when speaking English. But make sure to check out two other very popular sports: pentaque, which is ... read more
by Gabriel Shaya
01 Oct 2009
Greece
Looking for an argument? Talk about soccer.
Soccer and politics are two things that you should never talk about with a Greek, unless you're looking for an argument. The discussions can get heated. Every day, at ... read more
by Christopher Duffy
12 Oct 2009
Thailand
Looking for a full body workout on the beach?
Head to the islands in Southeast Thailand and you will find amazing rock climbing on the beach of Ton Sai near Krabi. From here you can take an ocean kayak ... read more
by Anna Schwaber
20 Nov 2009
Mongolia
Strength, solidarity, and durability in the Mongolian wrestling palace
Bokh, or Mongolian wrestling, is one of three of the country's most popular sporting events. If you’re in Mongolia in July, whether you’re in bustle of Ulaanbaatar ... read more
by Lindsay Myron
23 Nov 2009
Malawi
Catch the football fever
Soccer is Malawi’s sport of choice. If you have the chance, attend a game at Blantyre’s Kamuzu Stadium. Local matches draw small crowds, but if the Malawi Flames ... read more
by Rebecca Jacobson
30 Nov 2009
Peru
It's all about Alianza Lima
I don't particularly like soccer, but it's impossible to escape "fútbol" (Spanish for "soccer") here. One of the biggest soccer teams is Alianza Lima, a team of Afro-Peruvian ... read more
by Courtney Ng
04 Dec 2009
Lesotho
Hike the path less traveled
The country of Lesotho was built for hiking. Its mountains are the highest in Southern Africa, there are no fences, and foot paths tattoo the land between every possible destination ... read more
by Greg Alder
05 Dec 2009
Japan
Get a pair of gym shoes and keep them shiny white
In most gyms where I grew up (the United States), members can just walk in in their casual sneakers, pick up a basketball and start playing. In Japan, the gym ... read more
by Saleem Reshamwala
15 Dec 2009
Cyprus
How you vote is who you root for
In Cyprus, devotion to a local football (soccer) team is not only based on location, but politics. There is a leftist, communist team (Omonia), a more right-wing, nationalist team (Apoel ... read more
by Madeline Blount
07 Jan 2010
India
The cricket field: Trespassers will be persecuted
Cricket is the national obsession of Indian men. It is the be-all, end-all, sport-of-sports, source of rivalry and redemption. I once made the mistake of cutting across the outermost edge ... read more
by Valerie Hohman
01 Feb 2010
Israel
Fun with paddles
Any time of the year, you will see Israelis on the beach (minus the few rainy days in winter) playing Matkot, a sport played with a small round ball and ... read more
by Jonathan Amerikaner
07 Feb 2010
Egypt
Here it's called Kurat el Qadem
In Cairo, it's all about El Ahly (ah-Ha-lee). Kurat el Qadem, as soccer is called in Arabic, is by far the most widely watched sport in Egypt. On nights ... read more
by Max Nepstad
28 Feb 2010
United Kingdom
Not just football
Football may be England’s most popular sport, but that shouldn’t keep you from checking out this country’s other fine displays of athletic prowess. To see real, die-hard ... read more
by Marshall Worsham
16 Mar 2010
India
Come for the scandal, stay for the cricket
If you find yourself in India in March or April, don’t miss watching a game, or several, of the IPL (Indian Premier League) 20/20 cricket series. This fast-paced ... read more
by Janna White
03 May 2010
Mongolia
Instant Friends
There's no better way to make friends in Mongolia than joining some students in an impromptu gave of basketball, volleyball, or soccer. It's almost always possible to join ... read more
by Andrew Cullen
25 Jun 2010
India
Western Cheerleaders for Eastern Cricketplayers
It’s an anomalous yet growing phenomenon that much of Indian advertising uses Western models with very white skin: commercials, billboards, magazines. However, don’t be surprised when watching India ... read more
by Rohan Radhakrishna
30 Jun 2010
Uganda
Soccer Fever
Hands down, soccer is the most popular sport in Uganda. People love watching it, playing it, and chatting about it. Even in the smallest villages you'll be able to ... read more
