National sport National sport A national sport is considered to be an intrinsic part of the culture of a nation. Some sports are "de facto" (not established by law) national sports, as baseball is in the United States and Gaelic games are in the Ireland, while others are "de jure" (established by law) national sports, as lacrosse and ice hockey are in Canada. These sports do not have to be necessarily the most played or most followed, which would be either association football or cricket in all but a few countries are widely considered to be important to the significant for its
Water Polo Canada Angeles. Coached by Gábor Csepregi, Canada finished 10th. The only Olympic games for which the Canadian men have legitimately qualified were the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Coached by Dragan Jovanović, the squad placed 11th. Canada's men's national team is based at the Repsol Sport Centre in Calgary and is coached by Pino Porzio. Canada has fielded a women's national team since 1978. The women's squad participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the first to hold a women's water polo competition. At this tournament Canada placed 5th. The squad also participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens