Bhutan: Archery – the national sport of Bhutan

Archery is the absolute national sport in Bhutan and is more revered, watched and practiced here then American football in USA or regular football in Brazil or Germany. Arrows are shot at tiny targets from almost 500 feet away. Only people wearing national clothing are allowed to compete. Teams take turns shooting, cheering, yelling, taunting, and singing at each other and the opposite team. Most shots go off target given the distance, but some do hit the wooden pole with the target circle and the crowd goes wild. Here’s a quote from wiki: “Competing archers also engage in verbal battle, giving players a chance to display intellectual and literary skills. In archery matches, bombarding opponents with verbal confrontation is equally important to scoring bullseyes. Players and teammates praise their own arrows, lend advice and encouragement to each other, and demean opponents in florid literary expressions known as kha shed. Competitors must be prepared to provoke or reply in an equal or more impressive literary fashion”.
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