Sports in Bhutan
Encyclopedia
Sports in Bhutan comprise both traditional Bhutan
ese and modern international games. Archery
is the national Sport in Bhutan, and competitions are held regularly in most villages. Other traditional Bhutanese sports include khuru, soksom
, pundo
, and digor
.
International sports enjoy considerable popularity in modern Bhutan. Football is the most popular sport in Bhutan. Bhutanese also play futsal
, an indoor variation of football. Cricket
has gained popularity in Bhutan, particularly since the introduction of television channels from India
.
first and foremost. Traditional archery has been historically prominent in Bhutanese religion, ritual, and recreation, and enjoys modern popularity and practice in tsechu
s (festivals) and matches. It differs from modern international archery in rules and metrics; players shoot at comparatively small targets at great distances. Bhutan also participates in modern international archery competitions, and maintains an Olympic archery team.
Khuru is an indigenous dart game
, and like traditional archery, requires players to strike relatively small targets at long distances. It is played especially during festivals, along with soksom
, akin to the javelin throw
; and digor
and pundo
, akin to the shot put
.
differs from Olympic
standards in technical details such as the placement of the targets and atmosphere. The distance to the target
is about 130 metres (426.5 ft). The relatively small targets are cut from wood and brightly painted, usually measuring about 3 feet (91.4 cm) tall and 11 inches (27.9 cm) wide. Bullseyes are called karay. Traditionally, Bhutanese bows are made of bamboo
, and arrows from bamboo or reeds
, fletched with feather vanes. Arrows may be painted and tipped with metal arrowheads. Quiver
s may be wooden, with an animal hide covering and a woven strap.
Bhutanese archery teams number at 13 players; teams take turns shooting two arrows at a time first in one direction, then in the opposite direction. The first to score 25 points wins, however because the scoring system is complicated, winning can take a very long time. For example, a second hit by an opponent can invalidate the other player's score. In addition, the interplay of wider socializing and festivities, with archery as the nominal focus, give Bhutanese archery competitions an excruciatingly slow pace. In the past, the most traditional matches could last for as long as a month, though modern matches tend to span a number of days.
Traditional Bhutanese archery is a social event and competitions are organised between villages, towns, and amateur teams. There is usually plenty of food and drink
complete with singing and dancing. Attempts to distract an opponent include standing around the target and making fun of the shooter's ability. The most notable archery competition in Bhutan is the Yangphel tournament. Other major archery competitions are held during Losar
, the Bhutanese and Tibetan New Year
.
Increasingly, Bhutanese archery has modernized even in traditional matches. Compound bows, corporate sponsorships, copious cash and material winnings, injuries, and occasional fatalities have become established features of archery. The popularity of archery has also raised questions of Bhutan's susceptibility to doping, including by alcohol, in the sport. It has also drawn attention to the danger in the sport, especially to spectators, residents, and passers by near archery ranges. Since 2010, Bhutan has held the Lyonchen Jigmi Y Thinley Archery Tournament, encouraging the use of traditional bows and the development of gewog
teams.
(darts
) is a popular outdoor team sport often played during festivals and archery tournaments. When playing khuru, heavy wooden darts pointed with a 10 centimetres (3.9 in) nail are thrown at a paperback
-sized target 10 metres (32.8 ft) to 20 metres (65.6 ft) away.
, akin to the javelin throw
, is a sport in which players throw a javelin
a distance of 20 metres (65.6 ft).
is a game resembling shot put
, horseshoes
, and pétanque
. It is played with a pair of spherical flat stones that are hurled at two targets (pegs) fixed in the ground about 20 metres (65.6 ft) apart. It can be played one-on-one or in teams of up to seven players. Digor is played all over Bhutan, though most often by men in rural areas.
is a traditional Bhutanese game most resembling shot put
. It is played by throwing a stone weighing over a kilo as far as possible. The throwing movement is from the shoulder, with the stone held flat in the hand. It is usually played by laymen.
, the national sport, is played internationally as well as domestically using modern equipment, and the kingdom maintains an Olympic
archery team. Football is the most popular sport in Bhutan, and Bhutanese football and futsal
teams compete at national, international, and Olympic levels. Cricket
also enjoys a considerable following in Bhutan.
The Bhutan Olympic Committee
was formed in 1983 and recognized by the IOC the same year. For each Olympic Summer Games since 1984, Bhutan
has fielded male and female archers to compete in the kingdom's national sport. They have never competed in the Winter Games nor the other events of the Summer Games; they also have never won an Olympic Medal. Bhutan sent only one athlete to the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
but lost in the quarterfinals of the athletes event.
of football in Bhutan
is run by the Bhutan Football Federation
. The association administers the Bhutan national football team
as well as the A-Division
.
In 2002, Bhutan's national football team
played Montserrat
, in what was billed as The Other Final
; the match took place on the same day Brazil and Germany in the World Cup Final
, but at the time Bhutan and Montserrat were the world's 2 lowest ranked teams. The match was held in Thimphu's Changlimithang national stadium
, and Bhutan won 4-0.
represents Bhutan
in international futsal
competitions and is controlled by the Bhutan Football Federation
.
in 2001. They made their international debut at the 2004 ACC Trophy
, where they made the quarter finals. They again competed at the ACC Trophy in 2006 but were eliminated in the first round after a series of heavy defeats. Their only win came against newcomers Myanmar
.
Following the 2006 ACC Trophy, the tournament was split into two divisions, Elite and Challenge. Bhutan took part in the 2009 ACC Trophy Challenge, where they were runners up. This result qualified them for the next ACC Trophy Elite as well as Division eight of the World Cricket League.
Changlimithang Stadium
in Thimphu
is the main venue for major sporting events in Bhutan, including archery and football. With a capacity of 25,000, the stadium has also hosted theatrical performances and celebrations as part of national holidays
and major events such as the royal wedding in 2011
.
As archery is especially popular, every village has a field for the sport.
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
ese and modern international games. Archery
Archery in Bhutan
Archery in Bhutan is the national sport of the Kingdom. Archery was declared the national sport in 1971, when Bhutan became a member of the United Nations. Since then, the popularity of Bhutanese archery has increased both within and without Bhutan, with a measure of government promotion...
is the national Sport in Bhutan, and competitions are held regularly in most villages. Other traditional Bhutanese sports include khuru, soksom
Soksom
Soksom is a traditional Bhutanese sport. It involves throwing a javelin a distance of ....
, pundo
Pundo
Pundo is a traditional Bhutanese sport. It is a game played by laymen and consists of throwing a stone weighing over a kilo as far as possible. The throwing movement is from the shoulder, with the stone held flat in the hand....
, and digor
Digor (sports)
Digor is a traditional sport in Bhutan, resembling the sport of shot put.‘Degor’ is a traditional Bhutanese game which is often mistakenly referred in literatures as a kind of shot put by foreign authors. It differs from shot put in many ways...
.
International sports enjoy considerable popularity in modern Bhutan. Football is the most popular sport in Bhutan. Bhutanese also play futsal
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón , which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football"...
, an indoor variation of football. Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
has gained popularity in Bhutan, particularly since the introduction of television channels from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Traditional sports
Traditional Bhutanese sports include archeryArchery in Bhutan
Archery in Bhutan is the national sport of the Kingdom. Archery was declared the national sport in 1971, when Bhutan became a member of the United Nations. Since then, the popularity of Bhutanese archery has increased both within and without Bhutan, with a measure of government promotion...
first and foremost. Traditional archery has been historically prominent in Bhutanese religion, ritual, and recreation, and enjoys modern popularity and practice in tsechu
Tsechu
Tsechu are annual religious Bhutanese festivals held in each district or dzongkhag of Bhutan on the tenth day of a month of the lunar Tibetan calendar. The month depends on the place, but usually is around the time of October. Tsechus are religious festivals of Drukpa Buddhism...
s (festivals) and matches. It differs from modern international archery in rules and metrics; players shoot at comparatively small targets at great distances. Bhutan also participates in modern international archery competitions, and maintains an Olympic archery team.
Khuru is an indigenous dart game
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
, and like traditional archery, requires players to strike relatively small targets at long distances. It is played especially during festivals, along with soksom
Soksom
Soksom is a traditional Bhutanese sport. It involves throwing a javelin a distance of ....
, akin to the javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
; and digor
Digor (sports)
Digor is a traditional sport in Bhutan, resembling the sport of shot put.‘Degor’ is a traditional Bhutanese game which is often mistakenly referred in literatures as a kind of shot put by foreign authors. It differs from shot put in many ways...
and pundo
Pundo
Pundo is a traditional Bhutanese sport. It is a game played by laymen and consists of throwing a stone weighing over a kilo as far as possible. The throwing movement is from the shoulder, with the stone held flat in the hand....
, akin to the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
.
Archery
Traditional Bhutanese archeryArchery in Bhutan
Archery in Bhutan is the national sport of the Kingdom. Archery was declared the national sport in 1971, when Bhutan became a member of the United Nations. Since then, the popularity of Bhutanese archery has increased both within and without Bhutan, with a measure of government promotion...
differs from Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
standards in technical details such as the placement of the targets and atmosphere. The distance to the target
Bullseye (target)
The bullseye, or bull's-eye, is the centre of a target , and by extension the name given to any shot that hits the bullseye...
is about 130 metres (426.5 ft). The relatively small targets are cut from wood and brightly painted, usually measuring about 3 feet (91.4 cm) tall and 11 inches (27.9 cm) wide. Bullseyes are called karay. Traditionally, Bhutanese bows are made of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, and arrows from bamboo or reeds
Reed (plant)
Reed is a generic polyphyletic botanical term used to describe numerous tall, grass-like plants of wet places, which are the namesake vegetation of reed beds...
, fletched with feather vanes. Arrows may be painted and tipped with metal arrowheads. Quiver
Quiver
A quiver is a container for arrows. Quivers have been traditionally made of leather, bark, wood, furs and other natural materials; modern quivers are often made of metal and plastic....
s may be wooden, with an animal hide covering and a woven strap.
Bhutanese archery teams number at 13 players; teams take turns shooting two arrows at a time first in one direction, then in the opposite direction. The first to score 25 points wins, however because the scoring system is complicated, winning can take a very long time. For example, a second hit by an opponent can invalidate the other player's score. In addition, the interplay of wider socializing and festivities, with archery as the nominal focus, give Bhutanese archery competitions an excruciatingly slow pace. In the past, the most traditional matches could last for as long as a month, though modern matches tend to span a number of days.
Traditional Bhutanese archery is a social event and competitions are organised between villages, towns, and amateur teams. There is usually plenty of food and drink
Ara (drink)
Ara, or Arag, is a traditional alcoholic beverage consumed in Bhutan. Ara is made from rice, maize, millet, or wheat, and may be either fermented or distilled. The beverage is usually a clear, creamy, or white color.-Production:Ara is most commonly made from rice or maize at private homes or farms...
complete with singing and dancing. Attempts to distract an opponent include standing around the target and making fun of the shooter's ability. The most notable archery competition in Bhutan is the Yangphel tournament. Other major archery competitions are held during Losar
Losar
Losar is the Tibetan word for "new year." lo holds the semantic field "year, age"; sar holds the semantic field "new, fresh". Losar is the most important holiday in Tibet....
, the Bhutanese and Tibetan New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
.
Increasingly, Bhutanese archery has modernized even in traditional matches. Compound bows, corporate sponsorships, copious cash and material winnings, injuries, and occasional fatalities have become established features of archery. The popularity of archery has also raised questions of Bhutan's susceptibility to doping, including by alcohol, in the sport. It has also drawn attention to the danger in the sport, especially to spectators, residents, and passers by near archery ranges. Since 2010, Bhutan has held the Lyonchen Jigmi Y Thinley Archery Tournament, encouraging the use of traditional bows and the development of gewog
Gewog
A gewog, or geog refers to a group of villages in Bhutan. Gewogs form a geographic administrative unit below dzongkhag districts , and above thromde municipalities. Bhutan comprises 205 gewogs, which average 230 km² in area...
teams.
Khuru
KhuruKhuru
Khuru is a town in central-western Bhutan. It is located in Punakha District. Khuru literally means "Darts" in Bhutan.Population 2,292 ....
(darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
) is a popular outdoor team sport often played during festivals and archery tournaments. When playing khuru, heavy wooden darts pointed with a 10 centimetres (3.9 in) nail are thrown at a paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
-sized target 10 metres (32.8 ft) to 20 metres (65.6 ft) away.
Soksom
SoksomSoksom
Soksom is a traditional Bhutanese sport. It involves throwing a javelin a distance of ....
, akin to the javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, is a sport in which players throw a javelin
Javelin
A Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
a distance of 20 metres (65.6 ft).
Digor
DigorDigor (sports)
Digor is a traditional sport in Bhutan, resembling the sport of shot put.‘Degor’ is a traditional Bhutanese game which is often mistakenly referred in literatures as a kind of shot put by foreign authors. It differs from shot put in many ways...
is a game resembling shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
, horseshoes
Horseshoes
Horseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people using four horseshoes and two throwing targets set in a sandbox area. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet apart...
, and pétanque
Pétanque
Pétanque is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet or jack. It is also sometimes called a bouchon or le petit...
. It is played with a pair of spherical flat stones that are hurled at two targets (pegs) fixed in the ground about 20 metres (65.6 ft) apart. It can be played one-on-one or in teams of up to seven players. Digor is played all over Bhutan, though most often by men in rural areas.
Pundo
PundoPundo
Pundo is a traditional Bhutanese sport. It is a game played by laymen and consists of throwing a stone weighing over a kilo as far as possible. The throwing movement is from the shoulder, with the stone held flat in the hand....
is a traditional Bhutanese game most resembling shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
. It is played by throwing a stone weighing over a kilo as far as possible. The throwing movement is from the shoulder, with the stone held flat in the hand. It is usually played by laymen.
International sports
Bhutan participates in modern international sports in three main areas. ArcheryArchery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, the national sport, is played internationally as well as domestically using modern equipment, and the kingdom maintains an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
archery team. Football is the most popular sport in Bhutan, and Bhutanese football and futsal
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón , which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football"...
teams compete at national, international, and Olympic levels. Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
also enjoys a considerable following in Bhutan.
The Bhutan Olympic Committee
Bhutan at the Olympics
For each Olympic Summer Games since 1984, Bhutan has fielded male and female archers. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan. They have never competed in the Winter Games nor the other events of the Summer Games; they also have never won an Olympic Medal...
was formed in 1983 and recognized by the IOC the same year. For each Olympic Summer Games since 1984, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
has fielded male and female archers to compete in the kingdom's national sport. They have never competed in the Winter Games nor the other events of the Summer Games; they also have never won an Olympic Medal. Bhutan sent only one athlete to the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
2010 Summer Youth Olympics
The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games , were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in the city-state of Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010, in the XXIX Olympiad. They were the inaugural Summer Youth Olympics, a major...
but lost in the quarterfinals of the athletes event.
Football
Football is the most popular Sport in Bhutan. The sportSport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of football in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
is run by the Bhutan Football Federation
Bhutan Football Federation
The Bhutan Football Federation is the governing body of football in Bhutan, controlling the Bhutan national team. It was founded in 1983, and has been a member of FIFA since 2000 and the Asian Football Confederation since 1993.-External links:...
. The association administers the Bhutan national football team
Bhutan national football team
The Bhutan national football team is the national team of Bhutan and is controlled by the Bhutan Football Federation.- History :While a Bhutanese National football team has existed since the 1970s, it was officially founded in 1983 and joined FIFA in 2000....
as well as the A-Division
A-Division (Bhutan)
A-Division is the top division of the Bhutan Football Federation. The 2007 edition was played between Jul 7-Aug 3 and all matches were played in Chang Jiji, Thimphu...
.
In 2002, Bhutan's national football team
Bhutan national football team
The Bhutan national football team is the national team of Bhutan and is controlled by the Bhutan Football Federation.- History :While a Bhutanese National football team has existed since the 1970s, it was officially founded in 1983 and joined FIFA in 2000....
played Montserrat
Montserrat
Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
, in what was billed as The Other Final
The Other Final
The Other Final is a 2003 documentary film, directed by Johan Kramer, about a football match between Bhutan and Montserrat, the then-lowest ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings. The game was played in the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, Bhutan. Bhutan won the game 4-0...
; the match took place on the same day Brazil and Germany in the World Cup Final
2002 FIFA World Cup Final
The 2002 FIFA World Cup Final the final match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, played between Germany and Brazil at the International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. It was the first World Cup meeting between the two sides. Brazil won the match 2–0, winning a record fifth title...
, but at the time Bhutan and Montserrat were the world's 2 lowest ranked teams. The match was held in Thimphu's Changlimithang national stadium
Changlimithang Stadium
Changlimithang Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan, which serves as the National Stadium. It is currently used mostly for football and archery matches. The stadium holds 25,000...
, and Bhutan won 4-0.
Futsal
The Bhutan national futsal teamBhutan national futsal team
The Bhutan national futsal team represents Bhutan in international futsal competitions and is controlled by the Bhutan Football Federation....
represents Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
in international futsal
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón , which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football"...
competitions and is controlled by the Bhutan Football Federation
Bhutan Football Federation
The Bhutan Football Federation is the governing body of football in Bhutan, controlling the Bhutan national team. It was founded in 1983, and has been a member of FIFA since 2000 and the Asian Football Confederation since 1993.-External links:...
.
Cricket
The Bhutan national cricket team represents the kingdom in international cricket matches and is one of the most successful affiliate nations in the region. Bhutan became an affiliate member of the ICCInternational Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
in 2001. They made their international debut at the 2004 ACC Trophy
ACC Trophy
The ACC Trophy or Asian Cricket Council Trophy is a one-day cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council for the non-test nations in Asia...
, where they made the quarter finals. They again competed at the ACC Trophy in 2006 but were eliminated in the first round after a series of heavy defeats. Their only win came against newcomers Myanmar
Myanmar cricket team
The Myanmar cricket team is the team that represents the country of Myanmar aka Burma in international cricket matches. It has been a member of the International Cricket Council since 2006.-British rule:...
.
Following the 2006 ACC Trophy, the tournament was split into two divisions, Elite and Challenge. Bhutan took part in the 2009 ACC Trophy Challenge, where they were runners up. This result qualified them for the next ACC Trophy Elite as well as Division eight of the World Cricket League.
Venues
Changlimithang Stadium
Changlimithang Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan, which serves as the National Stadium. It is currently used mostly for football and archery matches. The stadium holds 25,000...
in Thimphu
Thimphu
Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...
is the main venue for major sporting events in Bhutan, including archery and football. With a capacity of 25,000, the stadium has also hosted theatrical performances and celebrations as part of national holidays
Public holidays in Bhutan
Public holidays in Bhutan consist of both national holidays and local festivals called tsechus. While national holidays are observed throughout Bhutan, tsechus are only observed in their areas. Bhutan uses its own calendar, a variant of the lunisolar Tibetan calendar. Because it is a lunisolar...
and major events such as the royal wedding in 2011
Wedding of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema
The wedding of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, and Jetsun Pema took place on 13 October 2011 at the Punakha Dzong in Punakha, Bhutan...
.
As archery is especially popular, every village has a field for the sport.