Scottish Culture - Sport
Sport
Scotland has a very rich sporting tradition which is fully active today. Its mountain ranges and hills, its vast tracts of wilderness, fast flowing rivers and miles of spectacular coastline mean that it is a magnet for those who enjoy the big outdoors. From Munro-bagging to some of the world's best fly-fishing Scotland has it all. And, of course, as you'd expect from a country of great innovators – the Scots have given the world one of the greatest games of all time: Golf.
Scotland is also a country that takes its Football, Rugby Union and Rugby Sevens very seriously. The 'Old Firm' – Celtic and Rangers – battle it out at the top of Scotland's Premier League season after season but football is played at all levels throughout the country. The national passion for the game has led to the much publicised bid with Ireland to host UEFA 2008 and Hampden Park, Scotland's National Stadium, is currently being upgraded to include some of the finest facilities in Europe. Scots, as is their wont, stray afar in the world of sports as in any other, and it is a Scot, Sir Alex Ferguson, who manages one of the most famous football clubs in the world – Manchester United.
Murrayfield is the home of Scottish Rugby Union, another game that has a passionate following. Scotland is a stalwart of Six Nations Rugby and regularly hosts fixtures against its Commonwealth opponents in Edinburgh. The Borders are the stronghold of Scotland's Rugby Sevens, where on any autumn Saturday towns like Melrose and Selkirk resound to the cry of supporters' exhortations.
No round-up of Scottish sport should go by without a mention of the famous Highland Games. The games which take place from Aberfeldy to Tomintoul are a unique mix of the sporting, the cultural and the social and usually comprise a programme of field and track events, piping and Highland dancing competitions and 'heavy events' like tug-o-war and tossing the caber. Highland Games Canadian and US style serve as clan gatherings for the Scottish Diaspora. And, of course, a great stateside victory for Scotland came with the winning of the Gold Medal for Curling at the 2001/2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Follow the links below for more information:
Sportscotland: www.sportscotland.org.uk
Scottish Football Association: www.scottishfa.co.uk
Scotland's National Football Stadium: www.hampden.org.uk
Scottish Rugby Union: www.sru.org.uk
Golf in Scotland:
www.scottishgolf.com
www.visitscotland.com/golf
Fishing in Scotland:
www.fishing-uk-scotland.com
www.visitscotland.com/fish
Sailing in Scotland: www.sailscotland.co.uk
Scottish Highland Games: www.albagames.co.uk
Scottish Snow Sports: ski.visitscotland.com
Country Sports: www.fishing-hunting-scotland.com
Falconry in Scotland: www.falconryinscotland.com
Mountaineering Council: www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk
Scottish Munros: www.munros.scotland.net
Hill-walking in Scotland: www.hillwalkingscotland.co.uk