Carrom – Participating Countries
Carrom originated in India, and the neighboring countries easily accessed and learned the game. Over the years, Asian countries have dominated this game and they are considered to produce world’s best players in Carrom.
Asian Countries Participating in Carrom
Apart from India, millions of people from countries like Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Malaysia, and Pakistan participate in carrom game. Most of these Asian countries also have their own Carrom Confederation bodies.
The Asian Carrom Federation is the governing body of all these individual confederations. It plays the lead role in conducting carrom championship for SAARC countries every year.
Japan was introduced to carrom in early 20th century where it is fondly called as tokyu-ban, which means ‘fight ball board’ in English. It lost steam mid-way but many still play tokyu-ban in Hikone city.
Non-Asian Countries Participating in Carrom
Carrom is gaining popularity in Europe and North America. Countries like France, Germany, UK, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, etc. have also formed their carrom federations.
The European Carrom Confederation coordinates all the activities related to carrom with these countries. They also have rolling Euro Cup championship every year.
Countries like Australia and United States have also picked up the game and it is rapidly gaining popularity amongst the citizens. The United States Carrom Association coordinates with individual state bodies to conduct tournaments locally and extract best talent.