The Calgary Stampede has been going since the early 1900s and now rodeo is closing in on becoming Alberta’s official sport.
On Monday, a bill passed unanimously to make rodeo the province’s official sport. It will now go to the next stage of debate in the legislature, according to the National Post.
If Alberta is successful in the declaration, it will join three U.S. states that have already named rodeo their official sport. Those states are Wyoming, South Dakota and Texas.
Two-time saddle bronc riding World Champion and Alberta native Zeke Thurston said that Western Canada’s rural roots make rodeo a fitting sport for the province.
The first rodeo in Alberta was held in 1886.