Sadly, you could also write a very similar article about Japan and Kendo, right down to the "the government promoted it for nationalistic reasons in its heyday,

Sadly, you could also write a very similar article about Japan and Kendo, right down to the "the government promoted it for nationalistic reasons in its heyday, but now it's waning and most of the interest in it is overseas." In 2006, the Japanese men's team placed 3rd (behind Korea and the US) in the World Kendo Championship, and it was the end of an era. It was the first time in the event's history that those guys didn't come in first. Japan is still a Kendo powerhouse, but it's not like it was.