Sport in Argentina
Argentina is well known for their beautiful sceneries and people but they are also very competitive when it comes to sports.
Street football in Argentina Soccer which was introduced to the public by British soldiers in the 60's, is the nationally recognized favorite sport. The Argentine national soccer teams the 1978 and 1986 were the World Cup champions and were runner-ups in 1930 and 1990.
The National basketball team also made a lot of impact in the international stage beating the US Dream Team in the last Athens Olympic Games and a consistent finalist in the Basketball World Cup.
Pato (duck) is a traditional Argentine sport normally played on horseback which was banned in the late 19th century because it became quite dangerous. Hoever, the sport made a comeback in the 1930's with a revised list of rules. Volleyball, boxing, basketball, rugby, hockey and tennis are quite popular and Argentina has produced some of the best names in sports like Guillermo Vilas who made a splash in the tennis world in the 1970's to the early 1980's, Sabatini in the 1990's and today, names like David Nalbandian, Guillermo Coria and Juan Martin del Potro are gaining notoriety.
Argentine drivers are also known in the race-car circuit like Carlos Reutemann and Juan Manuel Fangio who was a five-time world champion in the 50's. Argentina did not perform very well in the Olympics but has taken 18 gold, 24 silver and 28 bronze medals since they first joined in the 1900 with a single athlete (as of 2014). Buenos Aires hosted the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.
Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Colombia.
Popular sports of Argentina
- Football (Soccer), Basketball, Volleyball, boxing, basketball, rugby, hockey, tennis, polo, Padel tennis
Traditional or Regional Sports
- Pato (duck) — a cross between Polo and Basketball played on horseback.
- Cestoball — an Argentinian female sport similar to netball.
- Tejo (Argentina) — a sport from Argentina in which two teams throw colored metal discs to land as close as possible to a neutal disc.
Argentinian Sporting Success
- The national football team has won the FIFA World Cup twice (1978, 1986)
- Juan Manuel Fangio who was a five-time world champion in the 50's.
- The national men's basketball team won gold at the Athens Olympic Games, aften beating the Dream Team in semifinals and Italy in the final. Argentina also won the football gold medal the same year.
Great athletes from Argentina
- Diego Maradona (football)
- Lionel Messi (football)
- Guillermo Vilas (tennis)
- Gabriela Sabatini (tennis)
Argentina Sports trivia
- Argentinian team won the first Olympic gold medal in polo in 1924
- In 2012, Argentina joined New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in the Tri Nations Championship, which then became The Rugby Championship
Argentina at major events
- Argentina at the Summer Olympics
- Argentina at the Winter Olympics
- Argentina at the FIFA World Cup
- Argentina at the Rugby World Cup
- Argentina women's football team at the FIFA Women's World Cup
- Argentina at the Copa América
Past sporting events hosted in Argentina
- 1951 the First Pan American Games
- 1978 FIFA World Cup Argentina
- 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
Upcoming sporting events in Argentina
Annual sporting events held in Argentina
- Argentina Open tennis event - held in February every year
- Buenos Aires Marathon - the biggest marathon in the southern hemisphere takes place every spring.
- Argentine Open Polo Tournament - one of the world's greatest polo tournament, held in November-December.
- Argentine Republic Prize - held in April (horseracing)
- Grand National - held in November (horseracing)
Sporting Facilities in Argentina
- El Monumental - The country's largest sporting stadium, in Buenos Aires. It is home of the football club River Plate and also the Argentina national football team.
Other
Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let me know.
Related Pages
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Current Events