Sport in Colombia
Colombia is a typical South American country when it comes to sports. Their national sport is called Tejo which is basically a team sport that includes launching projectiles to a target but they have a lot of love for football.
social tennis matches in Colombia In the 2001 Copa América tournament, Colombia set a record of not just being undefeated but not conceding any goal and winning each and every match.
Roller skates are also quite big in Colombia and their national team is the team to beat in the World Roller Speed Skating Championships. Baseball is another game where Colombians are known for with names like Edgar Renteria and Orlando Renteria. Their amateur team was the world champions in 1947 and 1965.
Colombians are also quite good at boxing, shooting sports, taekwondo, baseball, wrestling, cycyling, bowling, judo, athletics, weightlifting as well as motorsports.
One of their biggest name in motorsport is Juan Pablo Montoya who won 7 Formula One races.
Baseball is the most played sport in the Atlantic coast, specially in Cartagena and Barranquilla where a professional league is played annually. There have also been some Colombian players in the MLB.
As far as the Olympics are concerned, Colombia have been sending athletes since 1932, missing only the 1952 Summer Games. They also have joined the Winter Olympic Games in 2010 which is quite unique considering that Colombia is a tropical country. The first gold won by Colombia was by Maria Isabel Urrutia in weightlifting (75 kg) at Sydney 2000. In the 2016 Rio Games, they had their best performance ever with 3 gold medals.
Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Colombia.
Popular sports of Colombia
- Football (Soccer), boxing, baseball, shooting sports, taekwondo, wrestling, bowling, judo, athletics, cycling, weightlifting, motorsports
Traditional or regional sports
- Tejo — a Colombian sport in which metal discs are thrown 20m to a target which explodes when hit.
Colombia's Sporting Success
- In the 2001 Copa América tournament, Colombia set a record of not just being undefeated but not conceding any goal and winning each and every match.
Great athletes from Colombia
- Juan Pablo Montoya (Formula 1)
- Radamel Falcao (football)
- James Rodríguez (football)
- Catherine Ibargüen (track & field - jumps)
- Nairo Quintana (cycling)
- Rigoberto Uran (cycling)
- Mariana Pajón (BMX)
Colombia Sports trivia
- Colombia's first Olympic gold medal was won by Maria Isabel Urrutia in weightlifting (75 kg) at Sydney, Australia in 2000.
- Colombia takes part in the Bolivarian Games, a multi-sport competition involving athletes from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
- In 2019 Egan Bernal became the first Colombian winner of the Tour de France.
Colombia at major events
- Colombia at the Summer Olympics
- Colombia at the Winter Olympics
- Colombia at the FIFA World Cup
- Colombia women's football team at the FIFA Women's World Cup
Past sporting events hosted in Colombia
- 1975 World Swimming Championships Cali
- 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, Barranquilla.
- 2022 Weightlifting World Championships, Bogotá
Upcoming sporting events in Colombia
- 2027 World Summer Military Games, Bogotá
Annual sporting events held in Colombia
Sporting Facilities in Colombia
- Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez
- Estadio Deportivo Cali
- Édgar Rentería Stadium, Barranquilla
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