Thursday, November 18

Sport in Argentina

Profile Facts--The practice of sports in Argentina is varied due to the country's multicultural population and its mostly mild climate. However, football is by far the most popular sport in the country. Other sports played professionally and recreatively are athletics, auto racing, basketball, boxing, cycling, field hockey, fishing, golf, handball, mountaineering, padel tennis, polo, roller hockey, rowing, rugby union, sailing, skiing, swimming, tennis and volleyball. Much Argentine sport success is in team sports, but boxing, tennis, golf and, in the past, rowing, are exceptions to the rule. Though it is the national sport, pato is not very popular.
Argentina is one of the most important sport powers in the region, ending at the top of the medal count at the South American Games since 1978, exceptions being 2002 and 2010. At a continental level, Argentina holds fourth place in the all-time medal table of the Pan American Games, behind the United States, Canada and Cuba. Despite a relative lack of success at the Olympic level in more traditionals sports like athletics, swimming and gymnastics, Argentina has had successful participations in other popular sports like football, basketball, tennis, volleyball and boxing.

Football

Argentine national team captain Daniel Passarella lifts the trophy of the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
Main article: Football in Argentina
Football (or soccer) is not only a sport, but part of the country's culture. The sport is played by children during breaks at school and by grown-ups in the plenty of both indoor and outdoor fields located throughout the country.
The Argentina national football team has won the World Cup twice (in 1978 and 1986), successive Olympic gold medals (in 2004 and 2008), fourteen Copa América, one Confederations Cup and six Youth World Championship's. Argentine clubs have won the Copa Libertadores (the top continental competition) a record 22 times, and have won the Intercontinental Cup/FIFA Club World Cup 9 times, a record shared with Brazilian clubs. The Argentine Primera División is the top level domestic competition. The country's most famed national football idol historically is Diego Maradona.
Argentina's fiercest rival is Brazil. The rivalry is sometimes known as the Battle of the South Americans. They have played each other numerous times in the Copa América and in the Confederations Cup, and the clubs of these countries have met several times in the Copa Libertadores finals. Argentina is one of the few national teams in football that have beat Brazil in a regural basis, although in the latest years Brazil has turned the situation in its favor. The youth teams have also met at various tournaments. At the 2008 Olympics, the under-23 teams met in the semifinal clash, with Argentina winning 3-0 in a hard-fought game.
Women's football is far behind in terms of popularity and professionalism. Nevertheless, the Argentina women's national football team has competed in the Sudamericano Femenino since 1995, finishing as runner-up three times before finally winning the competition in 2006, with a 5-0 victory over Brazil in the last match of the final group stage. The national team also played in the 2003 and the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cups, but finished last in its group in both occasions.


Basketball



Former Pres. Nestor Kirchner (left) with Argentine national team player Emanuel Ginóbili, 2005.
Basketball is also a popular sport, mostly in the provinces of Argentina. The Basketball Clubs' Association organizes the Liga Nacional de Básquet, the top level of the country's league system. Although the Argentine national team won the first FIBA World Championship in 1950, the sport did not gain country-wide popularity until the 2000s, when the national team conquered the Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and had a good performance in the 2002 and 2006 World Championship finishing respectively in second and fourth position. Argentine NBA star Emanuel Ginóbili also won NBA rings in 2003, 2005 and 2007 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, the last one with compatriot Fabricio Oberto.
Though women's basketball is not professional in Argentina, the national team participates in most of the international competitions, reaching its highest point at the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women, when they finished in 9th place.


Rugby union



Ignacio Corleto on his way to score a try against France- Argentina at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
 Rugby union in Argentina
Rugby in Argentina is still largely amateur; however, there are many professional players. Nevertheless, Los Pumas (the national team) have become one of the most powerful rugby national teams, finishing third in the 2007 Rugby World Cup played in France; they rose as high as third in the IRB World Rankings immediately after their World Cup run, and are now eighth. Since November 2004, Argentina have picked up at least one win over all the participants in Europe's Six Nations Championship, drawn with the British and Irish Lions, and narrowly lost to the All Blacks (who had to survive a last-second assault on their try line). In particular, they have had an enviable record in recent years against France—going 7–2 since 2000, with the losses by a combined total of 7 points.
Most important Argentine players emigrate to Europe (mainly to England and France) where they play professionally. Probably the best known players are Hugo Porta (played during the 1970s and the 1980s); current Pumas captain Felipe Contepomi; his immediate predecessor as captain, Agustín Pichot; current star utility back Juan Martín Hernández; Marcelo Loffreda, a former Puma who coached the team during their 2007 World Cup run before leaving to take up the coaching post at English club power Leicester Tigers; and the current head coach, 1990s Pumas star Santiago Phelan.


There has always been discussion regarding the possibility of Argentina joining the Tri Nations alongside the main Southern Hemisphere powers of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, although this proposal and a similar one to join the Super 14 Southern Hemisphere professional league have both been consistently denied. More recently, Argentina has lobbied for inclusion in the Six Nations, which arguably makes more sense for the country, considering that most top Argentine players are based in Europe. In 2006, both Pichot and Loffreda publicly urged that Argentina be admitted to the Six Nations, with both on record as being willing to have the Pumas play their "home" fixtures in Europe (possibly in Spain or Portugal) to alleviate travel issues for all teams involved. However, while these discussions were ongoing, The Sunday Times of London reported in February 2007 that the sport's world governing body, the International Rugby Board, was brokering a deal with Tri Nations organiser SANZAR that could have seen Los Pumas admitted to that competition as early as 2008. However, this plan was not implemented; ultimately, after the Pumas' 2007 World Cup run, it was decided that the earliest that the team could enter a major international competition would be 2012, and that the Pumas would eventually join the Tri Nations. SANZAR has since extended a provisional invitation for Argentina to join an expanded Tri Nations in 2012.


Tennis



David Nalbandian and fans at the 2006 Australian Open.
 Tennis in Argentina
Tennis is quite popular among people of all ages, ever since the 1970s with Guillermo Vilas and later with Gabriela Sabatini in the 1980s both reached the number 2 position and winning several Grand Slams. Even though no Argentine player reached the first place at the ATP rankings, there are many Argentine players within the most important in the circuit. During the 2000s, a number of Argentine players were among the top 10 of the ranking. The highlights of that succes were an all-Argentine final in the 2004 French Open, the hit of David Nalbandian winning the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup to world number 1 Roger Federer. In that edition of the Tennis Masters Cup were gathering the top 8 players of the season there were 4 Argentine players, a record for any nationality in the history of the Masters Tournament. Most recently, Juan Martín del Potro has emerged as one of the leading players in the world, having won the 2009 US Open, beating Roger Federer, days before the Argentine turn 21 years old. Argentina won the World Team Cup four times, in 1980, 2002, 2007 and 2010 . The Argentine team also reached the semifinals of the Davis Cup 6 times in the last 9 years, losing in the finals of 2006 and 2008, to Russia in Moscow, and to Spain in Mar del Plata, Argentina, respectively. Increasing this defeats in the last stage of the competition is the loss in the final of 1981 against United States in Cincinnati.


Field hockey



Las Leonas
Las Leonas (Argentina's national women's team) is one of the usual contenders in all the premier tournaments in women's Field Hockey. They conquered the Women's World Hockey Cup in 2002 and 2010. In the Olympics they won a silver medal in 2000, as well as bronze in 2004 and 2008. Also Las Leonas won the annual Hockey Champions Trophy in four occasions, 2001, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
In the other hand the men's team hasn't been able to win any major tournament except for the hockey tournaments at the 1971 and 2003 Pan American Games, although they won the 2005 and 2007 Champions Challenges, and are usually positioned among the top ten teams in the world participating in the World Cups and Champions Trophies.


Rink hockey

Rink hockey is mainly played in the Cuyo region (especially in San Juan Province). Argentine players have an international quality, with the men's national team has won 4 Rink Hockey World Championship titles. The woman national team also has won 3 World titles. Argentine Clubs such as Olimpia and UVT have also won international titles.


Boxing

for a list of Argentine boxers see Category:Argentine boxers


Luis Firpo throws Jack Dempsey out of the ring in 1923; this was the basis for artist George Wesley Bellows' famous portrait.
Pascual Pérez was Argentina's first world boxing champion. There Argentine boxing legends such as Carlos Monzón, Santos Laciar and Juan Martin Coggi held the world champion's title in their categories. Argentine boxers have, as of 2004, earned 24 olympic medals, including seven gold medals.
Argentine boxer Victor Galindez was the third Hispanic to win the world's Light-Heavyweight title (after Puerto Rico's José Torres and Venezuela's Vicente Rondon, WBA-recognized champion during the middle 1970s). Galindez died after he was run over by a car during an auto racing competition that he took part of.
In 1994, WBA world Middleweight champion Jorge Castro knocked out John David Jackson in the ninth round to retain his title in Monterrey, Mexico. Since Castro was on the brink of suffering a technical knockout loss when he won the fight, the punch with which he beat Jackson has become known as boxing's version of Diego Maradona's Hand of God goal.
Marcela Acuna is a world champion female boxer and arguably one of the most popular fighters of the 2000s in Argentina.
Other fighters, such as Oscar Bonavena, Juan Roldán and Luis Firpo, did not win world championships but were also popular among boxing fans during their years as professional fighters.
On the 17th April 2010, Sergio Martinez outpointed American Kelly Pavlik in Atlantic City to become the lineal Middleweight champion of the world.


Volleyball

Volleyball has a professional male league. Argentina national volleyball team's best achievements are the bronze medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics and 1982 FIVB Men's World Championship. Male team is usually ranked by the FIVB among the best 10 national teams in the world. The boys volleyball team are ranked number one in the world, and they won a silver medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.
Female volleyball is not played professionally. The national team is less important internationally than its male counterpart (FIVB's 17th place).


Auto racing

From rally to Formula One, auto racing is a sport followed by a number of fans in Argentina. Formula one legend Juan Manuel Fangio was five time world champion and has held the record of most victories for many years. Years after Fangio's career was over, Carlos Reutemann was the best known Argentine driver of the 1970s. Argentine competitions include the TC 2000 and Turismo Carretera road racing series as well as Rally Argentina of the World Rally Championship. Argentina has also hosted the 2009 and 2010 edition of the Dakar Rally along with Chile. And will do it again in 2011. Former events include the defunct Formula One Argentine Grand Prix and World Sportscar Championship's 1000 km Buenos Aires.



Among the best in South America, important Argentine golfers include Antonio Cerdá, José Cóceres, Roberto DeVicenzo, Eduardo Romero, Ángel Cabrera and Ricardo González. DeVicenzo and Cerdá won the 1953 Canada Cup. In history argentines golfers won three Majors, DeVicenzo the British Open in 1967, and Ángel Cabrera the U.S. Open in 2007 and the Augusta Masters in 2009.


Argentina's polo team won their first Olympic Gold Medal in 1924. Adolfo Cambiaso Jr., Gonzalo Pieres Jr. his brother Facundo, the Novillo Astrada brothers, the Heguy's, Tommy Iriarte are amongst the best polo players in the world. The three most important Polo tournaments in the world, The Argentine Open, The Hurlingham Open and the Tortugas Open are held in Argentina. In the history, Argentina was and nowadays is the leader of this international handicapped sport. However, less handicapped national teams have defeated Argentina. Argentina has been the uninterrupted world champion since 1949 and is today the source of most of the world's top ten players.

Cricket has been played in Argentina since 1806, with the international side making its first appearance in 1868 against Uruguay. The sport regained some popularity due to the national team's participation at the World Cricket League, and the Argentina national women's cricket team at the Women's version of the ICC Americas Championship. Though a minority sport here, Argentina is the strongest team in mainland South America currently playing in division 4 of world cricket league. There is a huge scope of development of the sport in this country, given that there are a large number of British descendants in Argentina.


Argentina was one of eight founding members of the International Olympic Committee and first participated in the Olympic Games in 1900 with one single athlete. Argentine olympic competitors have, from 1900 to 2004, garnered 60 medals (gold, 15; silver, 23; bronze, 22); from 1924 to 1952 its athletes had good showings, giving the Argentine delegations global ranks of between 16th and 19th. From 1956 to 2000, however, Argentina did not win any gold medals, a situation that was reversed in 2004 when it acquired two and further so, in 2008.


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