Sports in Uruguay

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Sports in Uruguay

[edit] Football

Football (fútbol in Spanish) is the most important sport in Uruguay. Uruguay has won two Olympic gold medals in football in 1924 and in 1928, which were considered World Cups before the technical term "World Cup" was adopted in 1930, hence the four stars on the Uruguayan jersey. The first World Cup, which Uruguay won [1], was held in 1930 in Montevideo. The Estadio Centenario was built for the World Cup, and serves to this day as the country's main football stadium.

Uruguay also won the World Cup in 1950, beating Brazil in Rio de Janeiro at Maracanã Stadium which has been one of the most astounding impacts on the history of the sport and is known as the 'Maracanazo', a fact of which many Uruguayan football fans still boast. At present, Uruguayan football is devalued as a consequence of the economic crisis as well as corruption in the sport's administration. However, Uruguay still produces remarkable players, such as Alvaro "El Chino" Recoba, who currently plays for the Italian club team Inter Milan and Diego Forlan, who plays for the Spanish team Villareal.

[edit] Rugby

While football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in Uruguay, rugby and basketball are also popular.

The Uruguayan Rugby Union gains in talent every year, and the national team, the Teros is a perennial powerhouse within South America. The squad played in their first World Cup in Wales (1999), earning 15th place, and participated in the 2003 World Cup in Australia as well.

[edit] Basketball

Basketball has risen as a competitive alternative to football and rugby, and the Uruguayan Basketball Federation boasts a proud early history. Remarkably, the Uruguayan Olympic team placed 6th in the first Olympic Games (Berlin 1936), 5th in the second Games (London 1948), 3rd in the third (Helsinki 1952), 3rd in the fourth (Australia 1956), 8th in the fifth (Rome 1960), and 8th in the sixth (Tokyo 1964). After this winning run, the team did not qualify as finalists in any Olympic tournament until the 1984 games in Los Angeles, in which they earned 6th place in a field that included the U.S. team led by Michael Jordan. Currently the league attracts many players from Argentina and Brazil, as well as the United States and Eastern Europe.