Sport in Brazil
Sports in Brazil which are widely practiced and popular in the country, as well as others which originated there or have some cultural significance. The Brazilian people are very involved in sports, and the most popular one is football by a wide margin, and can be considered a cultural phenomenon. One of the most influential Brazilian football players is Pele, widely considered as the best football player of all time.
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Brazil in the Olympics
Due to smart onetropical nature of the climate in Brazil, it has not traditionally competed in the Winter Olympic Games, although it made its first appearance in Albertville in 1992, and most recently participated in the 2006 games. However, Brazil has been competing in the Summer Olympics since 1920. Brazil is currently ranked 33rd in the overall ranking of medals in the summer Olympics. Here is the record of Brazilian medals in the games so far:
| Year |  |
 |
 |
All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1924 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1936 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1952 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1956 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1960 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 1964 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1968 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1972 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 1976 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 1980 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 1984 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
| 1988 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 1992 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 1996 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 15 |
| 2000 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| 2004 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 2008 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 15 |
| TOTAL | 20 | 25 | 45 | 89 |
Capoeira
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art marked by deft, tricky movements often played on the ground or completely inverted. It also has a strong acrobatic component in some versions and is always played with music. It is a culturally significant sport, developed in colonial times by slaves. Nowadays Capoeira is practiced internationally and found its way into popular culture through many computer games and movies.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, luta livre and Vale tudo
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu originated in Brazil in the 1910s, and emphasizes ground fighting techniques and submission holds involving joint-locks and chokeholds. Gracie Jiu Jitsu became known internationally in the 1990s, due to the very skilled fighters in the Gracie family, namely Hélio Gracie, Royce Gracie and Rickson Gracie, which are also responsible for spreading the practice of Vale tudo, meaning "anything goes", seen today in mixed martial arts tournaments such as PRIDE and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Some notable Brazilian fighters in these tournaments include Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Vitor Belfort, Mauricio Rua, Ricardo Arona. Helio Gracie had a rather small build and changed Jiu-Jitsu (that came from Japan) to be used by anyone in a real fight situation. The belt progression goes in the following order: White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black, Red-black, Red.
Footvolley
Footvolley was created by Jordan Tavener in the 1960s. It is a mix of football and volleyball, where the players must use their feet and head to get the ball over the net and into the opponent's court, and is also played in sand. It is one of the most popular beach sports in Brazil.
Tennis
Maria Esther Bueno is the most successful Brazilian tennis player in Grand Slam tournaments. She has seven single titles (4 wins at the US Open and 3 at Wimbledon) and 12 doubles titles (5 at Wimbledon, 4 at the US Open, 2 in the Roland Garros, including a mixed doubles, and once at the Australian Open). In the men's side, Gustavo Kuerten, or Guga, is the most successful Brazilian player, with three wins at Roland Garros (1997, 2000, 2001) and the being ranked number one in the world for almost a full year. However, bad administrations, lack of money and serious support, and the elitization of this sport resulted in an uncompetitive Brazilian tennis, fragile and with a doubtful future. Today, Thomaz Bellucci is the Brazil's top player, one of the 30 best in the world. high and low score thay all have fun playing this sport
Basketball
Basketball is somewhat popular in Brazil, but lost popularity after the increased attention volleyball has gained recently. The men's Brazilian national team has won the Basketball World Championship twice, in 1959 and 1963, as well as three Olympic bronze medals (1948, 1960, 1964). Oscar Schmidt is the most renowned male Brazilian player, and Hortência Marcari the most renowned female. Three of the nation's top players are in the NBA: they are the Phoenix Suns' Leandro Barbosa, the Denver Nuggets' Nenê and the Cleveland Cavaliers's Anderson Varejão, but basketball is still less popular than football, volleyball, auto-racing.
Motorsport
Brazil has produced three Formula One world champions: Emerson Fittipaldi (1972 and 1974), Nelson Piquet (1981, 1983 and 1987) and Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990 and 1991).
There were three Brazilian drivers in the 2009 lineup, Rubens Barrichello of Brawn GP, Felipe Massa of Ferrari and Nelson Piquet, Jr. of Renault.
Brazil has been in the Formula One calendar since 1972. Nowadays, it is basically the last race of the year, held in mid-October. Two circuits have been host to the race of Formula One : Jacarepagua and Interlagos. The first one, located in Rio de Janeiro, hosted the 1978 race and then between 1981 and 1989. From 1972 to 1977, in 1979 and 1980, and since 1990 the Brazilian Grand Prix takes place at the Interlagos circuit, in São Paulo.
In total, Brazil has 101 Formula One race wins (as of the 2009 Italian Grand Prix), distributed between Senna (41), Piquet (23), Fittipaldi (14), Massa (11), Barrichello (11) and José Carlos Pace (1).
The only Formula One constructor to ever be based in Brazil is Fittipaldi Automotive.
Brazil is also home to notable drivers in the Indy Racing League (also in the USAC and CART), such as 2004 champion Tony Kanaan, as well as winners of the Indy 500 race; Brazilians have won that event six times: Emerson Fittipaldi (1989 and 1993), Hélio Castroneves (2001, 2002 and 2009) and Gil de Ferran (2003).
In the sports car racing scene, Raul Boesel won the 1987 World Sportscar Championship and got close to winning the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours, when he was second, and Ricardo Zonta won the 1998 FIA GT Championship. Also Mil Milhas Brasil, a racing sports car endurance race, has the longest history in the Brazilian racing events.
Auto racing popularity is rising, and recently Brazil has been promoting Stock Car championships and rally events.
On motorcycle racing, the most prominent Brazilian racer on MotoGP as of now is Alex Barros, who is the most experienced racer of all time in the category with 276 race starts and 7 wins.
- National championships
- Stock Car Brasil (Campeonato Brasileiro de Stock Car)
- Fórmula Truck
Volleyball
Currently Brazil is the most successful country when considering all categories of volleyball.
Brazil men's national volleyball team is currently the champion in the two major competitions (Volleyball World Cup and World Championship) and ranks number one in the FIVB World Rankings.[1] Brazilian men team titles include:
- 2 Olympic gold medals (1992 and 2004) and two silver medals (1984 and 2008)
- 2 World Championship gold medals (2002 and 2006)
- 2 World Cup gold medals (2003 and 2007)
- 8 FIVB World League gold medals (1993, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009)
The women squad, which is also ranked number one in FIVB World Rankings, is the current Olympic champion. It has among its titles:
- 1 Olympic gold medal (2008) and 2 bronze medals (1996 and 2000)
- 2 World Championship silver medals (1994 and 2006)
- 6 FIVB World Grand Prix gold medals (1994, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2005 and 2006)
- 1 Volleyball Grand Champions Cup gold medal (2005)
Brazilian younger teams maintain the same success rate as the senior squads. As of now (March 25, 2007), in the FIVB men ranking for junior and youth, Brazil is placed number one for women while the men are placed second.
Beach volleyball has also given Brazilian athletes much success worldwide, today Brazil is the ruling country. The FIB 2006 World Tour has finished with Brazilians on the top in both men and women rankings. Both, men and women, have won Olympic Games medals. Men have won golden in 2004 and silver 2000 and 2008; and women have won golden in 1996, silver in 1996, 2000 and 2004, and bronze in 1996 and 2000. Brazilian athletes have also collected many medals in the World Tour.
Brazil has professional volleyball team competitions: the Superliga Masculina de Vôlei and its female counterpart, Superliga Feminina de Vôlei. Among the most successful teams are: Minas, Banespa and Santo André for the male league and Rexona, Osasco and Clube de Regatas Flamengo for the female league.
Rugby union
Rugby union has been played in Brazil since at least 1888.
Rugby union is still a rather unknown sport, but is growing inside the universities. The Brazil national rugby union team has so far never qualified for a Rugby World Cup. A domestic club competition, the Campeonato Brasileiro de Rugby, has been contested annually since 1964.
Other sports
Skateboarding is one of the most popular sports in the country. According to a study conducted by Datafolha, the estimated number of skateboarders in Brazil for 2003 is close to three-million, the majority of whom are in the state of São Paulo. Also, an estimated 90-percent male and ten-percent female ratio includes mainly individuals between fourteen and 24 years of age. However, these numbers may rise as the industrial economy strives for improvement. Many of the world's top skateboarders are Brazilian, such as Sandro Dias, Rodrigo Menezes, Felipe Gustavo, Rodil Ferrugem, Nilton Neves, Fabrizio "Breeze" Santos, Lincoln Ueda, Alex Carolino, Christiano Mateus, Karen Jones, Ricardo Porva, Daniel Vieira,Bob Burnquist Og de Souza, . Fabiola da Silva are as equally famous in the world of aggressive inline skating.
Athletics, swimming, judo and sailing are traditional sports in Brazil, which have earned Olympic medals for the country. In athletics, some highlights are Adhemar da Silva, João Carlos de Oliveira, Joaquim Cruz and Maurren Maggi.
In Swimming, Brazil has been progressing gradually. First, produced some Olympic medalists, like Ricardo Prado, Gustavo Borges and Fernando Scherer. Today Brazil is a powerhouse in the sport, having as the highest representative César Cielo, olympic champion, world champion and world record holder.
Sailing and Equestrians are considered elitist sports, not accessible for the general population. Some great athletes were produced, however, such as the rider Rodrigo Pessoa and sailors Robert Scheidt, Marcelo Ferreira and the brothers Lars and Torben Grael.
Judo was brought and developed by the large Japanese community. Some Brazilian Olympic medalists for the sport are Rogério Sampaio and Aurélio Miguel. Today, Brazil is one of the strongest countries in the sport. Some actual strong brazilians in sport are João Derly and Tiago Camilo, world champions.
Boxing is a popular sport specially in the Northeast region. It is considered a poor people's sport. Some famous fighters are Eder Jofre and Acelino "Popó" Freitas, former World Champions.
Team Handball has been recently developing, being practiced specially in private schools, although it's also beginning to be practiced in public schools due being easy and cheap to use Futsal grounds, increasing the sports variety in Physical Education programs. Brazilian national team is regarded as the best in Americas. Handball is increasing in popularity and media cover. The national league is broadcasted on cable TV, and is sponsored by Petrobras.
Other team sports struggle for attention. Water Polo and Roller Hockey national teams had international appearances, despite being amateur sports in Brazil. Baseball is mostly linked with the Japanese and Korean communities.
Cricket is another rather unknown sport. However, there have been domestic cricket tournaments contested since the 1800s. There is also a kid's game called "taco" or "bets". While it is not a proper sport, it is a simplified form of cricket played
Golf is quickly becoming more practiced in Brazil, but is still an elitist sport.
Frescobol is a sport that is similar to tennis but is played with a wooden racket and a soft rubber ball in the beach, also does not have a score system. Was introduce in the 60's in Ipanema beach and is still very popular to this day.
Surfing on the other hand is a very popular recreational sport among Brazilians of all ages. Several professional Brazilian surfers compete in the men's and women's ASP World Championship Tour. Brazil is also famous for having produced many talented longboard surfers (such as the former world champion Phil Razjman), many well-known big rider surfers (like Carlos Burle and two-time XXL award winner Maya Gabeira), and various prominent bodyboarders.
Biribol is a Brazilian born sport, created in the city of Birigüi, in São Paulo. It is a kind of volleyball played in a swimming pool.
Peteca (shuttlecock) is another Brazilian born sport, that is originated from indigenous games.
American Football is being played by young people in some states since the beginning of the 00's. The most popular modality played there are Flag Football (which is stronger in São Paulo), and Beach American Football (played in coastal cities, like Rio de Janeiro and João Pessoa.
Sports in media
In television football is by far the most watched sport in both free and paid television, games from regional teams often guarantee the top audience in its cities, also European football (specially UEFA Champions League) guarantee good audience. Games of volleyball have good audience, both genres are shown, men and women, most of Brazilian national volleyball team, Superliga and beach volleyball. Basketball is also shown, specially the national league (NBB) and NBA. In motosport the main national competitions are show the Stock Car Brasil and Fórmula Truck. Formula 1 is considered the 2nd sport event in audience (behind the football). IndyCar Series also have a base of fans in Brazil.
See also
- Sport in South America
References
- ↑ "FIVB World Ranking - Men". December 5, 2006. http://www.fivb.org/EN/Volleyball/Rankings/Rank_men_2006_12.asp. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
External links
- Brazilian most visited sports websites
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