Sport in Uruguay has been part of Uruguayan culture from the early start of the nation. Winners of such important awards such as the FIFA World Cup, the French Open, and Olympic medals, Uruguay has been a constantly successful sports nation in continental and world aspects.
Contents |
Association Football (fútbol in Spanish) is the most popular sport in Uruguay. Uruguay won an Olympic gold medal in 1924 and another one in 1928, which were considered the most important tournaments in football before the World Cup began 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 the Estádio do Maracanã. The event has had astounding impacts on the history of the sport, and is known as the Maracanazo. The upset is a fact of which many Uruguayan football fans still boast. Uruguay still produces quality players, however, such as Alvaro Recoba, who currently plays for the Greek club team Panionios, Luis Suárez, who plays for Liverpool F.C., and Diego Forlán, who plays for Italian League team Inter Milan.
Basketball has risen as a competitive alternative to football and rugby, and the Uruguayan Basketball Federation boasts a proud early history. The Uruguayan basketball team placed 6th in the first Olympic Games (Berlin 1936), 5th in London 1948, 3rd in Helsinki 1952, 3rd in Melbourne 1956, 8th in Rome 1960, and 8th in Tokyo 1964. After this successful 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. Uruguay has also won 12 South American championships and participated in many Pan-American and World Championships. Uruguay was the host for the 1967 FIBA World Championship.
The Liga Uruguaya, Uruguay's top league, attracts many players from Argentina and Brazil. Although there is one Uruguayan player Esteban Batista playing for the Boston Celtics in the NBA.
With a history dating back to the 1940s, rugby is a popular recreational sport in Uruguay. The tragic crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, and the resulting books and films, Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors and Alive brought Uruguayan rugby into the global limelight.
Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in Uruguay. Basketball ranks second in popularity and rugby union is considered the third most popular sport. The popularity of rugby increased significantly after the national side qualified for the 1999 Rugby World Cup and the subsequent 2003 World Cup, this saw a renewed interest in the sport and broad media coverage of the game.
The Uruguayan national team, more commonly known as the Los Teros (Southern Lapwing), represent Uruguay at international level. The team is governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay and are the second-highest ranked team in South America after Argentina, at 20th in the world.
Uruguayan rugby players such as Pablo Lemoine and Rodrigo Capó Ortega have enjoyed success in the professional European leagues.
Tennis is mildly popular in Uruguay, although Uruguayan players have not been as successful as the Argentinian and Chilean ones. Marcelo Filippini is Uruguay's most successful player, winning five singles titles, reaching the quarterfinals at the 1999 French Open, and achieving a rank of #30 in 1990. The Uruguay Davis Cup team currently competes in Group I of the Americas regional Zone, and the Fed Cup team competes in Group I as well. Pablo Cuevas is currently the highest-ranked Uruguayan male player.[2]
Four Uruguayan drivers competed in Formula One: Eitel Cantoni, Asdrúbal Fontes Bayardo, Óscar González and Alberto Uria. The latter two shared a ride at the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix and finished 6th. Gonzalo Rodríguez won International Formula 3000 races at Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps and Monaco and finished 3rd in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. He got a ride in the CART World Series for Penske Racing, where he finished 12th in his debut, but got killed in a crash during practice for his second race.
Uruguay has been a major force in South American rally. The most notable driver is Gustavo Trelles, who won the FIA Group N World Cup four times straight from 1996 to 1999, finished runner-up in 1990, 2000 and 2001, and ranked 9th in the 1993 World Rally Championship season with a best result of fourth in the Rally Argentina. The Rally del Atlántico, held in the Maldonado department, is regularly included in the South American rally Championship.
The two major purpose-built circuits are El Pinar and Mercedes, whereas several cities have hosted street races, including Montevideo, Punta del Este and Piriápolis. Major Argentine and South American road course championship series have raced at those places, most notably the Turismo Carretera, TC 2000, Top Race and Formula Three Sudamericana, and also international karting and motorcycling events. Conversely, Uruguayan drivers have raced in Argentina, most recently Juan Cáceres and José Pedro Passadore
Currently, Uruguay has national championships for road course racing (both automobiles and motorcycles), rallying, motocross and karting.
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||