Olimpia Asunción

Club Olimpia is a traditional Paraguayan sports club based in Asunción, best known for its football (soccer) team. Founded in 1902, it is the oldest [ [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesp/parafound.html Paraguay - Foundations Dates of Clubs] at RSSSF by Tony Mariani, Juan Pablo Andrés and Eli Schmerler] and the most successful Paraguayan football club [ [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesp/parachamp.html Paraguay - List of Champions and Runners Up] at RSSSF by Juan Pablo Andrés and Osvaldo José Gorgazzi] having won 38 1st division titles, the Copa Libertadores in 1979, 1990, and 2002; and the Intercontinental Cup in 1980. It is considered a classic football club by FIFA [cite web|title=FIFA - Classic Clubs - Olimpia|url=http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/clubs/index.html#club=44256|work=|accessdate=] .

History

Foundation

Club Olimpia is the oldest football (soccer) team in Paraguay. It was founded July 25, 1902 by Dutchman William Paats, along with Paraguayans Sila Godoy, Fernando S. Pascual, Gustavo M. Crovatto, Héctor Cabañas, Juan Rodi, Antonio Pedraza, Luis Marecos, Juan Mara and Genaro Gutiérrez Yegros. The act of foundation was written in the Rodi's family home, located in the streets of Azara and Independencia Nacional in downtown Asunción, Paraguay. That evening, three names for the club were suggested: Paraguay, Esparta and Olimpia. The final decision came to William Paats who chose Club Olimpia as the team official name, in honor of the Greek city of Olympia where the Olympic Games were born. [cite web |url=http://www.olimpia.com.py/fundacion.asp |title=Foundation of the Club |accessdate=|work=Club Olimpia Website ]

The original kit was composed of a black shirt with the word OLIMPIA written in white across the chest and white shorts. Later, white and black were adopted as the colours for the team, with a white shirt with a horizontal black stripe. The alternate jersey is black with a white stripe, though in 2008 the stripe is vertical.

The early years (1902 - 1950)

The first national championship in Paraguay was played in 1906, after the foundation of the Paraguayan Football Association (APF). It wasn't until 1912 that Olimpia won a championship, facing Club Sol de América in the final. In that same year, Olimpia's biggest rival, Cerro Porteño, was founded.

After a few championships won during the 1910s, Olimpia's next big accomplishment were the three championships in a row in 1927/28/29 becoming the first Paraguayan team to win three consecutive titles. Olimpia repeated the same feat by becoming champions in 1936/37/38. The 1940s presented a rough time for Olimpia with bad results for most of the decade; but despite that Olimpia managed to win two titles (1947 and 1948).

The start of dominance (1950 - 1975)

After the unpleasant times in the 1940s decade Olimpia started to establish its dominance in the Paraguayan league when Manuel Ferreira assumed the presidency of the club in the mid 1950s. During Ferreira's presidency the football stadium, Estadio Manuel Ferreira, was built. However, the most important accomplishment made by Ferreira was the acquisition of several key players that led Olimpia to a record five consecutive championships, from 1956 to 1960 (with an undefeated championship in 1959). [cite web |url=http://www.eldecano.iwarp.com/historia.htm#Predominio%20de%20un%20gran%20Olimpia%20y%20%FAnico%20Pentacampe%F3n |title=Historia del Mas Grande |accessdate=|work=El Decano Website]

The club also had a first taste of international success in 1960 in the first edition of the Copa Libertadores de América by reaching the finals in which they lost to Peñarol. Ironically, the winning goal for Peñarol in the finals was scored by Uruguayan Luis Alberto Cubilla, who later became a coach and led Olimpia to several national and international championships.

The golden years (1975 - 1986)

The election of new club president Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb in 1975 is a key part in Olimpia's history. The new president hired coach Luis Alberto Cubilla, who in 1979 led Olimpia to its first international cup win when the club defeated Boca Juniors of Argentina in the Copa Libertadores final. In the first leg game played in Asunción Olimpia won 2-0. That result allowed Olimpia to play their effective defensive scheme in the famous La Bombonera stadium in the second leg, ending the match in a 0-0 draw that gave the Paraguayan side its first Copa Libertadores.

In that same year, Olimpia won the Copa Interamericana by defeating Deportivo FAS of El Salvador by an aggregate of 8-3 (first leg result: 3-3, second leg result: 5-0) and the Intercontinental Cup by defeating the UEFA Champions League runner-up Malmö FF of Sweden by an aggregate win of 3-1. [cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/clubs/club=44256/detail.html |title=Olimpia Emerge Triumphant in Unlikely Decider |accessdate=|work=FIFA ]

Olimpia's success was not limited to the international scene: from 1978 to 1983 the team won a record six-straight Paraguayan league championships (beating their own record set in 1956-1960 of five consecutive titles).

Continued success (1986 - 2000)

After the 1979 Copa Libertadores win, fans were starving for more continental success. For that matter, the club's president, Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb, decided to make a financial effort to bring Raul Vicente Amarilla, a Paraguayan striker that had proven his quality in the Spanish league over the years.

The signing of Amarilla was positive for Olimpia as expected, as the team reached the 1989 Copa Libertadores finals but came up short, being defeated by Atlético Nacional. However, it did not take long for Olimpia to take revenge on Atlético Nacional, as they defeated the Colombian side in the semi-finals of the Libertadores in 1990. This allowed Olimpia to play the finals against Barcelona de Guayaquil, beating the Ecuadorians 2-0 in the first leg played in Asunción, and tying 1-1 in Ecuador. This way Olimpia obtained its second Libertadores Cup with a formidable team that had key players such as Almeida, Gabriel González, Samaniego, Amarilla among others.

Not content with the Libertadores win itself, Olimpia went on to win the 1990 Supercopa Sudamericana, a tournament reserved only for the best teams in South America. They did this by defeating Nacional de Montevideo in the finals with a 6-3 aggregate score. In that same year, Olimpia played the Intercontinental Cup final in Japan against the European champion AC Milan, losing 3-0. Because Olimpia won both the Libertadores and Supercopa in the same year, they automatically won the Recopa Sudamericana of 1990. The achievement of all the mentioned international titles in 1979 and 1990 established Olimpia as one of the most respected and traditional teams in South American football. In 1991 Olimpia reached the Copa Libertadores final for the third time in a row but lost the finals against Colo Colo.

In the Paraguayan league, the most notable feat during this era was winning four league titles in a row, from 1997 to 2000.

Centenary and present (2000 - present)

In July 25, 2002 Olimpia celebrated its centenary. This was not only an historic date in Olimpia's history because of the centenary, but it marked the year where Olimpia obtained its third Copa Libertadores. Having defeated teams such as Once Caldas (Colombia) and Universidad Catolica (Chile) in the first round, Olimpia won the series against Cobreloa (Chile) in the second round, and then went on to overcome Boca Juniors in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Olimpia overcame Gremio (Brazil). The team led by coach Nery Pumpido defeated Brazilian side São Caetano 4-2 in a penalty shootout after an aggregate score of 2-2 in both legs and thus winning the final. Olimpia's base formation for the tournament was with Ricardo Tavarelli in goal; Néstor Isasi, Julio César Cáceres, Nelson Zelaya and Henrique da Silva in defense; Sergio Orteman, Victor Quintana, Julio Enciso and Gastón Córdoba in midfield; and Miguel Benítez and Richart Báez (later Hernán Rodrigo López) in the front. Coach Nery Alberto Pumpido was at the helm.

Olimpia also won the 2002 Recopa Sudamericana (played in 2003) by defeating San Lorenzo de Almagro of Argentina 2-0 in the final. As in 1990, Olimpia lost the Intercontinental Cup final, this time against the powerful Real Madrid by a score of 0-2.

A deep slump followed the successful international period of 2002-2003. Olimpia has failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores consistently in the last few years, and has not won the local tournament since 2000. Coaches have come and gone, most failing to lift Olimpia to any glory.

At the beginning of the 2007 Apertura season, Paraguayan legend José Cardozo took the helm as coach. His tenure did not last long, as Olimpia were unable to win the championship. For the Clausura tournament, former star player Alicio Solalinde was back at the helm. Though his record was not bad, he was replaced by Carlos Jara Saguier halfway through the tournament. This sparked a lot of controversy, as Saguier was a former player of Cerro Porteño, and an admitted fan of that club. Olimpia finished third in the Clausura tournament, behind Libertad and Cerro Porteño. A fourth place finish in the global tabulation (adding both Apertura and Clausura tournaments) has allowed Olimpia to return to international play in the Copa Sudamericana of 2008 after 4 years of absence.

Historic rivalries

Olimpia's biggest rival is Cerro Porteño. For more than nine decades these two teams represented the "Super Clásico" (derby) of Paraguayan football. Other "clásicos" of Paraguayan football in which Olimpia takes part are the ones against Club Guaraní (called "el clásico más añejo", which means "the oldest derby" because they were the first two teams in Paraguay) and against Club Libertad (called "el clásico blanco y negro", which means "the black and white derby" because both teams have black and white as their official colours). In terms of South American rivalry, Olimpia's biggest rivals are Boca Juniors of Argentina, Peñarol and Nacional of Uruguay. During the late 80's and early 90's, Olimpia also developed a fierce rivalry with Club Nacional de Medellin (Colombia), meeting them in the final of the Libertadores Cup (loss for Olimpia), and defeating Nacional in the semi-finals on their way to winning the Libertadores in 1990.

Honours

National honours

*
**Winners (38): 1912, 1914, 1916, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1947, 1948, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 (undefeated), 1960, 1962, 1965, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1993 (undefeated), 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
*Torneo República
**Winners (1): 1992 (undefeated)

International honours

*Copa Libertadores de América: 35 appearances
**Winners (3): 1979, 1990, 2002
**Runners-up (3): 1960, 1989, 1991
*Intercontinental Cup
**Winners (1): 1979
**Runners-up (2): 1990, 2002
*Recopa Sudamericana
**Winners (2): 1991, 2003
*Supercopa Sudamericana
**Winners (1): 1990
*Copa Interamericana
**Winners (1): 1979
**Runners-up (1): 1990
*Copa CONMEBOL
**Runners-up (1): 1992
*Supercopa Masters
**Runners-up (1): 1994

Other achievements

* Nehru Cup winner in 1990
* Semifinalist in the Copa Libertadores on five occasions: 1961, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1994
* Olimpia is the only team that reached a final in every decade in the Copa Libertadores since the tournament began in 1960. (Olimpia participated in the finals in 1960, 1979, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2002)
* Olimpia and São Paulo are the only two teams to win both the Copa Libertadores and Supercopa Sudamericana in the same year (Olimpia in 1990 and São Paulo in 1993).

Notable players and coaches

Notable players

(GK) "Goalkeeper"

:"see also cl|Club Olimpia footballers"

Notable coaches

:"see also cl|Club Olimpia managers"

Current squad

*Last Updated: August, 2008.

Other sports

Olimpia is also well known for training athletes that compete in other sports such as boxing, swimming, tennis and handball. Olimpia also has a successful futsal team, currently playing in the Paraguayan futsal first division.

Basketball

Just like in football, Olimpia is the most successful basketball team in Paraguay. Since 1937 it has won 29 national championships, with the twelve consecutive titles from 1946 to 1957 as the most amazing feat in their resume. [cite web |url=http://www.olimpia.com.py/otros_dep_basket.asp |title= Olimpia Basketball |accessdate=|work=Club Olimpia Website ]

National honours

*Paraguayan Basketball Champion: 1937, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1992, 1994.

International honours

*South American Club Championship: 1947

References

External links

* [http://www.olimpia.com.py/ Club Olimpia Official Site]
* [http://www.franjeado.com/ Olimpia fan site]
* [http://www.eldecano.iwarp.com/historia.htm El Decano (Olimpia fan site) ]
* [http://www.labarradelao.com.py/ Official Site of "La Barra de la O" (main fan group) ]

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Olimpia Asuncion — Olimpia Voller Name Club Olimpia Gegründet 25. Juli, 1902 Stadion … Deutsch Wikipedia
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Club Olimpia — Olimpia Voller Name Club Olimpia Gegründet 25. Juli, 1902 Stadio … Deutsch Wikipedia

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