Sports in Uruguay

=Football=

Football ("fútbol" in Spanish) is the most important sport in Uruguay. Uruguay won an Olympic gold medal in 1924 and another one in 1928, which were considered the most important tournaments in soccer before the World Cup began in 1930, hence the four stars on the Uruguayan jersey. The first World Cup, which Uruguay won [ [http://worldsoccer.about.com/cs/worldcup/a/wcupwinz.htm World Soccer ] ] , 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. 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 soccer fans still boast. 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 Spanish League team Atletico Madrid.

Basketball

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.

Rugby

With a history dating back to the 1940s, rugby is a popular recreational sport in Uruguay. 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 "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

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. [ [http://www.atptennis.com/3/en/rankings/EntrySystem/default.asp?rank=0&country=Uruguay ATPtennis.com - ATP Rankings ] ]

External links

*es icon [http://www.auf.org.uy/ Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol] - Uruguayan Football Association
*es icon [http://www.uru.org.uy Unión de Rugby del Uruguay] - Uruguayan Rugby Union
*es icon [http://www.fubb.org.uy Federación Uruguaya de Basketball] - Uruguayan Basketball Federation
*es icon [http://www.aug.com.uy Asociación Uruguaya de Golf] - Uruguayan Golf Association

References