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Sports in Colombia
Sports in Colombia refers to the practice of sports in the Republic of Colombia. There are Professional sports leagues as well as amateur leagues for numerous sports being Football (soccer) and cycling the most practiced and popular sports in Colombia. The Government of Colombia sponsors numerous individuals and teams nationally and internationally through the Ministry of Culture for competitions in representation of Colombia despite the country's economical and social problems throughout the years. Professional Sports achievements are subject to national pride for Colombians.
History
There is one notable leisure sport native to Colombia called tejo which is derived from the muiscas indigenous peoples. Blood sports like bullfighting and cock fights were introduced by the Spaniards and their culture during the colonization of the Americas.
Summer Olympics
Colombia has participated in the Summer Olympics of 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004
Football (soccer)
Football was introduced by British workers in Santa Marta and Barranquilla in the late 19th Century while working for multinational companies such as the United Fruit Company and the construction of the railroad in the Caribbean region and later to Bogota were the leagues developed. The professional practice of football (soccer) is managed by the Federacion Colombiana de Futbol (Colombian Federation of Football) which has managed the professional level of football soccer in Colombia since its foundation on July 20, 1924. The organization is associated to the FIFA and CONMEBOL since 1936. The Colombia national football team participated in a FIFA World Cup in 1962 followed by others in 1990, 1994 and 1998. The best presentation being in 1990 when the team reached the second round.
Its most notorious achievement was the winning of the Copa America 2001 edition, which was also hosted in Colombia. It also classified for the 1968, 1972, 1980 and 1992 Summer Olympics. Throughout the years many Colombians have also worked for leagues in other nations. The national leagues compete in the Copa Mustang which also participates in international tournaments like Copa Libertadores de America upon winning or finishing in the first places.
Notable Football Players
Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama
Leonel Alvarez
Ivan Cordoba
Rene Higuita
Camilo Perez
Cycling
Professional Cycling in Colombia became very popular after the triumphs of Martin Emilio "Cochise" Rodriguez in European cycling competitions which in turn helped to develop the Colombian Cycling Federation. Rodriguez was later followed by a generation of bicyclers known as the "Colombian beetles" which include up to this date Luis "Lucho" Herrera, Luis Felipe Laverde, Fabio Parra, Victor Hugo Pena, Santiago Botero and more recently Mauricio Soler. These competitors created a fan base in Colombia which in turn helped to create the Vuelta a Colombia a local cycling competition.
During the 1990s the government of the Colombian capital, Bogota introduced the Ciclovia which became popular and were introduced later into other Colombian cities. The government of Bogota later built the Bogota's Bike Paths Network to sponsor the practice of sports by the population and to curve the city's increasing pollution by drivers. The network extends throughout the city with bicycle use increasing 5 times in the city. There is an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 trips made daily in Bogota by bicycle. A large portion of this use is in southern poorer areas.
Champions
Maria Luisa Calle, bronce medal winner in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and World Champion.
Fabio Parra, 3rd place in the tour de France, 1988
Santiago Botero, Counter-clock world champion
Martin Emilio "Cochise" Rodriguez, Hour competition world champion and world Champion in 4000 m pursuit.
Marlon Perez, Youth World Champion by points, 1994
Efrain Dominguez, Double world record in kilometer and 200 m pushed 1987
Maria Luisa Calle, Medalla de Bronce Juegos Olimpicos Atenas 2004, Campeona mundial 2006
Lucho Herrera, "El jardinerito", Champion of the Dauphine Libere 1988, 1991 and Vuelta a Espana, 1987
Martin Ramirez Champion Dauphine Libere 1984
Alfonso Florez Ortiz Champion Tour De l'Avenir, 1980
Victor Hugo Pena, only Colombian cyclist to wear the Yellow jersey in a Tour de France leader, 2003.
BMX racing
Mario Soto World Champion
Mariana Pajon 4 times World Champion UCI cruiser category
Santiago Duque World Champion UCI cruiser category 2002
Augusto Castro World Champion
Martial Arts
Boxing
Professional Boxing in Colombia is mostly practiced in Caribbean region and in poor areas of the western regions of Colombia. Boxing in Colombia was also introduced by Europeans in the late 19th Century and became popular in Latin America in the early 20th Century and in Colombia became popular in the 1960s with the triumphs of Antonio "Kid Pambele" Cervantes who became a two time world Jr. Welterweight champion. He was then followed by boxers like Prudencio Cardona, Rodrigo Valdez, Fidel Bassa, and many more. The success of these boxers created a fan base and many Colombians started to follow the sport. The National Boxing Commission of Colombia (Comision Nacional de Boxeo de Colombia) was created and regulated the practice of boxing in Colombia.
In the 1980s the success of Miguel "Happy" Lora reigned in the bantam weight division (118 pounds) -WBC- from 1985 to 1988 and the silver medal in the Pan American Games of Carlos Jose Tamara. Another boxers have figured internationally and won some tittles such as Ener Julio, Joel Julio, among others.
During the 1990s surged Irene "Mambaco" Pacheco who became a world champion in the IBF Flyweight category and in the 2000s Fulgencio Zuniga current IBO Super middleweight champion.
Champions
Tomas Molinares, World Boxing champion, welter jr division (WBA) 1988
Prudencio Cardona World Boxing champion, light division 1982 (WBC)
Ricardo cardona World Boxing champion
Elvis Alvarez World Boxing champion light division 1989-1990 (WBO), 1991 (WBA)
Irene Pacheco World Boxing champion FIB, fly division 1999
Kermin Guardia World Boxing champion OMB, minimum division
Beibis Mendoza World Boxing champion AMB, minifly division
Camilo el "Bambino" Garcia World Boxing champion FIB, fly division 1992
Daniel Reyes World Boxing champion FIB, minimum division
Rodrigo Valdes World Boxing champion AMB - CMB medium division
Luis "Chicanero" Mendoza World Boxing champion
Jorge Eliecer Julio World Boxing champion and Bronce medal 1988 Olympic Games
Mauricio Pastrana World Boxing champion
Antonio Cervantes "Kid" Pambele World Boxing champion welter jr
Miguel "Happy" Lora World Boxing champion 1985 until 1988 (WBC)
Fidel Bassa World Boxing champion, light division 1987 - 1989 (WBA)
Rafael "Derby" Pineda Campeon Mundial de Boxeo Welter jr
Ener Julio World Boxing champion welter jr
Edison Miranda
Carlos Maussa World Boxing champion welter jr
Miguel "Huracan" Barrera World Boxing champion FIB, minimum division
Miguel "Mascara" Maturana World Boxing champion Aficionado rooster division, Montreal, Canada 1981
Joel Julio
Robinson Pitalua
Clemente Perez, bronce medal, 1972 Olympic Games
Alfonso Perez bronce medal 1972 Olympic Games
Ruben "Huracan" Palacios World Boxing champion feather division OMB
Juan Urango World Boxing champion super light division FIB
Roller skating
With the introduction of inline Inline skates in Colombia during the 1990s roller skating became widely practiced throughout most of the main cities in the country. It was mostly popular in the main and medium size cities such as Cartagena, Cali, Bogota, Pasto, Barrancabermeja, Barranquilla, Medellin and Valledupar.
Notable
Claudia Ruiz Female Inline speed skating world champion 300 meters, 1990
Luz Mery Tristan Female Inline speed skating world champion 5000 meters, 1990
Guillermo Leon Botero Inline speed skating world champion 20000 meters 1990
Luis Eduardo Moreno Inline speed skating world champion in China, 300 meters
Liana Holguin Female Inline speed skating world champion in China
Andres Felipe Munoz 15,000 meters Inline speed skating Junior world champion in Abruzzo, 2004 in China 2005
Brigitte Mendez Female Inline speed skating world champion 15.000 m elimination, Abruzzo (Italy) 2004, Sushou (China) 2005, 1.000 m line Sushou (China) 2005
Juan Nayib Tobon Multiple World champion Inline speed skating in China
Silvia Natalia Nino Multiple Inline speed skating world champion
Diego Rosero Multiple Inline speed skating world champion
Cecilia Baena Female Inline speed skating world champion
Berenice Moreno Female Inline speed skating world champion
Jorge Botero Inline speed skating world champion
Jennifer Caicedo Female Inline speed skating world champion 500 meters Duisburg (Germany) and Suzhou (China) and in Barquisimeto (Venezuela)
Edwin Guevara Inline speed skating world champion 1996, 1998
Anderson Ariza Inline speed skating world champion 2002
Alexandra Vivas Female Inline speed skating world champion 10,000 meters (Italy) 2004
Nelson Garzon Inline speed skating world champion 10,000 meters points, 2006
Jersy Puello Inline speed skating world champion 200 m and 1.000 m (Italy) 2004
Carolina Upegui Inline speed skating world champion 15,000 meters (Italy) 2004
Kelly Martinez Inline speed skating junior world champion 15,000 meters Barquisimeto (Venezuela) 2003
Jorge Cifuentes Inline speed skating junior world champion 1.000 m, 500 m J (Italy) 2004
Motor Sports
Roberto Guerrero former Formula One pilot.
Martin Cardenas 250cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing pilot.
With The most known Colombians that Los colombianos mas destacados en los deportes de motor son el piloto de Formula 1 Juan Pablo Montoya y el piloto de Martin Cardenas.
Juan Pablo Montoya has been the most successful sportsman in motor sports in Colombia with a cameo in Formula One and of 2006 in the NASCAR, United States.
Chess
Miguel Cuellar
Boris de Greiff
Ilse Guggenberger
Luis Augusto Sanchez
Alonso Zapata Finished Second Youth World Championship 1977, Great Internacional Masters.
Athletics
Ximena Restrepo Athletic runner, Bronze medal 1992 Olympic Games
Orlando Duque Diving, World Champion
Baseball
Liga Colombiana de Beisbol Profesional
Colombia Baseball World Cup Champions 1947, 1965.
Colombia Gold medal Bolivarian Games in Lima, Peru 1947
Colombia Gold medal Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla 1946
Jackie Gutierrez, Major League Baseball player
Jolbert Cabrera, Major League Baseball player
Orlando Cabrera, Major League Baseball player
Luis Castro, Mexican Colombian Major League Baseball player
Edgar Renteria, Major League Baseball player Champion 1997 World Series with Florida Marlins
Emiliano Fruto Major League Baseball player, pitcher Seattle Mariners
Bowling
Jairo Ocampo Bowling World Champion, 1974
Armando Marino Bowling World Champion, 1983
Clara Juliana Guerrero Female Bowling World Champion, 2003
Golf
Marisa Baena was Champion of the first HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship, in 2005.
Currently, Camilo Villegas is the most recognized Colombian golfer in the international level. Since 2006 he participates in the PGA tournaments in the United States, such as his first appearance in the Ford Championship where he ended third, three strikes away of Tiger Woods.
Weight lifting
Maria Isabel Urrutia female weight lifter, multiple times world champion and gold medal 2000 Olympic Games
Mabel Mosquera female weight lifter, bronce medal 2004 Olympic Games
Olympic Wrestling
Albeiro Garcia World Champion Greco-Roman wrestling, Stockholm, 1980
Joselio Mosquera World Champion Greco-Roman wrestling
Tennis
Alejandro Falla, professional tennis player
Mauricio Hadad, professional tennis player
Fabiola Zuluaga, female professional tennis player
Catalina Castano, female professional tennis player
Shooting
Helmut Bellingrodt Shooting world champion and 1972, 1984 Olympic Games
Bernardo Tovar Automatic pistol world champion in Moscow 1990 and seven time champion of in pistol, fast shooting and automatic pistol.
See also
Colombia at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Colombia at the 1984 Summer Olympics
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Sports in Colombia
