Sport in Brazil
Many sports are widely played in Brazil, and the general population is very involved in athletics. Football is the most popular by a wide margin, but other sports are also quite popular and some even have cultural significance.
Brazil has been a competitor in the Summer Olympics since 1920, and is currently ranked thirty-third in the overall number of medals won in the Summer Olympics. Traditionally, it has not competed in the Winter Olympics due to the tropical climate, although it made its first appearance in the Winter Olympics in 1992. Over all Brazil has won twenty gold medals, twenty-five silver medals, and forty-five bronze medals, totaling ninety medals in all.
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that is often played on the ground and has a strong acrobatic component. It is practiced internationally and has found its way into popular culture through movies and computer games. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Vale Tudo are ground fighting techniques that involve joint-locks and chokeholds.
Footvolley was created IN Brazil in the 1960s and is a combination of football and volleyball where players use their feet and head to hit a ball over a net. It is played in the sand and is one of the most popular beach sports in Brazil.
Brazil has had several successful professional tennis players, including Maria Esther Bueno and Gustavo Kuerten. However, tennis in Brazil has an uncertain future due to the lack of support and severe elitization of the sport.
Basketball has been somewhat popular in Brazil, but in recent years its popularity has decreased as volleyball has increasingly gained attention. However, the men’s national basketball team has won the World Championship twice, in 1959 and 1963. When considering all categories of volleyball, Brazil is the most successful country in the world. Their national men’s team is the champion in two major competitions, and their woman’s squad is the current Olympic champion. Younger Brazilian teams enjoy the same success as the senior squads.
Motorsport is another one of the most popular sports in Brazil. Brazil has produced three Formula One world champions, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet, and Ayrton Senna. There are also three Brazilian drivers in the 2009 lineup. Several notable drivers in the Indy Racing League have come from Brazil, like Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneces, and Gil de Ferran.
Many other sports are popular in Brazil. Skateboarding has gained popularity in recent years, with nearly three million skateboarders in the country in 2003. Athletics, swimming, and sailing are traditional sports in Brazil, and have earned Olympic medals for the country. Sailing and Equestrian are considered elitist sports, and are not generally accessible to the general population.
Recently, team handball has been developing, and is being practiced especially in private schools, and is beginning to be practiced in public schools due to its low cost.
There are some sports that struggle for attention in Brazil, like water polo and roller hockey, as well as baseball. Ruby is also fairly unknown, but is becoming increasingly popular inside of universities.
Of course football is the most popular national sport by a long shot, and is participated in or observed by much of the population.