Sports in Angola – Interesting facts and figures!
On the way to London 2012!
Barcelona 1992
Did you know- Between July 25 and August 9, 1992, the Angolan Olympic Committee sent 29 athletes to the Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. The African nation competed in seven sports: basketball (11), boxing (1), roller hockey (11), judo (4), swimming (3), sailing (3) and track and field (6).
Basketball
Did you know- Basketball is very popular because basketball is a traditional sport with a long history in the African nation. Interestingly, from the 1980s to the 2000s, Angola, a war-torn nation, boasted one of the best basketball teams in the Third World. In 1992, the Angolan squad came in 10th place, among 12 teams, in the Men’s Olympic Games Basketball Tournament in Barcelona (Spain). Eight years ago, they had won the silver medal at the African Under-20 Championship. By 1987, against all odds, Angola – a Portuguese-speaking republic located in southern Africa – won the gold medal in men’s basketball at the African Games in Nairobi (Kenya). Prior to 1987, the Angolan men’s basketball team had placed 20th in the World Championship in Spain. In the Spanish city of Ferrol, Africans were the most popular basketball players; there Angola had defeated Australia 74-69. Added to this, the country – one of the least developed states in Africa – finished 13th in the South American universal competition in the early 1990s. By 1996, it was ranked 11th in the XXVI Games. Olympiad in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).
Soccer
Did you know- Angola’s first major international success came at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. During that world event, the men’s soccer team was ranked 23rd, between Croatia (Europe) and Tunisia (North Africa). The best players were Flavio da Silva Amado, Joao Ricardo Pereira dos Santos Batalha and Fabrice Alcebiades Maieco, in that order.
THE 1984
Did you know- The Angolan Olympic Committee, under pressure from Cuba and the Soviet Union, boycotted the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, California, USA. Four years ago, Angola made its Olympic debut at the Games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow, USSR (now Russia). On the other hand, Angola is one of the youngest members of the Olympic family.
men’s handball
Did you know- The men’s handball team placed 15th in the World Under-20 Championship.
sports
Did you know- The most popular sports are football, athletics, basketball, roller hockey and handball.
women’s handball
Did you know- The national team placed seventh in women’s handball at the 1996 Summer Games in the United States of America. In that international event, Angola, under the tutelage of coach Alberto Junior, defeated America (host nation) 24-23. The country also qualified for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. In the 1990s, the Angolan women’s handball team competed in five world championships (1990, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999). At the 1997 World Cup, the national delegation placed 15th, ahead of Japan, South Korea, and Canada.