THE SPORTOMANIACS - SPORT LEADS US TO THE WORLD !!!
HERE IS THE PRESENTATION PREPARED BY OUR FRIENDS FROM ABROAD ON SPORT AND A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
HERE IS THE PRESENTATION PREPARED BY OUR FRIENDS FROM ABROAD ON SPORT AND A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
SPORT LEADS US TO THE WORLD! - SPORTS IN ITALY
In Italy, calcio (soccer to Americans, football to Europeans) surpasses all other sports. La Squadra Azzurra (the blue team) is a major source of national pride and sometimes agony. Some claim that Italy's victory in the 1982 World Cup did more for national unity than any political movement.
Italy's success in 1994 sparked excitement that crested with every victory and ultimately crashed with their defeat by Brazil. In the 1998 World Cup quarterfinals, France knocked out Italy after an intense 4-3 penalty shoot-out. Last year, Italy whipped France and the rest of the world, winning the 2006 World Cup.
Italian fans cheer on their local teams, especially those promoted to Serie A, the Italian major league. Inter-urban rivalries, including those among Naples, Milan, and Rome, are intense. Italian sports fans, called tifosi (fever boys) are raucous and energetic.
Bicycling is popular in Italy. Besides manufacturing some of the best bikes in the world and hosting bike tours, Italians host the Giro d'Italia, a 25-day cross-country race in May.
With parts of the Italian Alps (including the Dolomites) and the Apennines within its borders, Italy attracts skiers from December to April. Hiking and mountain climbing are popular throughout the North and in Calabria's Sila Massif.
For swimming, windsurfing, or sailing, you may want to try the Southern beaches or those on Italy's islands. Breathtaking Sardinia offers crystal-blue waters with up to 30 meters of visibility.
In Italy, calcio (soccer to Americans, football to Europeans) surpasses all other sports. La Squadra Azzurra (the blue team) is a major source of national pride and sometimes agony. Some claim that Italy's victory in the 1982 World Cup did more for national unity than any political movement.
Italy's success in 1994 sparked excitement that crested with every victory and ultimately crashed with their defeat by Brazil. In the 1998 World Cup quarterfinals, France knocked out Italy after an intense 4-3 penalty shoot-out. Last year, Italy whipped France and the rest of the world, winning the 2006 World Cup.
Italian fans cheer on their local teams, especially those promoted to Serie A, the Italian major league. Inter-urban rivalries, including those among Naples, Milan, and Rome, are intense. Italian sports fans, called tifosi (fever boys) are raucous and energetic.
Bicycling is popular in Italy. Besides manufacturing some of the best bikes in the world and hosting bike tours, Italians host the Giro d'Italia, a 25-day cross-country race in May.
With parts of the Italian Alps (including the Dolomites) and the Apennines within its borders, Italy attracts skiers from December to April. Hiking and mountain climbing are popular throughout the North and in Calabria's Sila Massif.
For swimming, windsurfing, or sailing, you may want to try the Southern beaches or those on Italy's islands. Breathtaking Sardinia offers crystal-blue waters with up to 30 meters of visibility.
SPORT LEADS US TO THE WORLD! - SPORTS IN THE UK
Football is by far the most popular of all sports in the UK. Most newspapers cover it extensively. Almost every British person has their favourite football team.
The history of football is as dramatic as a penalty shoot-out. There are many tales about possible historical forerunners of the sport, but football as we know it today is as English as fish and chips. The birthdate of modern, codified football is 1863, and its birthplace is London. This is when the Football Association was founded. Well over a century later, it’s still the governing body of football in England – and the oldest in the world.
The Premier League is the crown jewel of the English football league system. Twenty teams play each year, and the four heavyweights include Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal. Recently, strong seasons from Manchester City and Tottenham Spurs have increased the heavyweights from four to six.
As sports in the UK differ among the four regions, Scotland has its own league system. Its top clubs play in the Scottish Premier League. Welsh teams can join either the English or the Welsh football league.
Other Popular Sports
Don’t worry if football isn’t your cup of tea. Other popular sports in the UK include rugby, cricket, golf, horseracing, and tennis. If you read about the history of sports, you’ll encounter the UK again and again. In addition to being the birthplace of football, London hosts the world’s oldest tennis tournament: Wimbledon. First held in 1877, the tradition continues for two weeks every year in late June or early July. It’s the only major tennis tournament still played on grass, keeping its tradition as “lawn tennis” alive.
Other annual top events for sports in the UK are the F1 British Grand Prix, Cartier International Polo, The Open Championship Golf (the British Open), and the Grand National Horse Racing.
England isn’t the only part of the UK that has made a sport famous. Golf, or at least its modern version, belongs to Scotland. There are 2,752 golf courses in the UK – 8% of the world’s golf courses in 2008.
Golf is admittedly one of the more expensive activities among sports in the UK. Regular golfers pay to join a club and are then charged an annual fee. In 2006, the average UK joining fee was £686 for women and £738 for men, plus an annual fee of £580 or £630, respectively. However, there are also public golf courses to make the sport more accessible.
Don’t worry if football isn’t your cup of tea. Other popular sports in the UK include rugby, cricket, golf, horseracing, and tennis. If you read about the history of sports, you’ll encounter the UK again and again. In addition to being the birthplace of football, London hosts the world’s oldest tennis tournament: Wimbledon. First held in 1877, the tradition continues for two weeks every year in late June or early July. It’s the only major tennis tournament still played on grass, keeping its tradition as “lawn tennis” alive.
Other annual top events for sports in the UK are the F1 British Grand Prix, Cartier International Polo, The Open Championship Golf (the British Open), and the Grand National Horse Racing.
England isn’t the only part of the UK that has made a sport famous. Golf, or at least its modern version, belongs to Scotland. There are 2,752 golf courses in the UK – 8% of the world’s golf courses in 2008.
Golf is admittedly one of the more expensive activities among sports in the UK. Regular golfers pay to join a club and are then charged an annual fee. In 2006, the average UK joining fee was £686 for women and £738 for men, plus an annual fee of £580 or £630, respectively. However, there are also public golf courses to make the sport more accessible.
One Nation,
Four Countries, How Many Teams?
When it comes to nation states, the United Kingdom is an anomaly. It is a country composed of four separate countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. For many sports titles, they compete separately. Each country has its own football team. Though Wales and Scotland both belong to the United Kingdom, they are in the same group for the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers.
However, there is a time when these four nations pool together to represent sports in the UK. That time is the Olympics. Their team is surprisingly called Team GB (Great Britain). The full official name is Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic team, but Team GB is still used for branding reasons.
When it comes to nation states, the United Kingdom is an anomaly. It is a country composed of four separate countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. For many sports titles, they compete separately. Each country has its own football team. Though Wales and Scotland both belong to the United Kingdom, they are in the same group for the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers.
However, there is a time when these four nations pool together to represent sports in the UK. That time is the Olympics. Their team is surprisingly called Team GB (Great Britain). The full official name is Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic team, but Team GB is still used for branding reasons.
SPORT LEADS US TO THE WORLD! - SPORTS IN PORTUGAL
Football
Football takes the top spot on the list of the most popular Portuguese sports.
A good number of talented football players from Portugal are known worldwide.
Some of these players include: Cristiano Ronaldo , Nani, Deco, Simão Sabrosa, Ricardo Quaresma and great players now retired including the international player Luis Figo and striker Eusébio , nicknamed the Black Panther for scoring predatory goals, who is known to be FIFA World Cup top scorer of the 1966 tournament with a sum of nine goals.
Portugal has also got remarkable football managers like José Mourinho, Carlos Queiroz, André Villas-Boas, Manuel José, Jorge Jesus, Jesualdo Ferreira, Domingos Paciência, Leonardo Jardim and others. Portugal performs very well in a number of competitions and has managed to win a number of trophies.
Futsal
Futsal is one of the major sports leagues in Portugal.
It is divided into different divisions with the top teams playing in the premier professional futsal league or 1ª Divisão.
A team from each division plays the rest of the other teams once away and once at home.
The final phase in the 1ª Divisão is played using the playoff system.
Teams from Portugal compete in home organized tournaments and those which are organized in the rest of Europe.
The team which wins the Portuguese cup plays the winners of the first division in the Portuguese Super cup.
Rink hockey
Portugal has got a very successful team of rink hockey (hóquei em patins in Portuguese).
The national roller hockey team has managed to win 20 European titles and 15 world titles.
This puts it on the top as the country with the greatest number of wins in the two competitions. In the European championships history, the most successful rink hockey clubs from Portugal include: F.C. Porto, S.L. Benfica , Sporting Clube de Portugal and Óquei de Barcelos.
Portugal has got a very successful team of rink hockey (hóquei em patins in Portuguese).
The national roller hockey team has managed to win 20 European titles and 15 world titles.
This puts it on the top as the country with the greatest number of wins in the two competitions. In the European championships history, the most successful rink hockey clubs from Portugal include: F.C. Porto, S.L. Benfica , Sporting Clube de Portugal and Óquei de Barcelos.
Basketball
The Portuguese basketball league (Liga Portuguesa de basquetebol ) is the top basketball league for the men in Portugal.
Between the 1965-66 and 1973-74 seasons, the champions of the league were determined by a competition between the Campeonato Metropolitano winners as Portugal’s representatives and the champions of Mozambique and Angola (Portugal’s then colonies).
But, the first kind of these tournaments wasn’t played because of the protest by the Sporting de Lourenço Marques, the Mozambican team.
The teams in the basekball league with the most victories in championships are S.L. Benfica , F.C. Porto, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Carnide.
The Portuguese basketball league (Liga Portuguesa de basquetebol ) is the top basketball league for the men in Portugal.
Between the 1965-66 and 1973-74 seasons, the champions of the league were determined by a competition between the Campeonato Metropolitano winners as Portugal’s representatives and the champions of Mozambique and Angola (Portugal’s then colonies).
But, the first kind of these tournaments wasn’t played because of the protest by the Sporting de Lourenço Marques, the Mozambican team.
The teams in the basekball league with the most victories in championships are S.L. Benfica , F.C. Porto, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Carnide.
HandBall
The Portuguese premier professional handball league in Portugal is the Liga Portuguesa de Andebol (LPA) and it consists of 12 teams.
This league is a closed competition which only accepts new teams by application.
This implies that there is no relegation or promotion between the Divisão de Elite, the second tier league.
The regular presence of the Portuguese handball in the major international competitions attracts more public and leads to a growing audience, particularly in the ever increasing television broadcasts.