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Sport in Spain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium often regarded as one of the most important stadiums in Spain.

Sport in Spain in the second half of the 20th century has always been dominated by football. Other popular sport activities include basketball, tennis, cycling, padel, handball, rugby, rally, motorcycling, judo, Formula One, water sports, rhythmic gymnastics, bullfighting, golf, and skiing.

Spain has also hosted a number of international events such as the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Spain will host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Morocco and Portugal. With Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon championships in 2008 and 2010, US Open championships in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019, French Open championships in 2005–08, 2010–14, 2017–20 and 2022 and Australian Open in 2009 and 2022, the tennis team winning the Davis Cup five times (2000, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011), basketball team winning the 2006 World Basketball Championship and the 2019 World Basketball Championship, the FIBA EuroBasket in 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2022, and multiple medals at the Olympic Games, Fernando Alonso's back-to-back (2005 and 2006) Formula One championships, the football team bringing home Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Euro 2012 and Euro 2024 trophies and Óscar Pereiro, Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre's 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 triumphs in Tour de France more recently, several papers have looked beyond Sastre's win to claim that Spain is enjoying something of a sporting "Golden Age" similar to the Spanish 17th century achievements in painting and literature.

Popularity

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David Villa one of the most successful and celebrated Spanish footballers of his generation.
Gervasio Deferr three-time Olympic medalist, made significant contributions to Spanish gymnastics during his career.

In 2014, the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) asked which sport or sports people in Spain participated in and which ones they were particularly interested in, even if they did not practice them. Allowing the respondent to give 3 answers to each question.[1]

Sport Participating Interested In
Gym 29.3% 10.7%
Cycling 19.5% 11.1%
Swimming 17% 11.9%
Football 14.9% 48%
Athletics 7.6% 5.7%
Basketball 5.1% 17.1%
Futsal 4.3% 2.1%
Tennis 4.1% 21.6%
Winter sports 2.7% 1.7%
Motorcycle racing 0.9% 10.5%
Auto racing 0.4% 8.4%
Mountaineering 11.4% 3.8%
Skating 1.1% 3.6%
Handball 0.1% 2.6%
Nothing NA 12.7%

As of 2022, padel is the second most popular participation sport in Spain behind football. As of 2022, there were five million players in Spain and more than 20,000 courts.[2][3][4]

Host of events

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Big events

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World championships

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Olympic sports
Competition Sport Place
2005 World Archery Championships Archery Madrid
1986 FIBA World Championship Basketball
2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup Basketball
2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Basketball Canary Islands
1999 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships Canoeing La Seu d'Urgell
2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships Canoeing Seville
2013 World Aquatics Championships Cycling Barcelona
1965 UCI Road World Championships Cycling San Sebastián
1965 UCI Track Cycling World Championships Cycling San Sebastián
1973 UCI Road World Championships Cycling Barcelona
1973 UCI Track Cycling World Championships Cycling San Sebastián
1984 UCI Track Cycling World Championships Cycling Barcelona
1992 UCI Road World Championships Cycling Benidorm
1992 UCI Track Cycling World Championships Cycling Valencia
1997 UCI Road World Championships Cycling San Sebastián
2000 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships Cycling Sierra Nevada
2005 UCI Road World Championships Cycling Madrid
2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships Cycling Palma
2014 UCI Road World Championships Cycling Ponferrada
2002 FEI World Equestrian Games Equestrian Jerez de la Frontera
1985 World Fencing Championships Fencing Barcelona
1971 Men's Hockey World Cup Field hockey Barcelona
1978 Women's Hockey World Cup Field hockey Madrid
2006 Women's Hockey World Cup Field hockey Madrid
1975 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships Gymnastic Madrid
1985 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships Gymnastic Valladolid
1993 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships Gymnastic Alicante
2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships Gymnastic Madrid
2023 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships Gymnastic Valencia
2013 World Men's Handball Championship Handball
2021 World Women's Handball Championship Handball
1991 World Judo Championships Judo Barcelona
2002 World Rowing Championships Rowing Seville
2004 World Rowing Championships Rowing Banyoles
2003 ISAF Sailing World Championships Sailing Cádiz
2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships Sailing Santander
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996 Skiing Granada
1986 World Aquatics Championships Swimming Madrid
2013 World Aquatics Championships Swimming Barcelona
2005 World Taekwondo Championships Taekwondo Madrid
Other sports
Competition Sport Place
1952 Basque Pelota World Championships Basque Pelota San Sebastián
1962 Basque Pelota World Championships Basque Pelota Pamplona
1970 Basque Pelota World Championships Basque Pelota San Sebastián
1986 Basque Pelota World Championships Basque Pelota Vitoria-Gasteiz
2002 Basque Pelota World Championships Basque Pelota Pamplona
2018 Basque Pelota World Championships Basque Pelota Barcelona
World Chess Championship 1987 Chess Seville
1985 AMF Futsal Men's World Cup Futsal
1996 FIFA Futsal World Championship Futsal
2008 AMF Futsal Women's World Cup Futsal Catalonia
2017 AMF Futsal Women's World Cup Futsal Catalonia
1992 Padel World Championship Padel Madrid
1996 Padel World Championship Padel Madrid
2006 Padel World Championship Padel Murcia
2012 Padel World Championship Padel Barcelona
2013 Padel World Championship Padel Bilbao
2014 Padel World Championship Padel Palma de Mallorca
2015 Padel World Championship Padel Málaga
1951 Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey Barcelona
1954 Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey Barcelona
1960 Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey Madrid
1964 Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey Barcelona
1972 Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey A Coruña
1976 Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey Oviedo
1988 Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey A Coruña
1999 Rink Hockey World Championship Roller hockey Reus
2009 Rink Hockey World Championship Roller hockey Vigo
2010 FIRS Women's Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey Alcobendas
2019 Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey Barcelona
2019 Women's Roller Hockey World Cup Roller hockey Barcelona
2002 Women's Rugby World Cup Rugby Catalonia
1987 World Taekwondo Championships Taekwondo Barcelona

Spanish sports calendar

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By sport

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Team sports

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Football

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Spain national football team celebrating its victory at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Championship in Madrid.

Association football, commonly known as football (or soccer), (Spanish: Fútbol asociación), is the most popular sport in Spain.[5] Football is a widespread passion among the people of Spain, and most people in Spain have at least some sort of connection to the sport.[6] Football is the sport with the most registered players (a total of 1,063,090 of which 997,106 are men and 77,461 women, a 55% rise in women since 2014[7]), and highest number of registered clubs (a total of 29,205) among all Spanish sport federations according to data issued by the sports administration of Spain's government in 2020.[8]

El Clásico: The iconic football showdown between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

La Liga or Primera División (The Spanish League) is considered to be one of the world's best competitions in men's football. Successful teams in recent European competitions are Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia CF and Atlético Madrid. Real Madrid and Barcelona have dominated for much of their history, and created an intimate rivalry, which is known as El Clásico. Real Madrid has been dubbed by many pundits as the most successful club in the world, having won the UEFA Champions League a record 15 times, almost all other UEFA club competitions at least once, and La Liga a record 35 times. Barcelona has been European champions 5 times, and won La Liga on 26 occasions. Other teams such as Atlético Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia have also gained prominence by winning the UEFA Europa League, with 9 titles going to Spanish teams since 2004.

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are the two most popular sports clubs on social media in the world as of 7 February 2024:[9]

# Sports club Country Sport Followers
1 Real Madrid Spain Football 360.5 million
2 FC Barcelona Spain Football 318.8 million
3 Manchester United United Kingdom Football 207 million
4 Paris Saint-Germain France Football 163 million
5 Juventus Italy Football 147.4 million
6 Manchester City United Kingdom Football 139.7 million
7 Chelsea FC United Kingdom Football 136.7 million
8 Liverpool FC United Kingdom Football 131.6 million
9 Bayern Munich Germany Football 126.5 million
10 Arsenal FC United Kingdom Football 99.2 million
Alexia Putellas lifts the trophy of the 2022–23 Champions League, celebrating Barcelona's win.

Liga F is the highest league for women's football in the country and is one of the most important leagues in Europe. FC Barcelona are the dominant team, winning the league 8 times. Barcelona has also won the Champions League three times in the last four years.

Andrés Iniesta lifting the 2015 UEFA Super Cup trophy

The Spain men's national team has been successful and has qualified for the FIFA World Cup tournament fifteen times since 1934. In 2010, Spain defeated the Netherlands in the final to win the tournament for the first time. In the European Championship they were champions in 1964, 2008, 2012 and 2024, and runners-up in 1984. Spain has won three medals in football Olympic Games tournaments. They have won two silver medals at the Sydney 2000 and at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and won a gold medal during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Women's football in Spain has seen a massive increase in popularity after being banned until the late 1970s.[10] The Spain women's national team were champions in the 2023 World Cup.

The women's youth teams have been dominant. The national U-17 team won the U-17 European Championship in 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2018, as well as becoming champions at the 2018 and 2022 U-17 World Cups, and finalists in the 2014 U-17 World Cup. The U-19 national team won the UEFA U-19 European Championship in 2004, 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023. The U-20 national team were runner-ups at the 2018 U-20 World Cup and then champions at the 2022 U-20 World Cup. By winning the 2022 U-17 World Cup, 2022 U-20 World Cup, and the 2023 World Cup, Spain become the first country to hold all three women's championships at the same time.

The men's youth teams have also been successful in the past. The U-20 team won the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1999 and were runners-up in 1985 and 2003. The U-17 team was runners-up three times and won third place in 1997 in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Futsal
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The Spanish futsal league is divided into divisions. The top teams play in the Primera División (also called Liga Nacional de Fútbol Sala). In each division, a team plays all other teams twice, once at home and once away.[11]

The Spanish league teams compete in Europe under UEFA, most notably in the UEFA Futsal Cup with great success, being the national league holding more continental titles.[12] The teams also compete in a domestic cup competition each year, called the Copa del Rey. The winner of the División de Honor plays against the winner of the Copa del Rey in the Supercopa de España (Super Cup).

The Spain national futsal team represents the whole country, and has twice won the World Championship and six times the UEFA Futsal Championship, which makes Spain the second international futsal power, after Brazil.

Basketball

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Pau Gasol with the shirt of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Spain national team in 2006 World Championships.

The Spanish ACB is one of the major European basketball leagues. Spanish teams such as Real Madrid Baloncesto, FC Barcelona Bàsquet and Joventut Badalona have won international championships such as the Euroleague or Eurocup.

A number of Spanish players such as Pau Gasol and his younger brother Marc Gasol, Juan Hernangómez, Ricky Rubio, and naturalized Spaniard Serge Ibaka are currently playing in the NBA. Other Spanish players who have recently played in the league include Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodríguez.

The Spanish men's national basketball team has achieved a high ranked position in the international tournament by winning their first ever gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, and have hosted the 1986 FIBA World Championship and 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. also won six silver medals and four gold medals at the EuroBasket. Most recently, they won the gold medal at EuroBasket 2011, a silver at the 2012 Summer Olympics, a gold at EuroBasket 2015, a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, a gold at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and another gold at EuroBasket 2022. The women's national team were silver medalists at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women (since renamed the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup) and 2016 Olympics. They have also won nine medals (three gold, one silver, five bronze) at EuroBasket Women, most recently a gold in 2017. The country finished third in the FIBA Women's World Cup in 2018. The Spanish men's national basketball team ranked 1st in the FIBA ranking in September 2022, surpassing the United States for the first time ever,[13] and as 2022 are the current World and European champions.

Handball

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The Spanish Liga ASOBAL is one of the best club competitions. A number of Spanish teams such as BM Ciudad Real, FC Barcelona Handbol, and Portland San Antonio have won or were finalists in the EHF Champions League.

Since the 1990s the men's national team has won eight medals in top class international tournaments, with three bronze medals at the Olympics, three second and a third place at the European Championships and two World Championships (2005 and 2013).

Water polo

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The Spain men's national water polo team is no stranger to the world's elite of this sport. The 1990s were a particularly successful decade for the Spanish team. Major achievements included a Silver medal at the 1992 Olympics and its greatest performance to date, winning the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.

Other remarkable performances include winning the gold medal at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships and, again, at the 2001 edition. They also took Silver at the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome. Before that, Spain had taken Silver at the 1991 edition and then again at the 1994 World Aquatics Championships.

Roller hockey (Quad)

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Roller hockey (Quad) is played by professional athletes. The Spain national team has won the World Championship 14 times with 12 second places and 7 third places and also won the European Championship 14 times with 15 second places and 5 third places. The Spanish teams as FC Barcelona, Reus Deportiu, Igualada HC and HC Liceo La Coruña has won the European Clubs Cup in 44 editions, losing only in 7.

Beach volleyball

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Spain featured national teams in beach volleyball that competed in the women's and men's section at the 2018–2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.[14]

American football

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The Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano is the top level league in Spain, founded in 1988. It is divided into level of A,B,C, and regional divisions with A the top league.

Baseball and softball
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Rugby union

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Volleyball

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Individual sports

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Athletics

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Athletics does not have a very high profile in Spain on a week-in week-out basis, but it leaps to prominence during major championships. Spanish Athletics Championships

Cycling

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David de la Fuente in the 7th stage of the Tour de France 2007 at the Col de la Colombière.
Cycling event in Santander.
Adam Raga motorcycle trials rider, known for his exceptional skill and achievements in the sport.

Cycling has been an important sport in Spain since the 1940s. The Vuelta a España (Spanish for "Tour of Spain") is one of the most important cycling events in the world, together with the Tour de France (French for "Tour of France") and Giro d'Italia (Italian for "Tour of Italy") stage races, collectively known as the Grand Tours.

Several Spanish cycling athletes have won the Tour de France, including Federico Bahamontes, Luis Ocaña, Pedro Delgado, Óscar Pereiro, Alberto Contador, and Carlos Sastre. The most successful Spanish cyclist is Miguel Indurain. He won the Tour de France in five consecutive years between 1991 and 1995. He also won the Giro d'Italia in two consecutive years (1992 and 1993), the 1995 Road World Championship time trial and the gold medal in the 1996 Olympic time trial.

More recently, in 2008, Sastre became the seventh and third consecutive Spaniard to win the Tour de France, then followed by Contador winning his second tour in 2009's edition. Contador was thought to have repeated his win in 2010, but the day before Stage 17, the queen stage finishing with atop the Col du Tourmalet, Contador tested positive for performance-enhancing substance Clenbuterol. Although he claimed it was a result of consuming contaminated beef, in January 2012 the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled him guilty and gave him a two-year ban backdated from July 21, 2010, and had all his results achieved after July 21 erased, including victory in the 2010 Giro d'Italia and a 5th-place finish and most aggressive rider award for stage 19 at the 2011 Tour de France. Since returning from the ban, Contador has won the Vuelta twice, in 2012 and 2014.

Óscar Freire shares the distinction of being one of four men to win the World Road Racing Championship three times, as well as being a three-time winner of one of the most prestigious one-day classic cycle races, the Milan–San Remo. Abraham Olano won the Vuelta a España in 1998, and is the only man to win World Championships in both the road race (1995) and time trial (1998). Alejandro Valverde was the winner of the 2009 Vuelta a España, has won the one-day classic Liège–Bastogne–Liège four times, and in 2018 became World Road Race Champion after having previously finished second or third six times.

Spain has also produced some notable mountain bikers like José Antonio Hermida and track racers like Olympic medalists Joan Llaneras, José Manuel Moreno Periñán, José Antonio Escuredo or Sergi Escobar as well as multi-world champion Guillermo Timoner.

Gymnastics

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El Equipaso, is the nickname by which the Spanish rhythmic gymnastics group is known Olympic runner-up in the Olympics. Rio 2016. World champion clubs 2013 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships and 2014 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships
Artistic gymnastics
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Rhythmic gymnastics
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Carolina Pascual at the 1991 World Championships in Athens.
Almudena Cid in the 'Kiss n Cry Area' at the 2003 European Championships

Rhythmic gymnastics is a popular sport through all Spain, so far the most successful individual rhythmic gymnasts are Carolina Pascual who won a silver medal in the individual all around competition in Barcelona 1992, Carmen Acedo who won gold medal in clubs competition in World Championships in 1993 and Almudena Cid this last is the only rhythmic gymnast who has competed at four olympic finals, placing 9th at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 being 8th at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

In the Atlanta 1996 the Spanish team won the first gold medal of the new competition by groups. The Spanish team was formed by Estela Giménez, Marta Baldó, Nuria Cabanillas, Lorena Guréndez, Estíbaliz Martínez and Tania Lamarca.

Medal standings in World Championships
Deportista 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
1 Nuria Cabanillas[n 1] 3 4 0 7
2 Estela Giménez 2 4 2 8
3 Marta Baldó 2 4 2 8
4 Estíbaliz Martínez 2 3 0 5
5 Tania Lamarca 2 3 0 5
6 Maider Esparza[n 2] 2 3 0 5
7 Lorena Guréndez 2 2 0 4
8 Alejandra Quereda 2 0 2 4
9 Sandra Aguilar 2 0 2 4
10 Lourdes Mohedano 2 0 2 4
11 Elena López 2 0 2 4
12 Artemi Gavezou 2 0 2 4

Spain has found more success in the group competition than at the individual one, the country won many medals and gained prominence in the 90's which has its peak at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta 1996, after the world championships at home in Seville 1998 the group went downhill and had inconsistent results until 2012 when they finished at the 4th place at the Olympic Games in 2012 London Olympics and a performance they would repeat at the 2013 World Championships in Kyiv where the Spanish group won the gold at the 10 clubs final and a bronze in the 3 balls + 2 ribbons final, their firsts world championships medals in 15 years, at the 2014 World Championships in İzmir, Turkey they retained their world title in the 10 clubs final. At the 2015 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships held in Stuttgart, Germany the group won the bronze medal at the all around competition, since 1998 the Spanish group hasn't won an all around medal.

Also for the first time in 9 years the country classified two gymnast for the individual all-around final, Natalia Garcia who finished in the 19th spot and Carolina Rodriguez who got the 11th place.

Triathlon

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Tennis

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Rafael Nadal
Semifinal match between the eventual champion, Spain, and the United States in Las Ventas.
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario won a total of four Grand Slam singles titles.

Spain has produced a number of tennis champions, excelling in tournaments held on clay courts in particular, such as the French Open, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year.

Spain has won the Davis Cup six times (2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2019) and the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) five times (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998).

Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as the greatest Spanish tennis player of all time and one of the best to ever play the game. He has won 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, the second-most in history. He has won the French Open a record 14 times. After defeating then-world No. 1 Roger Federer, Nadal claimed the Wimbledon title in a historic final in 2008. In 2009, he became the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open, a feat he repeated at the 2022 Australian Open. After defeating Novak Djokovic in the 2010 US Open final, he became the first man in history to win majors on clay, grass, and hard courts in a calendar year (Surface Slam), and the first Spaniard to complete a Career Grand Slam, having achieved it twice in his career thus far (one of four men to ever do so). In addition, Nadal is one of two men to achieve the Career Golden Slam in singles and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, having won the singles event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the doubles event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Spain has produced several other world No. 1 players such as Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in 1995 (a 3-time French Open champion in 1989, 1994, and 1998, and 1994 US Open champion), Carlos Moyá in 1999 (1998 French Open champion) Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2003 (2003 French Open champion) Garbiñe Muguruza in 2017 (2016 French Open and 2017 Wimbledon champion) and Carlos Alcaraz in 2022 (2022 US Open champion and 2023 Wimbledon champion).

Other Grand Slam champions include Manuel Santana (1961 and 1964 French Open, 1966 Wimbledon, and 1965 US Open champion), Sergi Bruguera (1993 and 1994 French Open champion), Andrés Gimeno (1972 French Open champion), Conchita Martínez (1994 Wimbledon champion) and Albert Costa (2002 French Open champion).

Other notable Top 10 players from Spain include #2 Manuel Orantes, #2 Àlex Corretja, #2 Lilí Álvarez, #3 David Ferrer, #5 Tommy Robredo, #5 Manuel Alonso, #7 Juan Aguilera, #7 Emilio Sánchez, #7 Alberto Berasategui, #7 Fernando Verdasco, #10 Carlos Costa, and #10 Félix Mantilla.

Tournaments that are held in Spain on the men's ATP Tour every year are the Madrid Masters, Barcelona Open and Mallorca Open. The Madrid Masters are also part of the women's WTA Tour.

Motorsports

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Auto racing

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Alonso at the 2010 Italian Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz with a Citroën Xsara WRC in the Cyprus Rally from the 2004 season.

In Formula One, the two world championships of Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006, helped to make more popular this sport in Spain, other notable Spanish drivers are Alfonso de Portago, Pedro de la Rosa and currently Carlos Sainz Jr. Also, Spain host the Spanish Grand Prix currently in Montmeló and previously the European Grand Prix in Jerez (1994, 1997) and Valencia (2008–2012).

In the World Rally Championship Spanish rally driver Carlos Sainz was crowned world champion in 1990 and 1992 and is ranked third with most wins with 26. Sainz retired from WRC in 2005 and switched to rally raid, where he won the 2010 Dakar Rally. Daniel Sordo has achieved best results since then by finishing third in the World Rally Championship in 2008 and 2009.

In endurance racing, Fermín Vélez is two-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner and two-time World Sportscar Championship Group C2 champion, Marc Gené won the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2010 12 Hours of Sebring, and Antonio García won the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona. Fernando Alonso won the 2018-2019 FIA WEC World Championship, taking wins at the 2018 and 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also won the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona.

Motorcycle racing

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Marc Márquez in 2018 Grand Prix of San Marino.
Dani Pedrosa

Spain host various Grand Prix motorcycle racing events as the Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix, the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix, the Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix, and the Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix, these events have received high attendance numbers.

Spain have 4 world champions in the premier class of MotoGP: Àlex Crivillé (1999), Jorge Lorenzo (2010, 2012, 2015), Marc Márquez (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and Joan Mir (2020). There have also been Spanish riders who have won the Superbike World Championship: Carlos Checa in 2011 and Álvaro Bautista in 2022.

Other notable Spanish grand prix motorcycling riders include Dani Pedrosa, Nicolás Terol, Emilio Alzamora, Jorge Martínez Aspar, Sete Gibernau, Sito Pons, and Ángel Nieto. Away from the track, Laia Sanz has won multiple women's world titles in motorcycle trials and enduro as well as several wins in the female class of the Dakar Rally. Ana Carrasco became the first female motorcyclist to win a world title when she became Supersport 300 World Champion in 2018.

Golf

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Golf course in Mallorca

Golf has become popular among the Spanish. There are a number of courses located in different parts of Spain. They include the San Roque, Sotogrande, Valderrama, and Alcaidesa. Spain hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup.

Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros won the U.S. Masters Tournament twice, and the British Open three times. José María Olazábal has won two Masters titles. Jon Rahm won the U.S. Open in 2021, being the first Spaniard to do so and he also was World No.1 for several weeks in both amateur and professional rankings. Sergio García[15] spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings (over 250 weeks between 2000 and 2008) and won the 2017 Masters. In the women's game, Spain fielded the winning team in the inaugural International Crown in 2014.

Boxing

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Paulino Uzkudun

Combat sports

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Judo
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Spain has several judokas ranked in the top spots of the IJF ranking list, including Francisco Garrigós (#2 in -60kg), Alberto Gaitero (#7 in -66kg), Salvador Cases (#10 in -73kg) and Julia Figueroa (#3 in -48kg)[16] in the senior category, and Gemma Maria Gómez (#6 in -48kg), Marina Castelló (#3 in -52kg), Marta García (#4 in -57kg), Laura Vázquez (#2 in -63kg) and Ai Tsunoda (#1 in -70kg and overall) in the junior category.[17]

Karate
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Damián Quintero and Sandra Sánchez are currently ranked #2 and #3 respectively in their Kata categories, and are both Olympic medalists, with Sánchez being the gold medalist in the female kata and Quintero the silver medalist in male kata at the 2020 Olympics. In addition, Sánchez is a multiple European and World champion in kata, as so is Quintero.

Taekwondo
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Water sports

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Swimming
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Mireia Belmonte.
David Meca.
Synchronized swimming
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During the 2000s, Spanish swimmer Gemma Mengual has heralded a series of both individual and team medals for Spain in all the major international synchronized swimming tournaments, including the silver medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Mengual's coach, Ana Tarrés, who herself represented Spain in the sport at the 1984 Summer Olympics, also served as coach of the national team from 1997 to 2012: during her time in charge the team enjoyed great success, taking four Olympic medals, 26 World Championship medals, and 25 European Championship medals.[18] Other Spanish synchronised swimmers to enjoy success in international competition since the emergence of Mengual include Paola Tirados, Andrea Fuentes, the most decorated swimmer in the history of the Spain national team,[19] Ona Carbonell and Margalida Crespí.

Skiing

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Skiing is a popular sport. In the past, this sport was under development for economic reasons. However the improvement of the economy of Spain, helped skiing become an active sport event. It has become popular, and the skiing sites have been modernized in recent years. In Spain the southernmost ski resort of Europe, Sierra Nevada, is located. Skiing is one of the favourite sports of the Spanish Royal Family.

Spain has enjoyed some success in competitive alpine skiing. Skiers who have won races in the Alpine Skiing World Cup include Carolina Ruiz Castillo, María José Rienda, and siblings Blanca and Francisco Fernández Ochoa. The Fernández Ochoas are the only Spanish athletes to have won medals at the Winter Olympics, with Francisco winning a gold medal in the men's slalom in the 1972 Winter Olympics and Blanca winning a bronze in the women's equivalent twenty years later.

Sailing
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Royal Spanish Sailing Federation

Other sports

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Pilota Valenciana

Basque pelota

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Basque pelota

Beach football

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Spain national beach soccer team

Chess

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Linares International Chess Tournament

Trainera

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Kontxako Bandera

Valencian pelota

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Valencian pilota is a traditional Valencian sports. Tournaments includes trinquete, Trofeu Individual Bancaixa, Circuit Bancaixa, raspall singles championship, and raspall team championship.

Major sports factilities

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Athletics stadiums

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Image Stadium Capacity City Inaugurated Big event
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys 60,713 Catalonia Barcelona 1927 1992 Summer Olympics
Estadio de La Cartuja (track is going to close until 2025) 57,619 Andalusia Seville 1999 1999 World Championships in Athletics

Bullfighting stadiums

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Bullring Location Capacity Image
Las Ventas Madrid, Spain 23,798
Plaza de Toros de Pamplona Pamplona, Spain 19,720
Plaza de toros de La Merced Huelva, Spain 15,000
Plaza de toros de Murcia Murcia, Spain 15,000
Plaza de toros de Vista Alegre Bilbao, Spain 14,781
Plaza de toros de Granada Granada, Spain 14,000
Plaza de toros de los Califas Córdoba, Spain 14,000
Plaça de bous de València Valencia, Spain 12,000
Plaza de toros de Albacete Albacete, Spain 12,000
Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla Seville, Spain 12,000
Plaza de toros de La Ribera Logroño, Spain 11,046
Plaza de toros de Valladolid Valladolid, Spain 11,000
Plaza de toros de Las Palomas Algeciras, Spain 11,000
Plaza de toros La Glorieta Salamanca, Spain 10,858
Plaza de toros de Jaén Jaén, Spain 10,500
Plaza de Toros de Zaragoza Zaragoza, Spain 10,072
Plaza de toros de Santander Santander, Spain 10,000
Plaza de toros de Palencia Palencia, Spain 10,000
Plaza de toros de Almería Almería, Spain 10,000

Football stadiums

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The following is a list of stadiums with a capacity of at least 30,000.

Camp Nou Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Metropolitano Stadium Estadio Benito Villamarín Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
Barcelona Madrid Madrid Seville Barcelona
1982 FIFA World Cup 1982 FIFA World Cup 2019 UEFA Champions League Final 1982 FIFA World Cup 1992 Summer Olympic
Capacity: 99,354 Capacity: 81,044 Capacity: 68,456 Capacity: 60,721 Capacity: 60,713
Estadio de La Cartuja San Mamés Stadium
Seville Bilbao
1999 World Athletics Championship 1982 FIFA World Cup Stadium
Capacity: 57,619 Capacity: 53,289
Mestalla Stadium Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium
Valencia Seville
1982 FIFA World Cup 1982 FIFA World Cup
Capacity: 48,600 Capacity: 43,883
RCDE Stadium Anoeta Stadium Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero La Romareda Estadio Riazor
Cornellà de Llobregat Donostia Elche Zaragoza A Coruña
2020 UEFA Women's Champions League Final 1982 FIFA World Cup 1982 FIFA World Cup 1982 FIFA World Cup
Capacity: 40,000 Capacity: 39,500 Capacity: 33,732 Capacity: 33,608 Capacity: 32,660

Golf courses

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Image Course Location Opened Length Par Course rating Slope rating Major events
Valderrama Golf Club Andalusia San Roque 1974 6,390 m
(6,990 yd)
71 76.1 147 Ryder Cup: 1997

Indoor arenas

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The following is a list of indoor stadiums in Spain, ordered by capacity.

Image Stadium Capacity City Autonomous
Community
Team Inaugurated
Palau Sant Jordi 17,960 Barcelona  Catalonia None 1990
WiZink Center 17,453 Madrid  Madrid Estudiantes
Real Madrid
2005
Fernando Buesa Arena 15,504[20] Vitoria-Gasteiz  Basque Country Baskonia 1991
Bizkaia Arena 15,414[21] Barakaldo  Basque Country None 2004
Olímpic de Badalona 12,760 Badalona  Catalonia Joventut Badalona 1991
Caja Mágica 12,442 Madrid  Madrid None 2009
Gran Canaria Arena 11,470 Las Palmas  Canary Islands CB Gran Canaria 2014
Coliseum da Coruña 11,000 A Coruña  Galicia None 1991
Martín Carpena 11,000 Málaga  Andalusia Unicaja 1999
Donostia Arena 11,000[22] San Sebastián  Basque Country Gipuzkoa Basket 1998
Pabellón Príncipe Felipe 10,744 Zaragoza  Aragon Basket Zaragoza 1990
Madrid Arena 10,500 Madrid  Madrid None 2002
San Pablo 10,200 Sevilla  Andalusia Baloncesto Sevilla 1999
Bilbao Arena 10,014[23] Bilbao  Basque Country Bilbao Basket 2010

Motosports circuits

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Image Race track Location Opened Major events Capacity
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Catalonia Montmeló 1991 Spanish Grand Prix (Formula One)
Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP)
World Superbike
140,700
MotorLand Aragón Aragon Alcañiz 2009 Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP)
World Superbike
129,500
Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto Andalusia Jerez de la Frontera 1985 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP)
World Superbike
125,000
Circuito Ricardo Tormo Valencian Community Cheste 1999 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) 165,000
Circuito de Navarra Navarre Los Arcos 2010 World Superbike

National stadiums

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Image Stadium Capacity City Sport Inaugurated
Estadio Nacional Complutense 10,000 Community of Madrid Madrid Rugby union 1943

Other stadiums

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Image Ground (sport) Capacity City Inaugurated Big event
Estadio José Zorrilla (rugby) 27,846 Castile and León Valladolid 1982 1982 FIFA World Cup
Copa del Rey de Rugby: 2016, 2017
Estadio Municipal de Chapín (equestrianism) 20,523 Andalusia Jerez de la Frontera 1988 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games
Hipódromo de la Zarzuela (horse racing) 17,000 Community of Madrid Madrid 1941 1992 Summer Olympic Games
Palau Blaugrana (various sports) 7,585 Catalonia Barcelona 1971 1992 Summer Olympic Games
Palacio de Deportes de Murcia (futsal) 7,454 Region of Murcia Murcia 1994 1996 FIFA Futsal World Championship
Palacio Multiusos de Guadalajara (handball) 5,894 Castilla–La Mancha Guadalajara 2010 2013 World Men's Handball Championship
Centro Insular de Deportes (volleyball) 5,200 Canary Islands Las Palmas 5,200 Copa del Rey de Voleibol
Pazo dos Deportes de Riazor (rink hockey) 4,425 Galicia (Spain) A Coruña 1970 Roller Hockey World Cup: 1988, 1972
Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc (swimming) 4,100 Catalonia Barcelona 1929 1992 Summer Olympic Games
2003 World Aquatics Championships
2013 World Aquatics Championships
Bizkaia frontoia (basque pelota) 3,000 Basque Country (autonomous community) Bilbao 2011 Bare-handed Pelota First League

Rugby union stadiums

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Image Stadium Capacity City Tenants Inaugurated
Fadura estadioa 6,000 Basque Country (autonomous community) Getxo Getxo RT 2022
Estadio Pepe Rojo 5,000 Castile and León Valladolid CR El Salvador
Valladolid RAC
1981
Estadi Baldiri Aleu 4,000 Catalonia Sant Boi de Llobregat UE Santboiana 1950
Instalaciones deportivas La Cartuja 1,932 Andalusia Seville Ciencias Sevilla CR 1999
Miniestadio de Anoeta 1,262 Basque Country (autonomous community) San Sebastián Bera Bera RT 1993

Ski resorts

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Velodromes

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Image Stadium Capacity City Inaugurated Big events
Las Mestas Sports Complex 10,000 Asturias Gijón 1942
Palma Arena 6,607 Balearic Islands Palma de Mallorca 2007 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
Velódromo Luis Puig 6,500 Valencian Community Valencia 1992 1992 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
Velódromo de Anoeta 5,500 Basque Country (autonomous community) San Sebastián 1965 1965 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
Velòdrom d'Horta 3,200 Catalonia Barcelona 1984 1992 Summer Olympics
1984 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ El oro y la plata del Campeonato Mundial de 1998 conseguidos por Nuria, fueron como suplente del conjunto en ambos ejercicios, aunque fue convocada a dicha competición.
  2. ^ Las 5 medallas conseguidas por Maider, fueron como suplente del conjunto en ambos ejercicios, aunque fue convocada a estos campeonatos.

References

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  1. ^ "BARÓMETRO DE JUNIO 2014" (PDF). Centro de Investigaciones Sociologicas (in Spanish).
  2. ^ "Padel vs Pickleball: Can the World's Fastest-Growing Sports Overtake Tennis?". Esquire. 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  3. ^ "With 25 million players worldwide, padel is only tipped to get 'bigger and bigger' by Andy Murray". CNN. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  4. ^ How the Spanish sport Padel is winning over the world, 2023
  5. ^ Ashton, Joseph (2009). The Phenomenon of Fútbol in Spain: A Study of Fútbol in Spanish Politics, Literature and Film (PhD dissertation). Ohio State University. ISBN 978-1-109-60351-4. ProQuest 304976444. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  6. ^ "Spanish football: Well red". The Economist. 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  7. ^ "More women play football in the Americas. But Europe is growing fast". euronews. 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  8. ^ "Memory 2020. Licensing and clubs (Document in Spanish)" (PDF). Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD)(Sports Council). Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  9. ^ https://jobsinfootball.com/blog/most-supported-football-clubs-in-the-world/
  10. ^ Fitzpatrick, Richard. "Why Women's Football in Spain Is so Popular and Packing Out Stadiums". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  11. ^ "Spain lead the way for futsal in Europe - Futsal EURO - News". UEFA.com. February 2012. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  12. ^ "Spain rolls over Iran at Futsal World Cup | Fox News Latino". Latino.foxnews.com. 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  13. ^ "FIBA World Rankings, explained: Why Spain passed USA Basketball for No. 1 for first time in 20 years". www.sportingnews.com. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  14. ^ "Continental Cup Finals start in Africa". FIVB. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Garcia aims for Spanish hat-trick". BBC News. 2008-07-15. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  16. ^ "IJF.org - International Judo Federation". www.ijf.org. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  17. ^ "IJF.org - International Judo Federation". www.ijf.org. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  18. ^ ""¡Fuera del agua, gorda!"" [“Out of the water, fatty!”]. El País (in Spanish). 25 September 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  19. ^ Torres, Diego (26 January 2013). "Andrea Fuentes se retira de la natación sincronizada" [Andrea Fuentes retires from synchronized swimming]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  20. ^ "ACB.COM". www.acb.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 October 2017. Pabellón: Fernando Buesa Arena (15.504 espectadores)
  21. ^ "ACB.COM". www.acb.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 October 2017. Pabellón: Bizkaia Arena (15.414 espectadores)
  22. ^ "ACB.COM". www.acb.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 October 2017. Pabellón: San Sebastián Arena 2016 (11.000 espectadores)
  23. ^ "Bilbao Arena". Archived from the original on 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
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