Road to the 2016 London Olympics!
XXII Summer Games
Did you know- The 22nd Olympiad in the USSR -present day Russia-was boycotted by Paraguay -under the dictatorship of President Alfredo Stroessner (1954-1989)- because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Due to its modest performance in the Pan American Games in San Juan de Puerto Rico (1979), Paraguay had a list of five athletes to the 1980 Moscow Olympics, among them was Claudio Escauriza, who had won a bronze medal in the men’s decathlon at the South American Championships in the late 70s.
Sportswomen
Did you know- Paraguay is home to some popular sportswomen in South America: Rossana de los Rios (tennis), Paola Viveros (taekwondo), Ingrid Meilicke (track & field), Larissa Scharever (tennis), and Natalia Toledo (athletics).
Tito Steinier
Did you know- Argentina’s athlete Tito Steinier was born in Paraguay. Between 1975 and 1981, Mr Steinier became one of Latin America’s most respected decathletes. In the South American Championships in Rio de Janeiro, between August 26 and August 31, 1975, he finished first in the decathlon competition, with 7,615 points. At the 1979 Pan American Games in the Caribbean, a pre-Olympic tournament, he earned a silver medal in the men’s decathlon, and won the right to compete in the Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union. At the same time, he set a Latin American record. Yet he lost the chance to be an Olympic athlete when Argentina, under the dictatorship of Rafael Videla (1976-81), boycotted the 1980 Moscow Summer Games to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Paraguayan-born Steinier competed in the United States and Europe.
Women’s Basketball
Did you know- By the early 1950s, in Asunción, the team from Paraguay -host nation- won the Women’s Basketball South American Cup. It was the first time the national team had won the regional event. Subsequently, this Spanish-speaking country was listed among the world’s best five teams, behind America, Chile, France and Brazil, when they competed in the global tournament in Santiago de Chile. Paraguay also came in first place in the South American Championships in 1962.
Sports
Did you know- The country’s most popular sports include soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, athletics, chess, and volleyball.
2004 Athens Games
Did you know- This Latin American nation won its first ever Olympic medal when the national squad earned a silver medal in men’s football at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Victor Manuel Pecci
Did you know- Paraguay is the birthplace of Victor Manuel Pecci, who was one of Latin America’s best tennis players in the 70s and mid-80s, along with Guillermo Vilas (Argentina) and Patricio Cornejo (Chile).
