Sports in Central America - Interesting Facts and Figures!

">Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic,
Road to London 2012!Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the host country.
AthleticsPuerto Rico and Venezuela did not compete in
Did you know- Guatemala's racewalker Julio UriasManagua. The Nicaragua's boxer Gustavo Herrera
obtained a bronze medal for placing third in the men'swon the gold medal in the 54-kilogram category at the
50 km walk in the Pan American Games in 1995.1984 Central American and Caribbean Tournament.
BoxingPan American Games
Did you know- Without a doubt, Alexis Arguello wasDid you know- The Nicaraguan Olympic Committee did
one of the world's most successful professionalnot participate in three Pan American Games: in 1951 in
boxers. Certainly he was the toast of the LatinBuenos Aires (Argentina), in 1959 in Chicago (U.S.), and
American sporting community. Between 1974 andSao Paulo (Brazil) in 1963.
1983, Nicaragua's former boxer Alexis Arguello wonSoftball
six world championships ( featherweights &Did you know- The men's softball team of Guatemala
lightweights) and became an icon in Latin America.came in 8th place in the Central American and
Sports Illustrated published an interview with Arguello inCaribbean Games in 1982.
October 1985.Swimming
Pan American GamesDid you know- Toward the end of the 1990s,
Did you know- By October, 1975, the PanamanianPanama's swimmer Eileen Coparropa -the nation's
Olympic Committee sent a national delegation, madebest female athlete in that time- captured a silver
up of 19 athletes, to Mexico City to participate in themedal in the Pan American Games in Winnipeg,
Pan American Games, the most importantManitoba, Canada. During the past Games, by 1995,
pre-Olympic event in the Western Hemisphere sinceshe had finished fifth in the women's 50m.
1951. The team from Panama competed in six sports:Taekwondo
aquatics (1), cycling (5), fencing (1), shooting (6),Did you know- Taekwondo, an Olympic sport, is a
weightlifting (2), and wrestling (4). Two weightlifters,popular sport in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Narciso Oran and Pablo Justiniani, and one wrester,Track & Field
Segundo Olmedo, were the most prominent nationalDid you know- At the 1938 Central American and
athletes in the international games. Ironically GuyCaribbean Games, Jennings Blackett (Panama) set a
Abrahams, the country's best athlete, did not competenew international record of 10,4 seconds in the men's
in Mexico. The following year, Abrahams, an100m, one of the best records in the 1930s.
Afro-Panamanian sprinter, finished fifth in the men'sVolleyball
100m, with a time of 10, 25 seconds, at the 1976Did you know-By 1974, Panama won the right to
Montreal Games.compete in the Men's Volleyball World Cup in the
Host CountryUnited Mexican States. This Spanish-speaking nation
Did you know- Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua,became the first Central American country to
hosted the Caribbean Boxing Tournament in 1984.participate in the FIVB World Championships.
Eight nations competed in the international event: