A Sporting Miracle
On March 23, 1977, Uruguay could not qualify for the universal tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For the first time, Uruguay was eliminated by Bolivia. What happened?
Before the military came to power in 1973, Uruguay -it is about the size of the state of Missouri- won numerous world championships and international medals. For example, only Hungary and the United Kingdom have more Olympic titles than Uruguay. Like Real Madrid (Spain), Juventus (Italy) and Manchester United (Great Britain), Peñarol, one of the most famous clubs in Latin America, won the Club World Cup (1961 and 1966).Furthermore, this Latin American nation has produced more players than any other nation in the world.
Several footballers, including Jose Nasazzi, Alvaro Gestido and Pedro Petrone, have won international fame. Certainly the most famous quote was "If we are world champions in football, then we most be world champions in everything".
50 years ago, Uruguay -it won its independence in 1825- had one of the highest standards of living in the world-the best education and health care on the South American continent. During that period, it was called the "Switzerland of the Americas". Montevideo, the capital city, was one of the most beautiful cities in Latin America.
The democratic government provided favorable conditions for the play of sports.There were several sports camps and clubs for children and young people-the most tangible legacy is the Centenario Stadium. Thanks to this, Uruguay became the second Latin American republic to win an Olympic gold medal in 1924.
The golden era of Uruguayan soccer occurred during the 1910s and 1950s. At the Summer Olympic Games in 1924, the national squad captured the men's gold medal, with Switzerland finishing second and Sweden third. This was the first time when Uruguay competed in the Olympics and won the gold medal. Subsequently, in 1928, the Uruguayan team gained the Olympic gold medal at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam (the Netherlands). In its first match against Holland, host country, Uruguay posted a 2-0 victory. In the second round, they bested Germany 4-1. Finally, the Uruguayan team, led by Hector Pedro Scarone, defeated team Argentina 2-1. To the surprise of probably the whole world, Uruguay never again participated in the Olympics (Berlin 1936-Beijing 2008).
This country also won 10 South American Championships titles-1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959. Meanwhile, Brazil won only three regional trophies between 1916 and 1988.
On the other hand, the Uruguayan "super" team was the first national team in the world to win the FIFA World Cup in 1930. In the tournament in Montevideo, the locals beat Romania (4-2), Peru (1-0), Yugoslavia (6-1) and Argentina (4-2).
In 1950, the national squad made history when it won the global title in Rio de Janeiro. Under Obdulio Varela's leadership, the Uruguayan team defeated team Brazil, host country. Since then, Obdulio became a national hero in the South American country. Curiously he was a ballboy when Uruguay defeated Switzerland in the Olympic Games of 1924.
The Last Crisis of Uruguay
In the late 1960s, a civil war broke out in Uruguay between the Tupamarus, a terrorist group, and the government. In 1973, military leaders took control of the government of Uruguay. During the mid-1970s, this South American country had one of the highest foreign debts per capita in the world. From 1968 to 1976, about 400,000 Uruguayans immigrated to Europe, Canada and the United States.
Unlike Jorge Rafael Videla (Argentina, 1976-1981), Idi Amin Dada (Uganda, 1971-1979), Chiang Kai-shek (Taiwan, 1949-1975) and Juan Velasco Alvarado (Peru, 1968-1975), the Uruguayan dictatorship did not support the sport.
Under the dictatorship of Velasco Alvarado, Peru won many international titles in soccer, volleyball, aquatics, table tennis, boxing, wrestling, track and field.
At the FIVB World Cup in 1973, the Uruguayan women's team, with players such as Margarita Fernandez, Deborah Menonatti and Beatriz Araujo, lost to Canada 3-0 (15-2, 15-5, 15-3). A year later, the national squad placed 13rd at the FIFA World Championships in Munich, Germany.
The national team was runner-up at the South American Olympic qualification Tournament, in Recife (Brazil), and qualified for the Olympic Games in Montreal (Canada). For economical reasons, however, they did not compete in the Olympics in 1976-Uruguay was replaced by Cuba.
In 1979, the athletes did not win any medal at the Pan American Games in San Juan de Puerto Rico. Ironically, the national soccer team, South American champion, could not compete in the Games. Months later, the military government, an anti-Communist dictatorship, boycotted the Summer Olympics in Moscow.
Since mid-1980s, Sport does not occupy an important position in the country-it is a democratic country since 1984. The Uruguayan men's football team competed at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where it placed 26th...
References
-Guevara Onofre, Alejandro. Enciclopedia Mundototal, Editorial San Marcos, Lima, 1999
-Huntington, Samuel. The Third Wave. Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century, University Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1991
-Kindersley, Dorling. The Book of rule: How the World is Governed, 2004
-Naipaul, V.S. The Return of Eva Peron,Penguin Books, London, 1981
-Wallechinsky, David. The Complete Book of the Olympics, Aurum Press, London, 2004
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