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The Country of Uruguay has many world titles in football, basketball and rugby. The most popular sport in the country is football. Uruguay first competed in the olympic games in 1924 and won the gold medal for football. In 1928, the football team claimed the gold medal once again. In 1930, Centenario Stadium in Montevideo hosted the first world cup and Uruguay won. Then in 1950, Uruguay beat Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, becoming one of the very few teams to win more than a single world cup. José Leandro Andrade, son of a former slave was the first black football player ever to compete in the olympic games. He led the team to victory, and is remembered as a remarkable footballer who fought racism with his skills on the football pitch. He won gold medals in the the 1924 and 1928 olympic soccer games and was a member of the team that won the first world cup hosted in Uruguay. Luis Suárez who plays for the current Uruguay National Football Team is considered Uruguay’s best striker and is their all time record goal scorer.
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Other spectator sports include basketball and rugby. Basketball has been increasing in popularity in Uruguay since the 1930’s. Uruguay’s national basketball team won a Bronze medal in the summer olympics of 1952 and 1956. Uruguay is one of three countries in South America that has won medals in olympic basketball tournaments. Uruguay has the second best rugby team in South America, Los Teros. They are a national team, ranked number eighteen in the world for rugby. Other sports Uruguayans indulge in are tennis, bicycling, boxing, and horse racing. Uruguay is a very athletically accomplished country.
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