Colombia Sports – The Most Popular Sports in Colombia
Wondering what sports the Colombians like to play?
Discover everything about the most popular sports in Colombia in this post. ⚽️
The Most Popular Colombian Sports
Find below Colombia national sports, ranked by popularity:
| Rank | Sport |
|---|---|
| 1 | Football |
| 2 | Tejo |
| 3 | Cycling |
| 4 | Boxing |
| 5 | Roller skating |
| 6 | Motorsports |
| 7 | Basketball |
| 8 | Athletics |
| 9 | Baseball |
| 10 | Bowling |
| 11 | Golf |
So there you have them, the most popular sports of Colombia! Keep reading below for more information about each sport in Colombia.
What is the National Sport of Colombia?
The national sport of Colombia is tejo. Tejo, also known as turmequé, is a traditional throwing sport from Colombia. It uses small targets filled with gunpowder, which explode on impact. Tejo is the national sport of the country because it is very appreciated by the popular part of society that feels like they are honoring their pre-Columbian origins when playing the game.
Learn More About Colombia Popular Sports
Colombia is a Spanish-speaking country located in South America, and it is bordered by Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil. Its capital city is Bogotá, which counts more than 7,412,000 inhabitants (but more than 10,700,000 if you include the metropolitan area!).
An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its most popular sports. In light of that, I have listed all Colombian popular sports, and I hope you will love them:
Football
Just like in many South American countries, fútbol is sacred in Colombia, and it is by far the most popular sport in the country. The history of football goes way back in Colombia, and the Colombian Football Federation was founded in 1924, before being associated with FIFA and CONMEBOL in 1936.
On an international level, Colombia has historically been a quite successful country, with extremely talented players like James Rodríguez, René Higuita, and Andrés Escobar.
In 2014, the country made history by reaching the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals and having James Rodríguez as the top scorer of the whole tournament.
Number of Football licensed players in Colombia: 291,229 (but 2,752,000 unregistered!)
Famous Colombian Football players: Carlos Valderrama, James Rodríguez, Radamel Falcao, René Higuita, Faustino Asprilla, Freddy Rincón, Willington Ortiz, David Ospina, Yerry Mina
Tejo
The second most popular sport in Colombia is tejo. As already said, it is the sport Colombia is internationally famous for as it is the national sport. Tejo is a very unique sport, and while it is also played in other South American countries, it is far more developed in Colombia.
While its origins are not very clear (probably taking its roots in native aboriginals’ traditions), its popularity is undoubted. The vast majority of tejo players come from the popular strata of Colombian society.
Nowadays, tejo aficionados are fighting to change the image of the sport, because it is strongly associated with beer consumption, and beer companies have been vastly exploiting the sport for their sales.
Cycling
The third most popular Colombian sport is cycling. The top 3 sports in Colombia are largely above the rest: football, tejo, and cycling are extremely popular compared to other sports.
In Colombia, there is an annual race called Vuelta a Colombia. But what made the sport so popular is the international success of many gifted cyclists like Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Urán, or the 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal.
Ever since the beginning of the 2010s, with all this success, the sport has seen an incredible boost in popularity.
Famous Colombian Cycling players: Nairo Quintana, Winner Anacona, Fernando Gaviria, Esteban Chaves, Rigoberto Urán, Sergio Luis Henao, Egan Bernal
Boxing
The fourth most popular sport in Colombia is boxing. After the three very coveted sports comes boxing in Colombia. This does not mean that it is not popular though: it is commonly practiced in the Caribbean region and in the Pacific region.
Boxing was brought to the country by Europeans at the end of the 19th century and became popular in the country with sportsmen like Antonio “Kid Palembe” Cervantes (two-time world champion), Prudencio Cardona, Rodrigo Valdéz, and Fidel Bassa.
Famous Colombian Boxing players: Antonio Cervantes, Oscar Negrete, Antonio Pitalúa, Edison Miranda, Ricardo Torres, Carlos Tamara, Deivi Julio, Rodrigo Valdéz, Juan Urango, Rodolfo Blanco, Prudencio Cardona, Fidel Bassa
Roller skating
The fifth most popular sport in Colombia is roller skating. Roller skating became very popular in Colombia after the introduction of inline skates in the country during the 1990s. After that, it started to be practiced in all major cities of the country, like Cartagena, Cali, Bogotá, Pasto, and Barrancabermeja.
When it comes to international reach, Colombia is a hub. The national team is a true powerhouse, as it won the overall World Roller Speed Skating Championships title 9 times during the past 12 years.
Famous Colombian Roller skating players: Pedro Causil, Laura Goméz Quintero, Michael Poettoz, Sebastián Uprimny
Motorsports
The sixth most popular sport in Colombia is motorsports. Motorsports are slowly but steadily gaining popularity in many countries around the world, and Colombia is no exception to this trend.
You must have heard of Juan Pablo Montoya, by far the most successful sportsman in motorsports in Colombia. He is considered one of the best car racers of his era.
Aside from him, racers like Martin Cardenas (motorcycle racing), Yonny Hernández (motorcycle racing), and Roberto Guerrero (Formula One) have all left their marks on these sports.
Famous Colombian Motorsports players: Juan Pablo Montoya, Roberto Guerrero, Ricardo Londoño, Tatiana Calderón, Carlos Muñoz, Sebastián Saavedra
Basketball
The seventh most popular sport in Colombia is basketball. While basketball is not that popular in Colombia nowadays, the country used to have a golden age. It hosted the Basketball World Cup in 1982, which was one of the most-watched events the country has ever hosted.
After that, the national basketball team slightly declined, and with it the popularity of the sport in the country. There are still some amazing Colombian basketball players like Juan Palacios (who has played in several of Europe’s best competitions) or Braian Angola (the first Colombian to play in the NBA).
Famous Colombian Basketball players: Braian Angola, Juan Palacios, Hansel Atencia, Stalin Ortiz, Álvaro Teherán, Juan Palacios, Andrés Ibargüen, Jaime Echenique
Athletics
The eighth most popular sport in Colombia is athletics. Among the majority of Colombians, it is not very popular, but the country has produced several talented athletes on an international level.
The most famous of them is probably Caterine Ibargüen, a true ambassador of the sport in Colombia. She won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, as well as the silver medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Other notable Colombian athletes include Ximena Restrepo and Luis Fernando López.
Famous Colombian Athletics players: Óscar Figueroa, María Isabel Urrutia, Caterine Ibargüen, Yuri Alvear, Diego Salazar, Óscar Muñoz
Baseball
The ninth most popular sport in Colombia is baseball. It traveled a long way from the United States to reach Colombia, and there is now a professional league in the country, the Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombiano (Colombian Professional Baseball League).
This league is quite small though, with only six teams, and they play against each other during the Major League Baseball offseason, in the winter. It was founded in 1948, and its most dominant champion is the Caimanes de Barranquilla, with 11 titles.
Famous Colombian Baseball players: Yhonathan Barrios, Tayron Guerrero, Dayán Díaz, Jorge Alfaro
Bowling
The tenth most popular sport in Colombia is bowling. You might think of bowling as a mere pastime, but Colombia sees it differently. In fact, there are tons of famous Colombian bowling players, and even world champions!
The most successful Colombian bowling players are Jairo Ocampo and Armando Mariño who each won the Bowling World Championship, respectively in 1974 and 1983. For women, Clara Guerrero is by far the best player in the history of the sport, with 3 Bowling World Championship wins, in 2002, 2003, and 2009.
Famous Colombian Bowling players: Clara Guerrero, Jairo Ocampo, Rocio Restrepo, Armando Mariño, Luz Adriana Leal, Sara Vargas, Paola Gómez, Andrés Gómez, Santiago Mejía, Anggie Ramírez
Golf
The eleventh most popular sport in Colombia is golf. Finally, golf is practiced in Colombia, though not by many people. Considering the level of poverty in the country, it is not very surprising that with the costs of golf, the sport is not really popular.
On an international level, Camilo Villegas is the most recognized golfer in the world. In fact, he is so successful that he is ranked among the top-ranked golfers on the planet.
Famous Colombian Golf players: Camilo Villegas, Manuel Villegas, Sebastián Muñoz, Marcelo Rozo, María José Uribe, Jesús Amaya, Diego Velásquez, Óscar David Álvarez
So there you have them, these were all the famous sports played in Colombia. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today. Keep reading to get a few more Colombia facts.
Is tennis popular in Colombia?
After having read this list of the most popular Colombian sports, you must have thought of a notable absence: tennis. While tennis is reputed in many countries around the world, it is not that popular in Colombia. Similarly to golf, the reason for that is that not many people can afford it.
What sports do kids play in Colombia?
All of this is interesting, but what do Colombian kids play? Most of the sports on this list, especially tejo, are mostly for adults, but there are some activities dedicated to children.
Trompo is a street game in which a top is spun by a string wound around its body, and then being launched. There are some difficult tricks like the rollercoaster, the drum roll, or the “stairway to Heaven”.
Canicas, or marbles, are also vastly popular. There is even a dedicated vocabulary to the game. There are many ways of playing canicas.
Balero is a traditional indigenous game. It is made of a small ball attached to a wooden pin by a string, and the challenge is to throw the ball and catch it with the pin.
The other two main children’s sports are yo-yo and cinco huecos.
Why is roller skating popular in Colombia?
Roller skating is quite rare around the world, and it can seem weird that it is so popular in Colombia. The main reason for roller skating being so successful is worldwide recognition. Colombia is considered one of the best, if not the best, roller skating countries in the world, with 15 international titles in several disciplines.
More Sport Facts!
Loved these Colombia sports facts? Want to see what sports are the most popular in other countries?
Then check out these posts:
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