Panama Sports – The Most Popular Sports in Panama
Wondering what sports the Panamanians like to play?
Discover everything about the most popular sports in Panama in this post. ⚾️
The Most Popular Panamanian Sports
Find below Panama national sports, ranked by popularity:
| Rank | Sport |
|---|---|
| 1 | Baseball |
| 2 | Football |
| 3 | Basketball |
| 4 | Boxing |
| 5 | Cycling |
| 6 | Tennis |
| 7 | Water sports |
| 8 | Horse racing |
So there you have them, all Panama favorite sports! Keep reading below for more information about each sport in Panama.
What is the National Sport of Panama ?
The national sport of Panama is Baseball. Baseball has always been extremely popular in Panama ever since its introduction in 1855 by American workers.
Now, it is the sport of universities and college students, and the one where rules are the most understood by Panamanians. It is also the sport that sponsors love most.
Learn More About Panama Popular Sports
Panama is a small Spanish-speaking country that lies in both Central and South America, and that separates the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Colombia and Costa Rica, and its capital city is Panama City, which counts more than 880,000 inhabitants (but more than 1,500,000 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 Panama popular sports, and I hope you will love them:
Baseball
The most popular sport in Panama is, by far, baseball. You already know it, baseball is Panama national sport, but it goes much further than this. Not only is it absolutely loved by universities and college students, but it is the sport that most people understand and play in the country.
Many famous Panamanian baseball players have joined the MLB, and there is a local championship, the Panamanian Professional Baseball League. The sport is very popular like in many other Caribbean countries because of the influence of the United States.
Famous Panamanian Baseball players: Mariano Rivera, Carlos Ruiz, Randall Delgado, Carlos Lee, Rubén Tejada, Paolo Espino, Christian Bethancourt, Manny Corpas, Manny Acosta, Bruce Chen
Football
The second most popular sport in Panama is football. The governing body of football in the country is the Federación Panameña de Fútbol, which also oversees the national football team. The first football game in Panama was played in 1862, and while the sport is not as popular as baseball, it is definitely what comes closest, and what has been on the rise for the past couple decades.
Professional football was established in the country in 1988, and the best result of the national football team is to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Famous Panamanian Football players: Rolando Blackburn, Jorge Dely Valdés, Julio Dely Valdés, Alfredo Anderson, Felipe Baloy, Jaime Penedo, Luis Tejada, Román Torres, Blas Pérez
Basketball
The third most popular sport in Panama is basketball. Several famous names come from Panamanian basketball, and the country has sent multiple players to the almighty NBA, like Ruben Garces, Stuart Gray, Gary Forbes and Rolando Blackman.
The main issue with basketball is the national league, which is poorly organized. The national basketball team qualified to the World Cup 4 times, and once to the Olympic Games. Panama is a basketball powerhouse within Central America, and it won a medal at the Pan American Games.
Famous Panamanian Basketball players: Ruben Garces, Gary Forbes, Rolando Blackman, Stuart Gray, Ernesto Agard, Francisco Checa, Pedro Rivas, Julio Osorio, Davis Peralta
Boxing
The fourth Panama favorite sport is boxing. Fighting sports are becoming more and more popular all around the planet, including in Panama, but boxing has been around for quite a bit now.
The sport is very popular, and there are incredible boxers from Panama like Panama Al Brown and Roberto Durán. The first one dominated the sport in the 1920s, and settled in Paris to be managed by famous French poet Jean Cocteau, while the second one is the best featherweight boxer of all time, and he is the 6th best boxer in the Boxing Hall of Fame.
Famous Panamanian Boxing players: Roberto Durán, Panama Al Brown, Ismael Laguna, Hilario Zapata, Guillermo Jones, Vicente Mosquera, Santiago Samaniego, Anselmo Moreno, Celestino Caballero
Cycling
The fifth most popular sport in Panama is cycling. Bicycles have historically never been really part of the Panamanian culture, yet the country is developing bicycle tracks in the main cities, and more and more people are attracted to the sport.
Besides, more and more competitions are being organized in the country, including Grand Fondo de Oceano a Oceano, which gathers 5,000 participants every year. The race runs from the Pacific Ocean isthmus to the Caribbean Sea.
Famous Panamanian Cycling players: Christofer Jurado, Franklin Archibold, Oscar Willis Layne, Yelko Gómez, Roberto González, Ramón Carretero
Tennis
The sixth most popular sport in Panama is tennis. While tennis could be more popular, the country of Panama as a whole is quite poor and it is not one of the top sports. The main places where you can find tennis courts are in fancy hotels in Panama City, even though there are quite a few in clubs and sports associations around the country.
Some Panamanian tournaments are part of the ATP Tour, and many prestigious tournaments are organized in the country.
Famous Panamanian Tennis players: Luis Gómez, José Gilbert Gómez, John Silva
Water sports
The seventh most popular Panama sport is water sports. Panama has access to both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and it boasts itself with many amazing beaches. Because of this, it is not very surprising that water sports are very popular.
This includes many disciplines like swimming, scuba diving, canoeing and surfing. Many locals and tourists enjoy the turquoise waters with their preferred sport, or just relax by fishing or sunbathing. For surfing, the best season is definitely from January to April.
Famous Panamanian Water sports players: Christie Bodden, Emily Santos, Gianni Versari, María Far Núñez, Tyler Christianson, Édgar Crespo, Eileen Coparropa, Adán Gordón
Horse racing
The eighth and last most popular sport in Panama is horse racing. Horse racing is still a small sport in Panama, but there is a decent fanbase. There are hippodromes all around the country, and races are very often organized.
One notorious Panamanian jockey was Manuel Ycaza. He played a very important role in leading the way for Latin American jockeys in the United States during the 20th century. He was riding professionally by age 14 and emigrated to the United States in 1956.
Famous Panamanian Horse racing players: Braulio Baeza, Laffit Pincay Jr., Heliodoro Gustines, Fernando Jara, Jose Lezcano, Alex Solis, Jose Lezcano, René R. Douglas, Walter Guerra
So there you have them, these were all the most popular sports in Panama. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today. Keep reading to get a few more facts.
How did baseball become the most popular sport in Panama?
Baseball is both the national and the most popular sport in Panama. It arrived in the country as early as 1855, when American workers would play it.
Now, the reason for it to become this popular is that the United States helped the country get their independence from Colombia, therefore strengthening their bond. By the time the famous Canal was built, the first Baseball World Series had been organized in the United States, and the popularity of baseball started to skyrocket in Panama. Also, anyone born in the Canal area was a US citizen at that time.
Is basketball popular in Panama?
Basketball is very popular in Panama. It is in fact the third most popular sport, and similarly to baseball it became widely appreciated because of the US influence.
Not only is the sport greatly popular in terms of players and spectators, but there are also several Panamanian talents that joined the NBA. The national association however is poorly organized.
More Sport Facts!
Loved these Panama sports facts? Want to see what sports are the most popular in other countries?
Then check out these posts:
Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.
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