Road to London 2012!
Barcelona 1992
Did you know- Between July 25 and August 9, 1992, the Angolan Olympic Committee, sent 29 athletes to the Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. The African nation competed in seven sports: basketball (11), boxing (1), roller hockey (11), judo (4), swimming (3), sailing (3), and track & field (6).
Basketball
Did you know- Basketball is very popular because basketball is a traditional sport with a long history in the African nation. Curiously, from the 1980s to the 2000s, Angola -a war-torn nation -- boasted one of the best basketball teams in the Third World. By 1992, the Angolan squad came in 10th place, among 12 teams, in theMen's Olympic Games Basketball Tournament in Barcelona (Spain). Eight years ago, they had won the silver medal in the Under-20 African Championship. By 1987, against all odds, Angola -a Portuguese-speaking republic located in southern Africa-- won the gold medal in men's basketball at the African Games in Nairobi (Kenya). Before 1987, the men's basketball squad of Angola had placed 20th in the World Championships in Spain. In the Spanish city of Ferrol, the Africans were the most popular basketball players; there Angola had defeated Australia 74-69. In addition to this, the country -one of the least-developed states in Africa-finished 13th in the universal competition in South America in the early 1990s. By 1996, it placed 11th in the Games of the XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta, Georgia (US).
Football
Did you know- Angola's first major international success came at the FIFA World Cup in 2006. During that global event, the men's football squad came in 23rd place, between Croatia (Europe) and Tunisia (North Africa). The best players were Flavio da Silva Amado, Joao Ricardo Pereira dos Santos Batalha, and Fabrice Alcebiades Maieco, in that order.
Los Angeles 1984
Did you know- The Angolan Olympic Committee, under pressure from Cuba and the Soviet Union, boycotted the 1984 Summer Games in the Los Angeles, California, USA. Four years ago, Angola made its Olympic debut in the Games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow, USSR (present-day Russia). On the other hand, Angola is one of the youngest members of the Olympic family.
Men's Handball
Did you know- The men's handball team came in 15th place at the Under-20 World Championships.
Sports
Did you know- The most popular sports are soccer, athletics, basketball, roller hockey, and handball.
Women's Handball
Did you know- The national squad came in seventh place in women's handball at the 1996 Summer Games in the United States of America. During that international event, Angola, under coach Alberto Junior's tutelage, defeated America (host nation) 24-23. The country also qualified for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. By the 1990s, the women's handball team from Angola competed in five world championships (1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999). At the 1997 World Cup, the national delegation placed 15th, ahead of Japan, South Korea, and Canada.
Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women in America" and "Famous Americans."
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