![Mirjam Puchner Austrian Junior Championships 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Mirjam_Puchner_Austrian_Junior_Championships_2008.jpg)
Sports are widely practiced in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, both in professional and amateur competitions. The most popular sports are
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
,
alpine skiing and
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
.
Winter sports
Due to the mountainous terrain,
alpine skiing is a prominent sport in Austria. Similar sports such as
snowboarding and
ski jumping
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fina ...
are also widely popular, and Austrian athletes such as
Annemarie Moser-Pröll
Annemarie Moser-Pröll (born 27 March 1953) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Austria. Born in Kleinarl, Salzburg, she was the most successful female alpine ski racer during the 1970s, with six overall titles, including five consecut ...
,
Hermann Maier
Hermann Maier (born 7 December 1972) is an Austrian former World Cup champion alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist. Nicknamed the "Herminator", Maier ranks among the greatest alpine ski racers in history, with four overall World Cup tit ...
,
Toni Sailer
Anton Engelbert "Toni" Sailer (17 November 1935 – 24 August 2009) was an Austrian alpine ski racer, considered among the best in the sport. At age 20, he won all three gold medals in alpine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics. He nearly duplica ...
and
Marcel Hirscher
Marcel Hirscher (born 2 March 1989) is an Austrian former World Cup alpine ski racer. Hirscher made his World Cup debut in March 2007. He competed primarily in slalom and giant slalom, as well as combined and occasionally in super G. Winner of ...
are widely regarded as some of the greatest alpine skiers of all time. Austria has been the number one nation in alpine skiing and leading nation in ski jumping in the
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
,
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is an alpine skiing competition organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
History
The inaugural world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. During the 1930s, the event was held annuall ...
and
FIS Ski Jumping World Cup
The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup is the world's highest level of ski jumping and the FIS Ski Flying World Cup as the subdivisional part of the competition. It was founded by Torbjørn Yggeseth for the 1979/80 season and organized by the Internatio ...
. At the
, it took all five ski jumping gold medals. As of 2001, about a third of the 230 Olympic medals which had been won by Austrian sportspeople had been awarded in alpine skiing, and another 30 percent had been won in other winter sports, whilst a quarter of all golds at the Alpine Skiing World Championships had been won by Austrians.
The
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
were held in the town of
Innsbruck in the years of
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
and
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
. Success at the elite level also helps to promote ski tourism and related industries: ski tourism and equipment manufacturing account for five percent of the country's
gross national product
The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign ...
, with half of the world's alpine skis being made in Austria. Around 40 percent of the Austrian population takes part in alpine skiing.
There are 12 professional ice hockey teams in the
Austrian Hockey League, which also features one team each team from the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
.
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...
,
luge, and
skeleton are also popular events, with a permanent track located in
Igls
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a po ...
, which hosted bobsleigh and luge competitions for the
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
and
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (german: XII. Olympische Winterspiele, french: XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 ( bar, Innschbruck 1976, label= Austro-Bavarian), was a ...
held in
Innsbruck. The
first Winter Youth Olympics in 2012 were held in Innsbruck as well.
Association football
Football is the most popular sport in Austria, which is governed by the
Austrian Football Association
The Austrian Football Association (german: Österreichischer Fußball-Bund; ÖFB) is the governing body of football in Austria. It organises the football league, Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup and the Austria national football team, as well ...
.
Austria was once among the most successful football playing nations on the European continent, placing fourth at the
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934.
The 1934 World Cup was the first in w ...
, third at the
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament for senior men's national teams of the nations affiliated to FIFA. It was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzer ...
, and seventh at the
1978 FIFA World Cup. However, recently Austria has been much less internationally successful in this discipline; Austria has not qualified for a World Cup since
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
. Austria co-hosted the
2008 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
with Switzerland.
Tennis
Notable tennis players include
Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster (born 2 October 1967) is an Austrian former world No. 1 tennis player. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, he won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was called "The King of Clay". In addition, he won eig ...
, winner of the
1995 French Open
The 1995 French Open was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. The tournament was held from 29 May until 11 June. It was the 99th staging of the French Open, and the second Gra ...
singles tournament;
Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem (; born 3 September 1993) is an Austrian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, which he first achieved in March 2020. He is the second-highest ...
, winner of the
2020 US Open men's singles and finalist of the 2018 and 2019 French Open men's singles and 2020 Australian Open men's singles tournaments;
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer (born 22 May 1981) is an Austrian former professional tennis player. Melzer reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 in April 2011, and a doubles ranking of world No. 6 in September 2010. He has a younger brother, Gera ...
, world number 11 in the
2010 ATP World Tour
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2010 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments (supervised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF ...
and winner of the 2010 Wimbledon and 2011 US Open doubles tournaments;
Barbara Schett, number 8 in the
1999 WTA Tour
The WTA Tour is the elite tour for professional women's tennis organised by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). The WTA Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tier I, Tier II, Tier III and Tier IV ...
singles rankings; and
Barbara Paulus
Barbara Paulus (born 1 September 1970) is a former professional top-ten tennis player from Austria. She began playing on the WTA Tour in 1986 and retired in 2001. During her career, she won a total of seven WTA tournaments (six singles titles, on ...
, world number 13 in the
1996 WTA Tour
The WTA Tour is the elite tour for professional women's tennis organised by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). The 1996 WTA Tour included the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tier I, Tier II, Tier III and Ti ...
singles rankings.
Motorsport
![Lauda at 1982 Dutch Grand Prix](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Lauda_at_1982_Dutch_Grand_Prix.jpg)
Motorsport is the third most popular spectator sport in Austria (after skiing and football).
The
Austrian Grand Prix is a
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
race held in 1963, 1964, from 1970 to 1987, from 1997 to 2003 and since 2014. Several Austrian drivers have competed successfully in Formula One.
Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian Formula One driver and aviation entrepreneur. He was a three-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, winning in , and , and is the only driver in Formula ...
is a three-time champion (1975, 1977 and 1984) and seventh winningest driver with 25.
Jochen Rindt
Jochen is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Jochen Asche, East German luger, competed during the 1960s
*Jochen Böhler (born 1969), German historian, specializing in the history of World War II
*Jochen Babock (born 1953), East G ...
was crowned 1970 champion, after being killed in practice for a race; he also won the 1965
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...
.
Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger (born 27 August 1959) is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver. He competed in Formula One for 14 seasons, twice finishing 3rd overall in the championship ( and ), both times driving for Ferrari. He won ten Grands Prix, ach ...
ranked third in 1988 and 1994, and has collected 10 wins and 48 podiums.
The top two motorsport venues are
Österreichring
The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Styria, Austria.
The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from to . It was later sho ...
and
Salzburgring
The Salzburgring is a motorsport race track located in Plainfeld, east of Salzburg.
Key Facts
Track Length
Bends 15
Straights ...
. The former hosted the Austrian Grand Prix, the
Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix
The Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season from 1971 to 1997, and then again from 2016 onwards. The event is due to take place at the Red Bull Ring until at least 2025.
Hist ...
, and the
1000 km Zeltweg
The 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring (originally known as the 500 km Zeltweg) was an endurance sports car event held near Spielberg, Austria. Originally based at the Zeltweg Airfield, the race moved to the Österreichring and was lengthened to a ...
endurance sports car race. The latter has also held the Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix, the
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing.
The championship was founded i ...
, the
European Formula Two Championship
The European Formula Two Championship was a Formula Two motor racing series that was held between 1967–84. The races were held across Europe, and were contested both by drivers aiming to compete in Formula One in the future as well as curren ...
, and the top German series such as the
Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) was a touring car racing series held from 1984 to 1996. Originally based in Germany, it held additional rounds elsewhere in Europe and later worldwide.
The original DTM had resumed racing with producti ...
and the
Super Tourenwagen Cup
The Super Tourenwagen Cup, or German Supertouring Championship, was a touring car racing series held between 1994 and 1999 in Germany.
The championship was established when BMW and Audi both left the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) in 19 ...
.
Basketball
The country's prime basketball league is the
. Several of its teams have participated in European competitions.
Until the late 70s, Austria was one of Europe's main teams as it qualified for the
EuroBasket six times. Since then, the team declined despite occasional strong showings at
EuroBasket qualification games.
The most prominent Austrian basketball player today is
Jakob Pöltl
Jakob Pöltl (sometimes spelled Jakob Poeltl; ; born October 15, 1995) is an Austrian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Utah Utes.
In his so ...
, who became the country's first
NBA player in the
2016–17 season after having been selected by the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
in the first round of the
2016 NBA draft.
Austria is an emerging country for
3x3 basketball
3x3 basketball (pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. According to an ESSEC Business School study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee, 3x3 ...
.
Rugby Union
American Football
The
Austrian Football League
The Austrian Football League (AFL) is the highest level of American football in Austria founded in 1984.
The Austrian Football League (AFL) has always been considered among the best and strongest leagues in Europe. The league plays by rules based ...
(AFL) is the top level of
american football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
in Austria founded in 1984, and considered one of the best leagues in Europe. Teams from Austria have won the
European Football League championship the
Eurobowl
The Eurobowl was the championship final game of a tournament style playoff to determine the champion of all of the American football leagues in Europe. The tournament featured the top or champion clubs from each countries top league that was cal ...
final many times. The
Austrian national American Football team is ranked high in world and European rankings. American football in Austria is one of the more popular team sports for participation and spectators.
DanceSport in Austria
Austria is an active member of the
WDSF and hosts many annual competitions such a
Austrian Openand world championships. Austrian dance athletes are noticeable in the world.
* Florian Gschaider and Manuela Stoeckl were amateur world ten-dance semifinalists in 2003 i
Vancouver*
Vadim Garbuzov
Vadim Garbuzov is a Canadian and Austrian ballroom dancer, showman and choreographer of Ukrainian descent. He was the World Youth Championship finalist in 2005, the winner of the Austrian TV program ''Dancing Stars'' in 2012, 2014 and 2020, and th ...
and
Kathrin Menzinger
Kathrin Menzinger (born 24 September 1988 in Vienna) is an Austrian dancer. Menzinger and her partner won the World Championships in Latin Showdance in 2016 for the secnd time.
Biography
She started to dance at the age of 3, first with ballet, bu ...
are Austrian ballroom dancers and showmen. In 2015 they became world champions in Latin show and world show champions in Standard show.
Popularizing
DanceSport
Dancesport is competitive ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. In the case of Para dancesport, at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair.
Dancesport events are sanctioned and regulated by dancesport organizatio ...
, Austrian television holds annual
Dancing Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format ...
show that enjoys its
9th season as of 2014.
Beach volleyball
Austria featured national teams in
beach volleyball that competed at the
2018–2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup in both the women's and the men's sections.
See also
*
Austria at the Olympics
Austria has competed at all of the modern Olympic Games, with the exception of the 1920 Summer Olympics, from which it was barred because of its involvement with the Central Powers in World War I.
Austria has won more medals in alpine skiing than ...
References
External links
{{Sport in Europe