Sports in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

includes

professional sports In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

leagues, as well as amateur leagues for numerous sports.

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

, and

roller skating Roller skating is the act of traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, sid ...

are the most popular sports in Colombia. The

Government of Colombia The Government of Colombia is a republic with separation of powers into executive, judicial and legislative branches. Its legislature has a congress, its judiciary has a supreme court, and its executive branch has a president. The citiz ...

sponsors numerous individuals and teams nationally and internationally through the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) *Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

to enable sportspeople to represent Colombia in competition. The achievements of professional sportspeople are a source of national pride for Colombians.

Football

The

Colombian Football Federation The Colombian Football Federation (in es, Federación Colombiana de Fútbol) is the governing body of football in Colombia. It was founded in 1924 and has been affiliated to FIFA since 1936. It is a member of CONMEBOL and is in charge of the Col ...

was founded in 1924 and has been associated with

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

and

CONMEBOL The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...

since 1936. Colombia's national team participated in a

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

, followed by others in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

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 ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. Its best presentation was in 2014, when the team reached the quarter-finals and

James Rodríguez James David Rodríguez Rubio (born 12 July 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Super League Greece club Olympiacos and the Colombia national team. He has been praised in the past ...

became top scorer of the tournament. The only "olympic goal" (a goal made directly from one corner shot) in the World Cup was scored for Colombia by

Marcos Coll Marcos Tulio Coll Tesillo (23 August 1935 – 5 June 2017), also known as ''El Olímpico'' was a Colombian professional footballer. He played for Junior de Barranquilla and other clubs, and represented Colombia in the 1962 FIFA World Cup. He ...

, beating legendary goalkeeper

Lev Yashin Lev Ivanovich Yashin (russian: Лев Иванович Яшин; 22 October 1929 – 20 March 1990), nicknamed the "Black Spider" or the "Black Panther", was a Soviet professional footballer regarded by many as the greatest goalkeeper in the hi ...

in a 4–4 draw with the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

in 1962. A golden era existed for the national team from the mid-1980s towards the late 1990s when it became one of the most powerful teams in football, with a generation of talented players such as

Carlos Valderrama Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio (Colombian Spanish: ; born 2 September 1961), also known as ''El Pibe'' ("The Kid"), is a Colombian former professional footballer and sports commentator for Fútbol de Primera, who played as an attacking mid ...

Andrés Escobar Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga (; 13 March 1967 – 2 July 1994) was a Colombian footballer who played as a defender. He played for Atlético Nacional, BSC Young Boys, and the Colombia national team. Nicknamed ''The Gentleman'', he was known ...

René Higuita José René Higuita Zapata (; born 27 August 1966) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was nicknamed ''El Loco'' ("The Madman") for his high-risk ' sweeper-keeper' playing style and his flair for the dram ...

and

Faustino Asprilla Faustino Hernán Asprilla Hinestroza (born 10 November 1969) is a Colombian former professional footballer who most notably played for Parma, Newcastle United and the Colombia national team as a forward. Club career Early years After starting ...

. Colombia was the champion of the

2001 Copa América The 2001 Copa América was held in Colombia, from 11 to 29 July. It was organised by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body. Colombia won the tournament for the 1st time without conceding a goal. Brazil national football team, Brazil ...

, which they hosted and set a new record of being undefeated, conceding no goals and winning each match. Prior to that success, they were runners-up to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

in the 1975 Copa América. Colombia was the first team to win FIFA best mover in 1993 where the achievement was first introduced (with some help from their famous 5-0 thrashing of South American powerhouse Argentina at the qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup) and the second team after

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

to win it twice, with the second being in 2013. Colombia also hosted the

2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 18th FIFA U-20 World Cup. Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011, with matches being played in eight cities. The tournament was won by Brazil who claimed their fifth title. At a FIFA ...

and is to host the

2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup The 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup was the eighth FIFA Futsal World Cup, the quadrennial international futsal championship contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was held in Colombia from 10 September ...

. Colombia was organized to host the 2020 Copa América with

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. However, on May 20, 2020, Colombia was removed due to the

2021 Colombian protests A series of protests began in Colombia on 28 April 2021 against increased taxes, corruption, and health care reform proposed by the government of President Iván Duque Márquez. The tax initiative was introduced to expand funding to Ingreso Sol ...

, and Argentina was later removed due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

issues.

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

became the host for the cup. The nation also qualified for the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

, and

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

. Throughout the years, many Colombians have also worked for leagues in other nations. The national clubs compete in the

Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor (between 2015 and 2019 ''Liga Águila'') due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a Colombian professional league for association football clubs. It is the ...

, which also participates in international tournaments like

Copa Libertadores de América The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club association football, football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level ...

upon winning or finishing in the first places. In club football,

Atlético Nacional Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional association football, football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the countr ...

became the first Colombian club team to win the

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

in 1989 and later in 2016.

Once Caldas Once Caldas S.A., simply known as Once Caldas, is a professional Colombian football team based in Manizales, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the Palogrande stadium. They were the surprise winners ...

were the surprise winners of the 2004 Copa Libertadores and the second Colombian team to do so.

Cycling

Cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

in Colombia became very popular with the beginning of the annual

Vuelta a Colombia The Vuelta a Colombia (Spanish for ''Tour of Colombia'') is an annual cycling road race, run over many stages throughout different regions in Colombia and sometimes Venezuela and Ecuador during the first days of August. It is organized by the ...

race in 1951, followed by the annual

Clásico RCN The Clásico RCN (Spanish for ''RCN Classic'') is an annual cycling road race that takes place over many stages through different regions of Colombia during October. It is organized by the Colombian Cycling Federation. The event is sponsored b ...

starting in 1961. The triumphs of Martín Emilio "Cochise" Rodríguez in European cycling competitions increased the sport's popularity, which in turn helped to develop the

Colombian Cycling Federation The Colombian Cycling Federation or FCC () is the national governing body of cycle racing in Colombia. The FCC is a member of the UCI and COPACI. External links * Cycle racing organizations Cycle racing in Colombia Cycling Cy ...

. Rodriguez was followed by professional Colombian cyclists known as the "Colombian beetles", which include up to this date Luis "Lucho" Herrera,

Luis Felipe Laverde Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (born 6 July 1979 in Urrao) is Colombian professional road bicycle racer for , having left the team. His best results are two stage victories in the Giro d'Italia, in 2006 and 2007. Palmarès ;2001 : Pan American C ...

Fabio Parra Fabio Enrique Parra Pinto (born November 22, 1959 in Sogamoso, Boyacá) is a retired Colombian road racing cyclist. Parra was successful as an amateur in Colombia, winning the ''Novatos'' classification for new riders or riders riding their fi ...

Víctor Hugo Peña Víctor Hugo Peña Grisales (born July 10, 1974 in Bogotá) is a Colombian professional retired road racing cyclist. He last rode for the professional cycling team. In 2003, Peña became the first Colombian to wear the yellow jersey at the T ...

Santiago Botero Santiago Botero Echeverry (born October 27, 1972) is a Colombian former professional road bicycle racer. He was a pro from 1996 to 2010, during which time he raced in three editions of the Tour de France and four editions of the Vuelta a Españ ...

Mauricio Soler Juan Mauricio Soler Hernández (born January 14, 1983 in Ramiriquí, Boyacá) is a Colombian former professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI ProTour team . He competed in the Tour de France for the first time in 2007, winning st ...

. The "escarabajo" (beetle) nickname was coined by radio announcer José Enrique Buitrago, while watching

Ramón Hoyos Ramón Hoyos Vallejo (26 May 1932 – 19 November 2014) was a Colombian road bicycle racer who won the men's individual road race at the 1959 Pan American Games. He represented his native country twice at the Summer Olympics; in 1956 and 1960. He ...

climb a hill ahead of French professional racer

José Beyaert José Beyaert (1 October 1925 – 11 June 2005) was a French professional cyclist who competed during the 1940s and 1950s, and was the 1948 Olympics road race champion. Beyaert moved to Colombia in 1952 and lived there for several years where ...

during the 1955 Vuelta a Colombia. Colombian cycling has enjoyed a renaissance in the early 2010s, with Colombian riders enjoying international success. One of the factors cited for this success has been the establishment of the 4-72 Colombia cycling team (formerly known as Colombia es Pasión-Café de Colombia), which has developed several cyclists who have gone on to compete for

UCI Worldteams UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...

. The government-backed Colombia-Coldeportes cycling team competed at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, and was the first all-Colombian team to do so for 21 years. The team aimed to secure UCI ProTeam status and compete in the Tour de France, however the team announced its disbanding in October 2015 due to the withdrawal of financial support from

Coldeportes The Administrative Department of Sport, Recreation, Physical Activity and the Use of Free Time, Coldeportes was the national government department of sports in and for Colombia; it is charged with fomenting, planning and organizing the activities ...

, the Colombian government's sports ministry. Riders who graduated to the UCI World Tour from the team included

Esteban Chaves Jhoan Esteban Chaves Rubio (born 17 January 1990) is a Colombian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Born in Bogotá, Chaves has competed as a professional since the start of the 2012 season, having signed f ...

and

Darwin Atapuma Jhon Darwin Atapuma Hurtado (born 15 January 1988) is a Colombian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . After two seasons with , Atapuma left the team at the end of the 2013 season and joined the for 2014. In 2015, he finishe ...

. High-profile riders emerging in this period include

Nairo Quintana Nairo Alexánder Quintana Rojas, Order of Boyacá, ODB, (born 4 February 1990) is a Colombian racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . Nicknamed "Nairoman" and "El Cóndor de los Andes", Quintana is a specialist climber, known ...

Rigoberto Uran ''Rigoberto'' is a 1945 Argentine comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black c ...

Sergio Henao Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (born 10 December 1987) is a Colombian former racing cyclist, who competed professionally from 2012 to 2021 for , and . He retired after the 2021 season when folded. Early life Henao was born in Rionegro in 1987, the ...

Carlos Betancur Carlos Alberto Betancur Gómez (born 13 October 1989) is a Colombian road racing cyclist, who most recently rode for Colombian amateur team . Career In 2010 he won the Girobio stage race; the amateur version of the Giro d'Italia; and in 2011 ...

and Mariana Pajon. The two main strongholds of the sport in Colombia are the

Altiplano Cundiboyacense The Altiplano Cundiboyacense () is a high plateau located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes covering parts of the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The altiplano corresponds to the ancient territory of the Muisca. The Alti ...

in the centre of the country and Antioquia in the west, both being mountainous regions. During the 1990s, the government of the Colombian capital,

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

introduced the

Ciclovía Ciclovía (, ), also ''ciclovia'' or ''cyclovia'', is a Spanish term that means "cycleway", either a permanent bike path or the temporary closing of certain streets to automobiles for cyclists and pedestrians, a practice sometimes called open s ...

, which became popular and were introduced later into other Colombian cities. The government of Bogotá later built

Bogotá's Bike Paths Network Bogotá is the Americas city with the most extensive and comprehensive network of bike paths with a total of 564 kilometers at year 2022. Bogotá’s bike paths network or ''Ciclorrutas de Bogotá'' in Spanish, designed and built and is also one ...

to sponsor the practice of sports by the population and to curb the city's increasing pollution by drivers. The network extends throughout the city with bicycle use increasing five times in the city. There is an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 trips made daily in Bogotá by bicycle.

Champions

María Luisa Calle María Luisa Calle Williams (born October 3, 1968) is a Colombian professional racing cyclist. She was born in Medellín. In the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the cycling women's points race, the first Colombian to win a m ...

, bronze medal winner in the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and World Champion. *

, 3rd place in the tour de France, 1988 *

, Time trial world champion * Martín Emilio "Cochise" Rodríguez, Hour world record holder and world champion in 4,000 m pursuit. *

Marlon Pérez Marlon is a masculine given name. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', the popularity of Marlon Brando led to general awareness of the name (his father was also named Marlon), though the origin of the name is not known. Speculati ...

, Youth World Champion in the

points race A points race is a mass start track cycling event involving large numbers of riders simultaneously on track. It was an Olympic event for men between 1984–2008 and for women 1996–2008. Starting in 2012, the points race is one of the omnium even ...

, 1994 * Efraín Domínguez, Double world record in kilometer and 200 m pushed 1987 * Luis "Lucho" Herrera, "El jardinerito", Champion of the

Dauphiné Libéré The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centur ...

(1988, 1991) and

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

(1987), first non-European to win the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

Mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a femal ...

(1985) *

Martín Ramírez Martín Ramírez (January 30, 1895 – February 17, 1963) was a self-taught artist who spent most of his adult life institutionalized in California mental hospitals, diagnosed as a catatonic schizophrenic. He is considered by some to be one ...

, Champion Dauphiné Libéré 1984 *

Alfonso Florez Ortiz Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

, Champion

Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir ( en, Tour of the Future) is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents ...

1980 *

, one of only three Colombian cyclists to have ever worn the

yellow jersey The general classification is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey (french: maillot jaune ). History Th ...

in the

(2003). *

Rigoberto Urán Rigoberto Urán Urán, ODB (born 26 January 1987) is a Colombian professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal in the road race. He became the first Colombian ever ...

, silver medal winner in the Men's Olympic Road Race,

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, second place in the Giro d'Italia (2013, 2014), second place in the

(2017). *

Mariana Pajón Mariana Pajón Londoño ODB OLY (born 10 October 1991) is a Colombian cyclist, two-time Olympic gold medalist and BMX World Champion.

, gold medal winner at the

in the women's BMX event, gold medal winner at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

in the women's BMX event. * Carlos Oquendo, bronze medal winner at the

in the men's BMX event. *

, 2nd place overall in the

, 2013, 1st place overall

Tour of the Basque Country The Tour of the Basque Country (Officially: ''Itzulia Basque Country'', es, Vuelta al País Vasco, links=no, eu, Euskal Herriko Itzulia) is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race held in the Basque Country (autonomous community) ...

, 2013, 1st place overall

Vuelta a Burgos Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. The men's Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour since 2005. In 2019, a multi-day wo ...

, 2013, 1st place overall Giro d'Italia 2014, winner of

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important prep ...

2015, 1st place overall

2016. *

Edwin Ávila Edwin Alcibiades Ávila Vanegas (born 21 November 1989 in Cali) is a Colombian road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's team pursuit for the national team. He won the ...

, double track cycling world champion in the points race (2011,2014). *

, second place in the Giro d'Italia (2016) * Carlos Ramirez placed third at the

in men's BMX *

Iván Sosa Iván Ramiro Sosa Cuervo (born 31 October 1997) is a Colombian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Early life and amateur career Sosa was born into a farming family in Pasca, Cundinamarca, a town located at high altitude in ...

, 1st place overall in the

2018 Vuelta a Burgos The 2018 Vuelta a Burgos was a men's road bicycle race which was held from 7 August to 11 August 2018. It is the 40th edition of the Vuelta a Burgos stage race, which was established in 1946. The race was rated as a 2.HC event and forms part of t ...

Fernando Gaviria Fernando Gaviria Rendón (born 19 August 1994) is a Colombian professional road and track racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is well known as a sprinter. Riding for the Colombian national cycling team, Gaviria came to int ...

wearer of the

Yellow Jersey The general classification is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey (french: maillot jaune ). History Th ...

in the

2018 Tour de France The 2018 Tour de France was the 105th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 7 July in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, in western France, and concluding on 29 July with the ...

Egan Bernal Egan Arley Bernal Gómez (born 13 January 1997) is a Colombian cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . In 2019 he won the Tour de France, becoming the first Latin American rider to do so, and the youngest winner since 1909. At the 2021 Giro d'It ...

winner of the general and youth classifications in the

2019 Tour de France The 2019 Tour de France was the 106th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 race stage, stages, starting in the Belgian capital of Brussels on 6 July, before movi ...

and 2021 Giro d'Italia

Martial arts

Boxing

Professional boxing in Colombia is mostly practiced in

Caribbean region The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean coast region is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean.Pacific Region The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

in Colombia was also introduced by Europeans in the late 19th century and became popular in Latin America in the early 20th century, and in Colombia became popular in the 1960s, with the triumphs of Antonio "Kid Pambele" Cervantes who became a two time world Jr. Welterweight champion. He was then followed by boxers like

Prudencio Cardona Prudencio Cardona (December 22, 1951 – August 4, 2019) was a Colombian professional boxer who was world flyweight champion. He represented his native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. He is the older brother of forme ...

Rodrigo Valdéz Rodrigo Valdez (February 22, 1946 – March 15, 2017) was a Colombian professional boxer who competed from 1963 to 1980. He was a two time middleweight champion, having held the WBC title from 1974 to 1976 and the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''T ...

, Fidel Bassa, and many more. The success of these boxers created a fan base and many Colombians started to follow the sport. The National Boxing Commission of Colombia (''Comisión Nacional de Boxeo de Colombia'') was created and regulated the practice of boxing in Colombia. In the 1980s, the success of

Miguel "Happy" Lora Miguel Lora Escudero (born April 12, 1961 in Montería, Córdoba), known as Miguel Lora or "Happy" Lora is a Colombian boxer. He reigned as the WBC bantamweight champion of the world from 1985 to 1988. Beginnings and world title Lora started ...

reigned in the bantam weight division (118 pounds) -WBC- from 1985 to 1988 and the silver medal in the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

Carlos José Tamara Carlos José Tamara Paternina (born 15 March 1983) is a Colombian former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2013. He held the IBF light flyweight title in 2010 and previously challenged for the WBO flyweight title in 2008. As an ama ...

. Another boxers have figured internationally and won some titles such as

Ener Julio Ener Julio Julio (born 14 October 1973) is a Colombian former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2008. He held the WBO junior welterweight title from 2000 to 2002. Professional career Julio made his professional debut in 1994. He captur ...

Joel Julio Joel Jalil Julio Mejia (born January 18, 198in Montería, Colombia) is a professional Colombian boxer rated as a junior middleweight. In 2005, he was named ESPN.com's Boxing Prospect of the Year and he has appeared on Ring Magazine's New Face ...

, among others. During the 1990s, surged Irene "Mambaco" Pacheco who became a world champion in the IBF Flyweight category, and in the 2000s,

Fulgencio Zúñiga Fulgencio Zúñiga (; born July 23, 1977) is a Colombian professional boxer and former IBO super middleweight champion. Early career Fulgencio Zúñiga made his first national appearance in 1997 in the 48th National Boxing Tournament held in ...

current IBO Super middleweight champion, recently, Yuberjen Martinez won the silver medal in

Rio 2016 The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

Champions

Tomas Molinares Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian surna ...

, World Boxing champion, welter jr division (WBA) 1988 *

, World Boxing champion, light division 1982 (WBC) * Ricardo cardona, World Boxing champion * Elvis Álvarez, World Boxing champion, light division 1989-1990 (WBO), 1991 (WBA) * Irene Pacheco, World Boxing champion FIB, fly division 1999 * Kermin Guardia, World Boxing champion OMB, minimum division * Beibis Mendoza, World Boxing champion AMB, minifly division * Camilo el "Bambino" García, World Boxing champion FIB, fly division 1992 * Daniel Reyes, World Boxing champion FIB, minimum division *

WBC Middleweight Champion, Undisputed World Middleweight Champion * Luis "Chicanero" Mendoza, World Boxing champion *

Jorge Eliecer Julio Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...

, World Boxing champion and Bronze medal

1988 Olympic Games 1988 Olympics refers to both: *The 1988 Winter Olympics, which were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada *The 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul ...

Mauricio Pastrana Mauricio Antonio Pastrana Tapi (born 20 January 1973) is a Colombian former professional boxer. He is a former four-weight world champion, having won multiple titles in the light flyweight, super flyweight, and bantamweight divisions, as wel ...

, World Boxing champion * Antonio Cervantes "Kid" Pambelé, World Boxing champion, welter jr *

, World Boxing champion, 1985 until 1988 (WBC) * Fidel Bassa, World Boxing champion, light division 1987 - 1989 (WBA) * Rafael "Derby" Pineda, Campeón Mundial de Boxeo Welter jr *

, World Boxing champion, welter jr *

Edison Miranda Edison Miranda (born January 7, 1981) is a Colombian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2021. He challenged once each for the IBF middleweight and super middleweight world titles, and was considered to be one of the most danger ...

Carlos Maussa Charles Celindo Maussa Diaz (born September 24, 1971), best known as Carlos Maussa, is a Colombian former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2007, and held the WBA super light welterweight title in 2005. Professional career Turning p ...

, World Boxing champion, welter jr * Miguel "Huracán" Barrera, World Boxing champion FIB, minimum division * Miguel "Mascara" Maturana, World Boxing champion Aficionado rooster division, Montreal, Canadá 1981 *

* Robinsón Pitalúa *

Clemente Rojas Clemente Rojas (born September 1, 1952 in Cartagena) is a retired boxer from Colombia, who won the bronze medal in the men's featherweight division (– 57 kilograms) at the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), official ...

, bronze medal,

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Alfonso Pérez Alfonso Pérez Muñoz (born 26 September 1972), known simply as Alfonso, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Having represented both Real Madrid and Barcelona during his career, Alfonso possessed above-averag ...

, bronze medal,

* Jorge Julio Rocha, bronze medal,

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

* Yuberjen Martinez, silver medal,

* Rubén "Huracán" Palacios, World Boxing champion, feather division OMB *

Juan Urango Juan Fernando Urango Rivas (born October 4, 1980), best known as Juan Urango, is a Colombian former professional boxer who competed from 2002 to 2012. He held the IBF junior welterweight title twice between 2006 and 2010, and challenged once fo ...

, World Boxing champion, super light division FIB

Roller skating

With the introduction of

inline skates Inline skates are a type of roller skate used for inline skating. Unlike quad skates, which have two front and two rear wheels, inline skates typically have two to five wheels arranged in a single line. Some, especially those for recreation, ha ...

in Colombia during the 1990s,

became widely practiced throughout most of the main cities in the country. It was mostly popular in the main and medium size cities such as Cartagena,

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

Pasto Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had appr ...

Barrancabermeja Barrancabermeja is a city in Colombia, located on the shore of the Magdalena River, in the western part of the department of Santander. It is home to the largest oil refinery in the country, under direct management of ECOPETROL. Barrancabermeja ...

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...

Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...

, and

Valledupar Valledupar () is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Caesar Department. Its name, ''Valle de Upar'' (Valley of Upar), was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; ''Cacique Upar''. ...

. Colombia is a hub for roller skaters. The national team is a perennial powerhouse at the World Roller Speed Skating Championships and has won the overall title nine times in the past 12 years. Colombia also exports state-of-the-art technology in this sport.

Notable

Claudia Ruiz Claudia may refer to: People Ancient Romans *Any woman from the Roman Claudia gens *Claudia (vestal), a Vestal Virgin who protected her father Appius Claudius Pulcher in 143 BC *Claudia Augusta (63–63 AD), infant daughter of Nero by his second ...

m Female

Inline speed skating Inline speed skating is the roller sport of racing on inline skates. The sport may also be called ''inline racing'' by participants. Although it primarily evolved from racing on traditional roller skates, the sport is similar enough to ice spee ...

world champion 300 meters, 1990 * Luz Mery Tristan, Female Inline speed skating world champion 5,000 meters, 1990 * Guillermo Leon Botero, Inline speed skating world champion 20,000 meters, 1990 * Luis Eduardo Moreno, Inline speed skating world champion in China, 300 meters * Liana Holguín, Female Inline speed skating world champion in China * Andrés Felipe Muñoz, 15,000 meters Inline speed skating Junior world champion in Abruzzo, 2004 in China 2005 * Brigitte Méndez, Female Inline speed skating world champion, 15.000 m elimination, Abruzzo (Italy) 2004, Sushou (China) 2005, 1.000 m line Sushou (China) 2005 * Juan Nayib Tobón, Multiple World champion Inline speed skating in China *

Silvia Natalia Niño Silvia () is a female given name of Latin origin, with a male equivalent Silvio and English-language cognate Sylvia. The name originates from the Latin word for forest, ''Silva'', and its meaning is "spirit of the wood"; the mythological god of ...

, Multiple Inline speed skating world champion * Diego Rosero, Multiple Inline speed skating world champion * Cecilia Baena, Female Inline speed skating world champion *

Berenice Moreno Berenice ( grc, Βερενίκη, ''Bereníkē'') is the Ancient Macedonian form of the Attic Greek name ''Pherenikē'', which means "bearer of victory" . Berenika, priestess of Demeter in Lete ca. 350 BC, is the oldest epigraphical evidence. ...

, Female Inline speed skating world champion * Jorge Botero, Inline speed skating world champion * Jennifer Caicedo, Female Inline speed skating world champion, 500 meters Duisburg (Germany), and Suzhou (China), and in Barquisimeto (Venezuela) *

Edwin Guevara The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (die ...

, Inline speed skating world champion, 1996, 1998 * Anderson Ariza, Inline speed skating world champion, 2002 * Alexandra Vivas, Female Inline speed skating world champion, 10,000 meters (Italy) 2004 *

Nelson Garzon Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Nelson (1918 film), ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * Nelson (1926 film), ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * Nelson (opera), ''N ...

, Inline speed skating world champion, 10,000 meters points, 2006 * Jersy Puello, Inline speed skating world champion, 200 m and 1.000 m (Italy) 2004 *

Carolina Upegui Carolina Upegui Quevedo (born 16 March 1989) is a Colombian professional racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo ...

, Inline speed skating world champion, 15,000 meters (Italy) 2004 * Kelly Martinez, Inline speed skating junior world champion, 15,000 meters Barquisimeto (Venezuela) 2003 * Jorge Cifuentes, Inline speed skating junior world champion, 1.000 m, 500 m J (Italy) 2004 * Martin Cardenas, National Skating Champion 100 m child (Colombia) 2003. * Sara Vallejo World Figure Skating Champion Youth 200 m (Colombia) 2007. * Maria Claudia salazar skating 15,000 m Youth 2007 * Ahmed Hamed 300 m skating world Champion Palestina youth 2007

Motorsports

Roberto Guerrero Roberto José Guerrero Isaza (born 16 November 1958) is a Colombian Americans, Colombian-American former race driver. He participated in 29 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 23 January 1982, becoming the first Colombian to start a Formula ...

, former

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, ...

and

Indycar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...

driver * Martin Cardenas, 250cc

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

rider. *

Yonny Hernández Yonny Hernández may refer to: * Yonny Hernández (baseball), (born 1998), Venezuelan professional baseball infielder * Yonny Hernández (motorcyclist) Yonny Hernández Vega (born 25 July 1988) is a Colombian motorcycle racer. He is the older br ...

, MotoGP

rider.

Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (; born September 20, 1975) is a Colombian racing driver. He won the International F3000 championship in 1998, the CART FedEx Championship Series in 1999 in his debut year in the series, and the IMSA WeatherTech S ...

has been the most successful sportsman in

motorsports Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

in Colombia, with a career in the

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...

(for which he won the 1999 championship),

and of 2006 in the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

, United States.

Basketball

Colombia hosted the 1982 Basketball World Cup, one of the most watched events the country has ever hosted. Since then, the country's basketball team has declined a bit. Throughout the decades, Colombia produced several internationally recognized players such as Juan Palacios, who has played in several of Europe's elite competitions and

Braian Angola Braian Alexander Angola-Rodas (born April 6, 1994) is a Colombian professional basketball player for Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi. He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles. The swingman competed for Findl ...

who recently became the first Colombian player Drafted in the NBA.

Chess

* Miguel Cuéllar * Boris de Greiff * Ilse Guggenberger *

Luis Augusto Sánchez Luis Augusto Sánchez (20 July 1917 – 1981) was a Colombian chess master. He won the Colombian Chess Championship six times (1938, 1947, 1948, 1954, 1958, and 1962). He broke out on the international stage in 1938 by winning the chess tourname ...

Alonso Zapata Alonso Zapata Ramirez (born August 22, 1958) is a Colombian chess grandmaster. He is an eight-time Colombian Chess Champion. Chess career Zapata has won the Colombian Chess Championship in 1980, 1981, 1995 (joint), 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, an ...

, Finished Second Youth World Championship 1977, Great Internacional Masters.

Athletics

Caterine Ibargüen Caterine Ibargüen Mena Order of Boyaca, ODB (born 12 February 1984) is a retired Colombian Sport of athletics, athlete competing in high jump, long jump and triple jump. Her notable achievements include a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, ...

, Athlete, Gold medal at the

, silver medal in the

, two gold medals in the

IAAF World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...

, and two gold medals in the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

and

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

. *

Ximena Restrepo Ximena Restrepo Gaviria (born March 10, 1969 in Medellín) is a former Colombian nationalized Chilean sprinter who specialised in the 400 metres. With the time of 49.64 seconds she won a bronze medal in 400 metres at the 1992 Olympic Games, ...

, Athletic runner, Bronze medal, 1992 Olympic Games *

Luis Fernando López Luis Fernando López Julio (born 15 October 1964) is a Bolivian businessman, retired military officer, and politician who served as minister of defense from 2019 to 2020. Appointed in the tail end of the 2019 political crisis, López, along wi ...

, athlete, bronze medal at the 2011 World Championship in 20 km race walking *

Anthony Zambrano Anthony José Zambrano de la Cruz (born 17 January 1998) is a Colombian sprinter. He won the silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in the 400 metres, setting the new Colombian national record of 44.15 seconds. He was also a finalist of ...

is a sprinter who won silver medals at the

2020 Olympic Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

and the

2019 World Athletics Championships The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held betw ...

in the

400m The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

. *

Sandra Arenas Lorena Arenas Campuzano (born September 17, 1993 in Pereira, Colombia, Pereira, Colombia) is a Colombian racewalking, race walker. She won the silver medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the 20 kilometer race walk. She competed at the 2 ...

won a silver medal in the Women's 20 kilometres walk at the

Baseball

* Liga Colombiana de Béisbol Profesional *

, Baseball World Cup Champions 1947, 1965 *

Gold medal ''

Bolivarian Games The Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'', full name ''Juegos Deportivos Bolivarianos'') are a regional multi-sport event held in honor of Simón Bolívar, and organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (''Organización Deport ...

'' in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

, 1947 *

Gold medal ''

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for countries in Cent ...

'' in

, 1946 *

Orlando Ramírez Orlando Ramírez Leal (born December 18, 1951), nicknamed as "El Ñato" (Snub Nose), is a Colombian former Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the California Angels between 1974 and 1979. He was the first recognized Colombian-born pla ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

* Jackie Gutiérrez,

player *

Jolbert Cabrera Jolbert Alexis Cabrera Ramírez (born December 8, 1972) is a Colombian former baseball player. Previously, he played in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians (1998–2002), Los Angeles Dodgers (2002–2003), Seattle Mariners (2004), ...

player *

Orlando Cabrera Orlando Luis Cabrera Ramírez, nicknamed "O-Cab" and "The OC", (born November 2, 1974) is a Colombian-American former baseball infielder. He won a World Series championship in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox. He also played for the Montreal Expos ...

player (Champion

2004 World Series The 2004 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2004 season. The 100th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National Leag ...

with

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

). * Luis Castro,

player *

Édgar Rentería Édgar Enrique Rentería Herazo (; born August 7, 1975), nicknamed "The Barranquilla Baby", is a Colombian former professional baseball shortstop. He threw and batted right-handed. He played for the Florida Marlins, the St. Louis Cardinals, the ...

player (Champion

1997 World Series The 1997 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1997 season. The 93rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Cleveland Indians and the National L ...

with

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

and

2010 World Series The 2010 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2010 season. The 106th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the Nati ...

with

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

). *

Emiliano Fruto Emiliano Ricardo Fruto roo'-toh/small> (born June 6, 1984) is a Colombian former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners in its 2006 season. Listed at 6' 3" ft. .90 m. 230 lb. 07 k./small>, Fruto batted and ...

player, pitcher

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

Ernesto Frieri Ernesto Frieri Gutiérrez ree-eh'-ree(born July 19, 1985) is a Colombian former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tam ...

player, pitcher

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

Bowling

* Jairo Ocampo, Bowling World Champion, 1974 * Armando Mariño, Bowling World Champion, 1983 * Clara Juliana Guerrero, Female Bowling World Champion, 2003, 2006, and 2009 * Luz Adriana Leal, bronze medal at the 1995 World Championship * Sara Vargas, World Ranking Masters Champion *

Paola Gómez Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. Notable people with the name include: People In arts and entertainment * Paola Del Medico (born 1950), Swiss singer * Paola e Chiara, pop music duo consisting of two sisters born ...

, bronze medal at the 2011 World Championship *

Andrés Gómez Andrés Gómez Santos (; born 27 February 1960) is an Ecuadorian former professional tennis player. He won the men's singles title at the French Open in 1990. His son, Emilio Gómez, is a professional tennis player. His nephew Nicolás Lapent ...

, Professional title holder *

Manuel Otalora Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

, World Games Champion in 2009 * Anggie Ramírez, World Games Silver medalist in 2009 and 2013 Ibero-American Champion * Laura Fonnegra, Gold Medalist at the 2010 World Youth Championship * Santiago Mejía, Pan American Gold Medalist * Juan Francisco Gómez, Pan-American Gold Medalist * Juliana Franco Arango, Bronze medal at the 2012 World Youth Championship and Pan-American Gold Medalist

Golf

Currently,

Camilo Villegas Camilo Villegas (; born 7 January 1982) is a Colombian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early years Villegas was born in Medellín, Colombia, and took up golf as a child. After several different National Junior Championships in Co ...

is the most recognized Colombian golfer in the world. He has been a

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

professional in the United States since 2006. In 2008, Villegas was the first PGA Tour player in 11 years to win his first two PGA Tour events back-to-back. He is currently among the top 10 ranked golfers in the world, according to the

Official World Golf Rankings The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of professional golfers. It was started in 1986. The rankings are based on a player's position in individual tournaments (i.e. not pairs or team events) over a "rolli ...

Marisa Baena Marisa Isabel Baena (born 1 June 1977) is a Colombian golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. Baena was born in Pereira, Colombia. She started playing golf at the age of six. She attended the University of Arizona in the United States and ...

was the inaugural champion of the

HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship The HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship was an LPGA Tour golf tournament that was played from 2005 through 2007. It was first played from June 30 to July 3, 2005 at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey. In 2007 the event moved to ...

in 2005. Camilo Benedetti, Diego Vanegas, and Manuel "Manny" Villegas (the younger brother of Camilo Villegas) are currently playing professional golf in the United States on the

Nationwide Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental golf tour, tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at tha ...

, with hopes of eventually graduating to the

. David Vanegas is playing on the equivalent

Challenge Tour The Challenge Tour is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and, as with on the main European Tour and the European Senior Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe. History The ...

with the prospect of promotion to the

European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...

Weightlifting

María Isabel Urrutia María Isabel Urrutia Ocoró (born 25 March 1965) is a former Olympic weightlifting, weightlifter, athlete and politician from Colombia. She won the first ever gold medal for Colombia at the Summer Olympic G ...

, female weightlifter, multiple times world champion and gold medal,

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

* Óscar Figueroa, male weightlifter, Figueroa won Olympic Gold at the

, silver medal winner at the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, silver medal winner at the 2006 Santo Domingo, gold medal winner at the 2008 Callao *

Mabel Mosquera Mabel Mosquera Mena (born July 1, 1969) is a weightlifter from Quibdó, Colombia. Born in Quibdó, Department of Chocó, she started weightlifting in 1999. She competed in the women's 53 kg weight class at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Lifti ...

, female weightlifter, bronze medal,

2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

* Diego Fernando Salazar, male weightlifter, silver medal,

2008 Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Olympic wrestling

* Albeiro García, World Champion

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, 1980 * Joselio Mosquera, World Champion

Jackeline Rentería Jackeline Rentería Castillo (born February 23, 1986 in Cali, Colombia) is a female wrestler from Colombia. She won a bronze medal in the women's freestyle 55 kg at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and repeated the feat in the women's freestyle 55 ...

- 2008 and 2012 Olympics - Women's Freestyle - Bronze - 55 kg

Rugby League

Although

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

is a minor sport in Colombia they have a

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exam ...

Tennis

Santiago Giraldo Santiago Giraldo Salazar (, born 27 November 1987) is a retired Colombian professional tennis player. He played on the ATP tour and represented Colombia in the Davis Cup competition. His best tournament result is reaching the final in the 20 ...