Sports in Brazil

          The most popular sport in Brazil is futbol commenly know as soccer here in the United States. The Maracanä Stadium, built in Rio de Janeiro for the 1950 World Cup, is the second largest in the world with a capacity of 150,000. The Brazilian team was the first to win the World Cup four times in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994. Brazilian fondness for sports in general is shown by the existence of some 8,000 sports clubs throughout the country. Some other sports that they practice are gymnastics, basketball, vollyball, auto racing, and material arts, tennis, team handball,  and swimming.
       Vollyball is a popular sport for men and women.A women's team won the World Cup in 1991 and a male team won the Gold Medal at the Olympics in 1992.  swimming in international competitions, with a few Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals to their credit. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Brazil reached its paramount position in the history of the Olympics, having obtained a total of 15 medals, of which 3 were gold. Brazilians are increasingly taking up new sports activities such as surfing, windsurfing, and hang gliding.
          In 2016 the Summer Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2014, The FIFA World Cup will be held in Brazil. Those are two of the most important sports events in the World!