Sports in Venezuela

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Baseball

Baseball is by far the most popular sport in Venezuela. Enthusiasm for the sport grew tremendously in the 1920s as American oil workers flooded into the country and encouraged interest in the game. The first professional league was established in the 1940s, and teams began to appear all over the country. Venezuela’s first baseball legend was Alfonso ‘Chico’ Carrasquel, who rose to fame in the 1950s and inspired many players.

Today, baseball is Venezuela’s national sport and continues to attract a huge following. The sport is practiced informally and formally in every town and city in the country. Venezuelans often play for American teams and vice-versa.

Venezuela’s winter leagues take place between October and January. Eight national teams (Leones del Caracas, Navegantes del Magallanes, Caribes de Oriente, Cardenales de Lara, Aguilas del Zulia, Tiburones de la Guaira, Pastora de los Llanos and Tigres de Aragua) compete against each other. The overall winner moves on to represent Venezuela against Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in the Serie del Caribe in February.

Other Sports

Basketball is another popular sport in Venezuela, and all towns and cities have their own teams. Football, despite being the revered national sport of most Latin American countries, carries little significance in Venezuela, who have yet to qualify for the World Cup.

Watersports

Tourists can enjoy a wide variety of watersports in Venezuela. Jetskiing, paragliding and banana boats are common on beach resorts. Water-skiing is also on offer, and Mochima National Park is a prime venue for this. Surfing and windsurfing are very popular, especially around the Peninsula de Araya, the Peninsula de Paraguaná and the resort of El Yaque on Isla Margarita, the latter of which is a world famous destination. Venezuela’s Caribbean waters are also brilliant for snorkeling and scuba diving, particularly around the coral reefs of the Caribbean islands and the national parks of Mochima and Morrocoy. These waters are not only home to a huge diversity of marine plant and animal life, but also several shipwrecks dating back to the colonial period. A great number of agencies hire out diving equipment and offer excursions and courses.

Fishing

Venezuela, with its great diversity of marine and fresh water habitats, is an angler’s paradise. The most popular locations are the Orinoco Delta and its tributaries (catfish and piranha), Río Chico (tarpon and snook), Lake Guri and Lake Camatagua (peacock bass), Mérida (salmon and trout), Los Roques archipelago (bonefish and barracuda) and La Guaira Bank (bill and marlin). The waters of the Caribbean are also teeming with red snapper, marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna and lobster. Fishing equipment can be hired and many tour operators offer fishing trips to the above destinations. NB. Permits may be required for fishing in certain areas.

Adventure Sports

In the heart of the Venezuelan Andes, Mérida is by far the most popular place for adventure sports. It is a beautiful region and caters perfectly for mountaineering, trekking, horseriding, paragliding, hangliding, mountain biking, rock-climbing, rafting, kayaking and hiking. Other popular destinations are the lush mountains around Caripe and the tepuis of the Gran Sabana. There are plenty of agencies that offer adventure excursions into the mountains and hire out all the necessary equipment.

Hiking

With 43 national parks, Venezuela has no shortage of beautiful and varied hiking territory. The country’s national parks range from craggy mountain slopes to thick rainforest, and all are home to an incredible diversity of flora and fauna. Particularly popular with hikers are the parks of El Ávila, Canaima and the Andes. Most national parks have well-marked trails encompassing sites of interest such as waterfalls and viewpoints. Some have camping facilities. Good, robust footwear is essential and a waterproof is a good idea in the rainy season.

Caving

There are several hundred caves dotted around Venezuela. The longest and most fascinating cave in the country is the Cueva del Guácharo in Caripe. Specialist equipment and a permit are needed to explore off the tourist path. The Cueva de la Quebrada del Toro National Park in the northwest has an excellent network of caves, many of which have subterranean watercourses, including two vast reservoirs over 200m long which can be explored by boat. A guide is needed to enter the caves.

Paintball

Paintballing (combat-strategy active team game with balls of paint for bullets) has become increasingly popular in Venezuela over the last few years. There are painballing centers in Caracas and Puerto la Cruz.

Golf

Golf courses are generally found in large hotels, country club and major tourist towns..

Gymnasiums

Gymnasiums and fitness centers are common in most towns and cities, some of which are open-air.