SPORTS IN MADRID, SPAIN

Alison Chapman

Futbol (Soccer)

Spain’s number one spectator sport

Premier Teams: Real and Atletico

Real Madrid more successful

David Beckham and Ronaldo

Many soccer training centers

Baloncesto (Basketball)

Madrid’s second biggest spectator sport

First team in Madrid = Real Madrid Basketball Club

Real Madrid teams have won 30 Spanish League championships.

La Tauromaquia (Bullfighting)

Madrid is the international capital of bullfighting

Season runs from beginning of March to the end of October (every Sunday)

Plaza de Toros Monumental de Las Ventas

Golf

Most golf courses in Madrid are for the professionals

Still many other places for beginners to learn

Golf Park, Campo Villa de Madrid Golf Course, Cabanillas Golf Course

Fishing

Madrid’s most popular passive sport

All rivers and streams are filled with fish, so it is never a struggle to catch any

Trout, black bass, royal carp, pike, and bowfin

Lozoya Stream, Tormes Stream, Estena Stream, Burguillo Lake

Cycling

Reveals another side of the city that you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise

Organized tours “Green Cyclists

Ring”

Clay Shooting

Involves taking aim at inanimate moving or flying clay ‘pigeons’ that come flying from all directions

Played with a rifle Demands

concentration Good reflexes

Tennis

Madrid Tennis Masters played indoors and on clay

Women’s tournament called Madrid Open

Many other open recreation tennis opportunities

Horse Racing

Many people place bets on horses they think will win

La Zarzuela Racecourse or “Hipodromo de la Zarzuela”

1,000 horses Seats about 4,000

people

Sources

Copyscape. (2011, February). Madrid sports and outdoor activities. Retrieved from http://www.madrid.world-guides.com/sport.html

Sports and recreation in madrid. (2005, April). Retrieved from http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/spain/madrid/entertainment-in-madrid/sports-and-recreation-in-madrid/fishing-in-madrid.html

Madrid tennis masters. (2011, March 3). Retrieved from http://city-break-in-madrid.accor-hotels.com/hotel-madrid/sport-madrid/madrid-tennis-masters-caja-magica-madrid-e-55114475