Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Argentina's workforce is more than 40% female, and women currently occupy over a
third of Argentina's congressional seats.
The Sporting Life
Fútbol
(soccer) is an integral part of Argentines' lives, and on game day you'll know it
by the cheers and yells emanating out of shops and cafes. The national team has been to
the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup final four times
and has triumphed twice, in 1978 and 1986. The Argentine team also won Olympic gold
twice, at the 2004 and 2008 games. The most popular teams are Boca Juniors and River
Plate (there are around two-dozen professional teams in Buenos Aires alone) and the fan-
atical behavior of the country's
barra brava
(hooligans) rivals that of their European
counterparts. Among the best-known
fútbol
players are Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batis-
tuta and, of course, Lionel Messi, who has been voted FIFA's best player of the year for
three years running.
Rugby's popularity has increased in Argentina ever since Los Pumas, the national
team, beat France in the first game of the 2007 Rugby World Cup and
again
in the play-
off for third place. As an indicator of just how popular the sport has become, the
Super-
clásico
(the famed soccer match between Boca and River Plate) was rescheduled so it
wouldn't conflict with Los Pumas' quarter-final match.
Argentina has the top polo horses and players in the world, and the Dakar Rally has
been taking place partly or mostly in Argentina since 2009. Horse racing, tennis, basket-
ball, golf and boxing are also popular.
Pato is Argentina's traditional sport, played on horseback and mixing elements from
both polo and basketball. It was originally played with a duck (a 'pato') but now, thank-
fully, uses a ball encased in leather handles. Despite its long history and tradition,
however, relatively few people follow it.
Jimmy Burns'
The Hand of God
(1997) is the definitive book about football legend Diego
Maradona and makes a great read - even if you're not a soccer fanatic.
