About the Glorious Dates of Ecuadorian Sports Institutions
This column presents glorious dates of Ecuadorian sports institutions that were built by leaders with great responsibility and who continue to be protagonists, although some have been overshadowed. We will remember historic victories of athletes in various disciplines, as well as their feats. Let's get to know the brilliant episodes, here we go:
*1841. Being the governor of Guayas, Vicente Rocafuerte, a brilliant statesman in our history, orders the creation of San Vicente School, an institution that later bore his name and is now approaching its 179th year of institutional life. Its students proclaim: "Where there's a VR, there's a champion".
*1890. Cycling is promoted in Guayaquil and Quito, a sport that is practiced throughout the nation today.
*1907. Baseball has been played in the country since that year. In Buenos Aires in 1963 and in Guayaquil in 1966, Ecuador became the South American champion of this sport.
*1908. CS Patria is founded, a team with a large fanbase; in 1971, it played its last match in the top league, and it is remembered as the "decano" or the "dirty faces" team.
*1911. The first Football League is established in Ecuador, and the following year, the first interprovincial match is played in Quito, with CS Guayaquil winning 4-0 against Sport Quito.
*1916. CS Norte América appears, in 1919 LDU de Guayaquil and in 1918 LDU de Quito, teams with international titles. In 1922, the Guayaquil Sports Federation is established, and in 1925, it is renamed the Guayas Sports Federation, which currently has shortcomings in its infrastructure and directive function.
*1924. Ecuador's first participation in the Olympic Games with athletes Alberto Jurado González, Alberto Jarrín Jaramillo, and Belisario Villacís, in Paris.
*1925. Barcelona SC enters the hearts of fans, an eternal idol. Its neighbor CS Emelec in 1929, also an idol. Two iconic teams that play the true classic of Ecuadorian football.
*1938. An achievement is made by swimmers Carlos Luis Gilbert, Ricardo Planas, Luis Alcívar, and Abel Gilbert, winning the 5th South American Swimming Championship in Lima, Peru. They are still remembered.
*1938. Our tennis credit Pancho Segura flourishes, with victories in the first Bolivarian Games in Bogota in 1938. He became champion in Uruguay in 1941, and in Mexico in 1943. In 1950 and 1951, he became world champion and achieved many more successes.
*1950. The Guayas Football Association is founded, a respected institution that currently organizes official championships in various categories.
*1960. The renowned Uruguayan team Peñarol takes the best Ecuadorian player in their football history, his name: Alberto Spencer. Like him, no one else.
*1971. Jorge Delgado emerges as a brilliant swimmer, winning a gold medal in the Pan American Games in Cali, in the 200 meters butterfly; and in 1972, an honorable fourth place in the Olympics in Munich, Germany. Today he serves as an official and coach.
*1977. Galo Legarda reaches the podium as the Latin American three-cushion billiards champion in Mexico.
*1982. The Inter-Neighborhood Football Tournament of Diario EL UNIVERSO appears, considered by FIFA as the largest tournament in the world. The championship in each season uncovers talents that go to professional clubs and the national teams.
*1990. Tennis player Andrés Gómez shines at the Roland Garros in Paris. A memorable victory. Today, he is an instructor and a great friend.
*1996. Jefferson Pérez thrills millions of Ecuadorians by winning his first Olympic medal in the 20-kilometer race walk in Atlanta. The country still applauds him.
We cannot fail to praise the achievements of Ecuadorian weightlifters Alexandra Escobar, Neisi Dájomes, Angie Palacios, and Tamara Salazar; and in men's, the rise of Jorge David Arroyo, and as an educator, Luis Zambrano, exemplary in his work as an executive and coach.
In addition, impressive and magnificent performances by our soccer in world and South American competitions, both in youth and senior categories. Performances achieved with good work on the field. No more words... (O)