SPORT IN LATIN AMERICA

Hokitika Guardian, 2 December 1929, Page 2

SPORT IN LATIN AMERICA

There was a time when outdoor sports (unless an occasional bull light could so be called) were almost unknown in the countries of Latin America. Lull lights are now out of ltishion in that part of the world, except in a few backward localities and South Americans in general have run to the other extreme in the fanaticism with which they devote themselves to sports of every kind, especially those of English origin. Prominent among these is football. Recent cables report that a mob of 2doo people stormed the buildings of the Peruvian Football Federation, broke the doors and windows and attempted- to set fire to the structure because a Paraguayan team defeated a Peruvian one in an important match at Buenos Ayres. I was in Paraguay little more than a year ago, and was much impressed at the great hold that “futbol” (so it is spelt and pronounced locally) had taken on the public fancy, though only a few years ago the game was practically unknown in the country. It is not so many years since a page would be sufficient in any South American daily paper to record all the sporting events; now important papers like the “ Prensa ” of Buenos Ayres, in their special enlarged editions, may 1 devote ten pages or more to sporting news and sporting advertisements. The Argentine also has developed famous boxers, like Firpo and Campolo, and in almost every branch of sport the same advance is notable. Rio do Aarieiro has never been looked on as a ■sporting centre,: ;but many; years ago, 'rom the top of Corcovndo Mountain, which overlooks;-the city, I counted; no less'than seven racecourses, besides a. large bull-ringsince then the number has probably increased greatly. There are other sports besides bull fighting peculiar to these Iberian countries. Prominent among them is the game of pelota, of Basque origin. It has some resemblance to the old English game of •‘lives” as played in Eton and other colleges. The players are usually four, two on each side, and the ball (about the she of a lawn- tennis ball) is delivered against a high jwall froih'a r kind' of ’Wickerwork hasikejt aiifangeihejlt strapped to the arm.,: and ofil'i its botmd is struck bv one .of the opposing side. The ball must always be iiV mot-ibri'Wl-never retained in the hand. All English games’ ;are now popular in : South America,;, except perhaps, cricket, which never-. appealed much to the; Latin races. ; :Tl(ere are however) good English cricket clubs in' Buenos Ayres and the \neighborhood two of; the most important, being one formed; by the employees of the Buenos Ayres Great Southern Railway and another by the employees of Saint Isidro, a suburban to.wn with a large English colony. A match ■between the “Bags” and the “Saints” (the local pet names given to the rival clubs) is an important event among the English community and is always well patronised by the public,