Sports passport for discovering Argentina

As the second largest country on the South American continent, Argentina covers an area of 2,766,900 km², offering a wide range of climates as well as varied landscapes across its provinces.

These features have helped the homeland of Guillermo Vilas, Messi, Maradona, Juan Manuel Fangio and De Vicenzo become one of the main touristic destinations in the world, where several of the most prominent sports events in the world are held, both for professionals and amateurs. Keep reading to learn all about them!

The Moto GP Grand Prix is a highly acclaimed event in Argentina, a competition included in the Motorcycle World Championship. It has been held since 2014 at the Termas de Rio Hondo racetrack, located in the eponymous city. Due to the restrictions put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this years' edition has been postponed and will be held in 2021.

However, this city is also famous for its tourist attractions: it is located on a mineral spring, around which a resort has been developed, becoming the most important centre of thermal tourism in Latin America. Hence Termas de Rio Hondo has gained a position as a spa city, but also as a venue for this great sporting event.

Besides the motorcycling GP, Termas de Rio Hondo hosts another big event: one of the stages of the PGA Tour Latin America, a renowned professional golf circuit that is watched all over the world. Argentina has some of the best golf courses and therefore the following courses were chosen for this year's edition: Cañuelas Golf Club, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires; Córdoba Golf Club in Villa Allende (with the 89th edition of the Open, in what will be the fourth season of the PGA); Chapelco Golf exclusive Neuquen Argentina Classic 2020 PGA Tour Latinoamérica, Termas de Rio Hondo course (in Termas de Rio Hondo) and the Argentine Open, although these last two have been rescheduled and will be held in 2021.

Once again, tourism and sports are perfectly combined here; all of the chosen venues offer scenic routes and an amazing gastronomy, such as the popular meatballs from Córdoba, the chivito neuquino (in Neuquén) or the delicious empanadas criollas from Buenos Aires.

Sport fishing is extremely popular in the legendary lands of Patagonia, and the opening of the season is greatly anticipated each year. The new fishing season started on November 1st and will go on until next April. The provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego, as well as the National Parks Administration welcome thousands of fishing professionals in a unique setting. Sports are perfectly combined with the best Patagonian gastronomy and wines. The region boasts major wine tourism circuits thanks to its over seventeen wineries distributed throughout the area, attracting high-level oenological tourism every year, as well as enjoying one of the region's most traditional sports.

Villa la Angostura (in the province of Neuquén) is considered a touristic gem in Argentina, and also called "the garden of Patagonia" thanks both to its great vegetation as well as its lakes and mountains. Each year, the Motocross World Championship is held in this charming town. The region also offers great opportunities for sport fishing and excellent wines from Neuquén, many of which have won international awards. In fact, Neuquen is part of the famous "Patagonia Wine Route", with numerous wineries where tourists from all over the country and beyond can learn all about the elaboration process of wine varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.

The province of San Juan, with its unique and impressive landscape, was chosen as the perfect location for such an important event as the Vuelta Ciclista, or also known as the "San Juan Tour". This year's Tour, whose winner was the Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel, took place between the 26th of January and the 2nd of February, and covered a distance of 1,005 kilometres. In addition to this cycling competition, San Juan is also known for its fruitful vineyards, which have enabled the region to become an important centre for oenological tourism: more than twenty wineries scattered throughout its five valleys are an excellent reference site for wine lovers.

In addition to cycling, the province of San Juan offers yet another major sporting event, the great Superbike World (SBW) motorbike race, which is held at the El Villicum Circuit, and has a length of 4,263 metres. This circuit is located in the capital of the province, named El Villicum too, and every year it attracts thousands of fans eager to enjoy a good racing weekend while enjoying the wonders of the city, such as the Birthplace of the writer and president Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, or the Parque de Mayo in San Juan.

If there is one sport that truly sparks emotions in Argentina, it is undoubtedly football. Argentina has given internationally famous players such as Diego Maradona and Leo Messi, and the giant stadiums all over the country are authentic temples of worship for fans. Five Argentine cities were chosen to host the Copa America football tournament, which will be held in 2021 due to the pandemic: Buenos Aires, La Plata, Mendoza, Santiago del Estero, and Córdoba. A sporting event that also gives many of its fans the opportunity to tour the most authentic regions of this country, and enjoy not only the matches but also its culture and gastronomy. The football tour includes the emblematic city of Buenos Aires, as well as the endless plains of La Pampa with impressive natural reserves such as the Lihué Calel National Park. It also offers the possibility of enjoying wine tourism in places such as Mendoza, the heart of the Argentinean wine region, with major wineries where tastings are offered accompanied by local dishes, such as Tomaticán or carne a la olla.

Every year, these Argentinean cities host two of the most important international tennis tournaments.

One of them is the Buenos Aires Open, which takes place every year in February at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, which is considered the "cathedral" of Argentinian tennis. The capital of Argentina also offers a number of streets and buildings worth visiting, with famous landmarks such as the pasaje Caminito, the Casa Rosada, or the flea market in the San Telmo neighbourhood. Buenos Aires also offers an excellent gastronomy where the asado is king, so the Buenos Aires Open is always a good excuse to visit this emblematic city. The next edition of the Open has been scheduled for February 2021, although its celebration will depend on how the Covid-19 pandemic develops in the country.

Another major tennis tournament, and one that has recently been created, is held in Cordoba, one of the cities in Argentina with a great sporting tradition. In February 2021, the courts of the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium will host the second edition of this open tournament, which will be attended by leading figures from the tennis world. The city also offers interesting tourist attractions such as Parque Sarmiento, Plaza de San Martín or the Cathedral Church, as well as amazing food such as the empanadas de carne, alfajores cordobeses (a dessert made with dulce de leche), or its popular meatballs in broth.

Argentina has a leading position in this well-known sport. The trendy neighbourhood of Palermo, in Buenos Aires, hosts the annual Argentine Open Polo Championship, popularly known as the Open of Palermo.

This event is widely followed by all polo fans as, together with the Hurlingham Club Open and the Tortugas Country Club Open, it is the last of the three that make up the "triple crown" of the Argentinian polo. This year, the Open will be held in December, following all the protocols and safety measures in place. The Open is disputed at the Campo Argentino de Polo, located in Palermo. This neighbourhood is the largest in the city of Buenos Aires and is filled with parks (notably the Botanical Garden) and museums such as the Evita Museum or the Buenos Aires Museum of Latin American Art, which are all worth a visit.

And last but not least, we would like to highlight a sport in which both professionals and amateurs participate: the Buenos Aires Marathon, with a 21-km course (half-marathon) and a final 42-km course. Every year, the capital city of Argentina celebrates one of the most watched and commented marathons in the world. The event has been cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but new dates are being considered to hold it in 2021 with all safety measures.