Sport in Austria
Austria is a highly mountainous country, with its highest point being almost 4 kilometers above sea level. Austrians have a great love for winter sports like alpine skiing and ice hockey but they also love sport like association football or soccer and rugby.
Cycling in AustriaAustria has produced some of the best alpine skiers in the world like Toni Sailer, Hermann Maier, and Annemarie Moser-Pröll. Austria has basically got a strangle hold on alpine skiing and one of the best in ski jumping in the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, Winter Olympics and FIS Ski Jumping World Cup. As a matter of fact, in the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Austria dominated by taking all of the 5 gold medals.
The Austrians traditionally played football or soccer but has declined in popularity since the World War II. The Austrian national football team actually qualified for the FIFA World Cup several times but never made the cut for the European Championships until 2008.
It is also worth noting that Austrians also like playing chess. As a matter of fact, the first official world chess champion was from Austria (Wilhelm Steinitz). There are also a lot of Austrians who made a mark in various sports like Niki Lauda who won the Formula One championship three times (1975, 1977 and 1984).
See also the list the most popular internet searches for "sports" in Austria.
Popular sports of Austria (see more)
- Football (Soccer), alpine skiing, ice hockey, rugby
Austria's Sporting Success
- 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Austria dominated by taking all of the 5 gold medals
- Niki Lauda who won the Formula One championship three times (1975, 1977 and 1984)
Great athletes from Austria
- Dominic Thiem (tennis)
- Thomas Muster (tennis)
- Toni Sailer
- Hermann Maier
- Annemarie Moser-Pröll
- Niki Lauda (Formula1)
Austria Sports trivia
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (nicknamed the "Austrian Oak"), who won the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding tournament eight times, is of Austrian decent.
Austria at major events
- Austria at the Summer Olympics
- Austria at the Winter Olympics
- Austria at the FIFA World Cup
- Austria at the UEFA Euros
Past sporting events events hosted in Austria
- 1933 World Table Tennis Championships in Baden bei Wien
- 1937 World Table Tennis Championships in Baden bei Wien
- 1951 World Table Tennis Championships in Vienna
- 1964 Winter Olympic Games hosts Innsbruck
- 1976 Winter Olympic Games hosts Innsbruck
- 2008 UEFA European (Euro) Football Championship co-host with Switzerland
- 2017 Special Special Olympics World Winter Games: Graz and Schladming, Austria
Upcoming sporting events in Austria
- 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach.
Annual sporting events held in Austria
Sporting Facilities in Austria
Other
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