Football in Antarctica

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Association football has been played in Antarctica since the early twentieth century. The sport was first played in Antarctica by the British and was later played by South Americans and other nationalities.

Contents

History

Members of the HMS Protector playing football in Antarctica (2013). Members of HMS Protectors Ships Company, play football on the ice as the sun sets in Antarctica. MOD 45156396.jpg
Members of the HMS Protector playing football in Antarctica (2013).

The earliest record of football on Antarctica was by the British National Antarctic Expedition in 1902. Matches in the 1910s were described by explorers Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton. On February 5, 1948, a match was played between a British vessel, HMS Snipe, and an Argentinian ship, ARA Seaver, on Deception Island. The match was suggested by the United States Department of State after the two countries had disputed the ownership of Station G, a deactivated British base. HMS Snipe won 1–0. [1] [2] On February 12, 1949, British and Chilean teams played a match on Deception Island and drew 1–1. [3]

In 1971, the Argentinian Esperanza Base hosted the first international tournament on Antarctica, which was six-a-side. The first match between two bases was between Esperanza and Chile's Bernardo O'Higgins Base, which Esperanza won 7–3. On 19 January 1986, Chile's Teniente Marsh Air Base drew 2–2 with Uruguay's Artigas Base. In 1988, the 'Inter-Bases Championship' was held, featuring teams from Uruguayan, Chilean, Soviet and Chinese stations. The Uruguayan base, Artigas, won the title. [1] [3]

On February 16, 2006, teams of Spanish and Bulgarians in Antarctica played a match, with CSKA Sofia notably providing their official jerseys to the Bulgarians. The match ended 6–6. [3] In 2011, the American McMurdo Station defeated the British Rothera Research Station 1–0. [2]

Possibly the southernmost football game ever was played in 2015, with a team of Chilean soldiers and scientists facing employees of an Antarctic tourism camp. The match was played at Union Glacier, around 1,000 kilometers from the South Pole, and the Chilean team won 2–1. [4] Also in 2015, David Beckham played a match on Antarctica with two teams of international explorers and guides. [5]

Matches continue to be played involving bases and visiting ships, with Rothera often hosting fixtures. [6] [7] [8] An official Antarctica national football team, however, has never existed. [7]

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Football has also been played in the nearby British territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. According to Eduardo Triunfo, a Uruguayan whaling station worker, football was played between Uruguayan workers and Norwegian whale hunters in the 1940s, as well as with the British SS Queen of Bermuda ship. [1]

Games have more recently been played by a King Edward Point research station team, mostly against visiting ships. [6] [9] In 2009, King Edward Point defeated Rothera 5–0. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deception Island</span> Active volcanic island in the South Shetland archipelago

Deception Island is in the South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula with a large and usually "safe" natural harbor, which is occasionally affected by the underlying active volcano. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and 1969. The island previously held a whaling station. It is now a tourist destination with over 15,000 visitors per year. Two research stations are operated by Argentina and Spain during the summer season. While various countries have asserted sovereignty, it is still administered under the Antarctic Treaty System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uruguay national football team</span> Mens association football team

The Uruguay national football team, nicknamed La Celeste, represents Uruguay in international men's football, and is administered by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chile national football team</span> Mens association football team

The Chile national football team, nicknamed La Roja, represents Chile in men's international football competitions and is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. Chile has appeared in nine World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup where they finished in third place, the highest position the country has ever achieved in the World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rothera Research Station</span> Antarctic base in British Antarctic Territory

The Rothera Research Station is a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) base on the Antarctic Peninsula, located at Rothera Point, Adelaide Island. Rothera also serves as the capital of the British Antarctic Territory, a British Overseas Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentine Antarctica</span> Department in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Argentine Antarctica is an area on Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. It consists of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South parallel. This region overlaps with British and Chilean claims in Antarctica. None of these claims have widespread international recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC−03:00</span> Identifier for a time offset from UTC of −3

UTC−03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −03:00.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Research stations in Antarctica</span>

Multiple governments have set up permanent research stations in Antarctica and these bases are widely distributed. Unlike the drifting ice stations set up in the Arctic, the current research stations of the Antarctic are constructed either on rocks or on ice that are fixed in place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Bueno</span> Uruguayan footballer (born 1980)

Carlos Heber Bueno Suárez is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Artigas F.C. as a striker.

Artigas may refer to:

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of global issues, and to provide an active presence in the Antarctic on behalf of the UK. It is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). With over 400 staff, BAS takes an active role in Antarctic affairs, operating five research stations, one ship and five aircraft in both polar regions, as well as addressing key global and regional issues. This involves joint research projects with over 40 UK universities and more than 120 national and international collaborations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilean Antarctic Territory</span> Place in Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, Chile

The Chilean Antarctic Territory, or Chilean Antarctica, is a part of West Antarctica and nearby islands claimed by Chile. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes 53°W and 90°W, partially overlapping the Antarctic claims of Argentina and the United Kingdom. It constitutes the Antártica commune of Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artigas Base</span> Antarctic base

The General Artigas Station, also referred to as the Artigas Base is the larger of the two Uruguayan scientific research stations in Antarctica, the other one being Elichiribehety Base. It is one of the 68 bases in Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ECARE</span> Antarctic research station in Near Hut Cove, Antarctic Peninsula

The Estación Científica Antártica Ruperto Elichiribehety is an Uruguay summer research station in Antarctica, established by the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute on December 22, 1997 on the Antarctic Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territorial claims in Antarctica</span> Land claims of the continent

Seven sovereign states – Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom – have made eight territorial claims in Antarctica. These countries have tended to place their Antarctic scientific observation and study facilities within their respective claimed territories; however, a number of such facilities are located outside of the area claimed by their respective countries of operation, and countries without claims such as China, India, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa (SANAE), Poland, and the United States have constructed research facilities within the areas claimed by other countries. There are overlaps among the territories claimed by Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom.

Telecommunications in Antarctica is provided by the organizations that have established research stations on the continent. Antarctica is not formally designated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in any of the world zones.

The Instituto Antártico Argentino is the Argentine federal agency in charge of orientating, controlling, addressing and performing scientific and technical research and studies in the Antarctic. It is under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Néstor Gonçalves</span> Uruguayan footballer (1936-2016)

Néstor Goncálvez Martinicorena was a Uruguayan footballer who played as a midfielder for Uruguay in the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups. He mainly played for C.A. Peñarol and is considered to have been one of the best South American midfielders of the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Antarctica</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Antarctica

The COVID-19 pandemic in Antarctica is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Due to its remoteness and sparse population, Antarctica was the last continent to have confirmed cases of COVID-19 and was one of the last regions of the world affected directly by the pandemic. The first cases were reported in December 2020, almost a year after the first cases of COVID-19 were detected in China. At least 36 people are confirmed to have been infected. Even before the first cases on the continent were reported, human activity in Antarctica was indirectly impacted.

HMS Snipe was a modified Black Swan-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton on 21 September 1944, launched on 20 December 1945 and commissioned on 9 September 1946, with the pennant number U20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deception Island incident</span> Incident between the United Kingdom, Argentina and Chile during the Cold War

The Deception Island incident took place in February 1953 when a group of British Royal Marines landed on Deception Island in Antarctica, took two Argentine sailors prisoner and destroyed an Argentine Navy base. A nearby Chilean base was also destroyed.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mumford, Robin. "Antarctica: a century-long history in football". Footballbh. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-09-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. 1 2 McGuinness, Pat (2017-02-12). "FOOTBALL IN ANTARCTICA - A POTTED HISTORY". Pat's Football Blog: FOOTBALL IN ANTARCTICA. Archived from the original on 2023-08-04. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  3. 1 2 3 "Fútbol en la Antártica". Association of Chilean Football Researchers. 2020-12-20. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  4. ↑ Sasu, Nicolas (2022-08-03). "Football in Antarctica: How is it played on the coldest continent?". Bitbol (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  5. ↑ "David Beckham: For the Love of the Game, Football on ice". BBC. 2015-12-29. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  6. 1 2 3 "Antarctica - football/soccer matches". rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  7. 1 2 Ramírez, Álvaro (2012-04-13). "¿Hay fútbol en el Polo Sur?". ElDesmarque (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  8. ↑ "Fútbol en la Antártida, en medio de un glaciar". La Voz del Interior (in Spanish). 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  9. ↑ "South Georgia - Football History". RSSSF. 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
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