Sport in Uruguay has been an important part of Uruguayan culture, since the early start of the nation. Winners of such important awards such as the FIFA World Cup, the French Open, and Olympic medals, Uruguay has been a constantly successful sports nation in continental and world aspects. Football Football (Spanish: fútbol) is the most popular sport in Uruguay. Uruguay has won an Olympic gold medal in 1924, and another one in 1928, which were considered the most important tournaments in football, before the FIFA World Cup began in 1930, hence the four stars on the Uruguayan jersey. The first World Cup, which Uruguay won, was held in 1930 in Montevideo. The Estadio Centenario was built for the World Cup, and serves to this day as the country's main football stadium. Uruguay also won the World Cup in 1950, beating Brazil in Rio de Janeiro at the Estádio do Maracanã. The event has had astounding impacts on the history of the sport, due to Brazil being a heavily favoured team at that time, and is also known as the Maracanazo. Uruguay produces well known football players such as Luis Suárez (Atletico Madrid) and Diego Godin. Another Uruguayan player, Sebastian "El Loco" Abreu, became an iconic figure in Uruguay, after chipping a goal during the penalty shootout, against Ghana during the 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals. Basketball Basketball has risen as a competitive alternative to football and rugby, and the Uruguayan Basketball Federation boasts a proud early history. The Uruguay national basketball team was placed 6th in the first Olympic Games (Berlin in 1936), 5th in London in 1948, 3rd in Helsinki in 1952, 3rd in Melbourne in 1956, 8th in Rome in 1960, and 8th in Tokyo in 1964. After this successful run, the team did not qualify as finalists in any Olympic tournament, until the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, in which they earned 6th place. Uruguay has also won 12 South American championships, and participated in many Pan-American and World Championships. Uruguay was the host for the 1967 FIBA World Championship. And took part in a co-bid for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup with Argentina but lost out to Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. The Liga Uruguaya (Uruguay's top league) attracts many players from Argentina and Brazil. Esteban Batista is the only Uruguayan to have played in the NBA. He played seventy games over two seasons for