Sport in Asturias

El Molinón stadium.

Carlos Tartiere stadium.

Association football is the most popular sport in Asturias. Sporting Gijón and Oviedo are the two most prolific teams in the region as they played more than 40 seasons in La Liga. When both teams meet, they play the Asturian derby. Other teams such as Avilés, Caudal and Langreo have played several years in the second division.

Oviedo Moderno is the main women's club in the region. The club from the capital is the only team in Asturias that played in the first division more than one season since its establishment as a one-group league. Gijón and Sporting Gijón have also played in the top tier.

The Asturias autonomous football team currently only plays the Spanish stage of the UEFA Regions' Cup, where only players from fourth tier and lower are eligible to represent the regional team.

Internationally, El Molinón and Carlos Tartiere hosted several matches of the Spanish team and also hosted the Group 2 during the 1982 FIFA World Cup. The most famous match was the Disgrace of Gijón; West Germany and Austria were accused of match-fixing after they ended the match with a 1–0 that qualified both teams and eliminated Algeria, who played previously in Oviedo.

Several Asturian players have played for Spain. David Villa won the World Cup in 2010, Luis Enrique, Abelardo and Javier Manjarín won the golden medal in the 1992 Olympics and Michu was the last Asturian who made his debut with the national team.

Gijón Baloncesto.

Basketball is the second sport in terms of attendance. Gijón Baloncesto, nowadays dissolved, was the first and only team in Asturias that played the Liga ACB, one of the major European basketball leagues. Oviedo is nowadays the most important team in the region and nowadays plays the second division. Other important teams in men's basketball are Círculo Gijón, tema of the third tier and Gijón Basket, that plays in the fourth division.

In women's basketball, ADBA plays in the Liga Femenina 2.

Internationally, the Palacio Municipal de Deportes de Oviedo hosted the matches of the Group F during the 1986 FIBA World Championship.

Despite not having any team in the elite, Asturias is nowadays one of the most prolific canteras in the Spanish handball. Players as Alberto Entrerríos, Raúl Entrerríos, Rubén Garabaya or Carlos Ruesga have played for the Spain men's national handball team. Asturian Borja Vidal also played internationally, but for Qatar. Women like Jessica Alonso have also played internationally for Spain.

In terms of clubs, La Calzada plays the women's top league while Gijón and Oviedo play the second tier in women's handball and Grupo Covadonga in men's handball.

Samuel Sánchez.

As in other regions, cycling is one of the most followed sports in Asturias. As it is a mountainous region, the stages of the Vuelta a España that happen in Asturias are usually important for the final classification. Alto de L'Angliru[1] or the Lagos de Covadonga are two of the most important stages. The Vuelta a Asturias is also an important race, with the Alto del Acebo or the Subida al Naranco as the main stage.

Samuel Sánchez, who won the gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics, and José Luis Rubiera are two of the most prolific racers in the region.

CLAS–Cajastur was a professional road cycling team based in Asturias, sponsored by Cajastur and Central Lechera Asturiana. It competed between 1988 and 1993, with Tony Rominger as the most known cyclist of the team.

Roller hockey is played in Asturias, especially in Oviedo and in the towns of the center of the region. The most important club in the region is Gijón Solimar, five times champion of the Women's European League,[2] but at OK Liga Femenina also plays Cuencas Mineras, from Lena.

In men's roller hockey, Cibeles is the only Asturian team that achieved a national title by winning the Copa del Rey in 1980.

Areces, Asturhockey, Mieres, Oviedo and Oviedo Roller are other teams that, as Cibeles, also played the top tier.

Valgrande-Pajares ski resort.

In the Cantabrian Mountains there are several ski resorts, being Valgrande-Pajares and Fuentes de Invierno the most important ones.

Asturias women's volleyball team against Scotland.

Asturias basketball team against Ivory Coast.

Specially during the 2000s, Asturias developed several autonomous teams for promoting Asturias abroad and the sport in the region.

Matches between Asturias and national teams

Date	Sport	M/W	Host city	Rival	Score
16 Jun 1934	Football	M	Gijón	Mexico	5–2
14 Oct 1969[4]	Handball	M	Gijón	Spain	11–25
13 Jun 1987	Handball	M	Ribadesella	United States	24–27
23 Dec 2000	Football	M	Oviedo	Macedonia	1–0
29 Dec 2001	Football	M	Gijón	Lithuania	6–1
3 Jan 2002	Handball	M	Gijón	Brazil	28–22
27 Dec 2002	Roller hockey	M	Oviedo	Portugal	3–4
28 Dec 2002	Football	M	Avilés	Honduras	5–3
30 Dec 2003	Handball	M	Avilés	Portugal	27–18
29 Dec 2004	Volleyball	W	Gijón	Scotland	3–0
17 Dec 2005	Wheelchair basketball	M	Gijón	Portugal	46–56
28 Dec 2005	Handball	W	Gijón	Iceland	22–23
27 Dec 2006	Roller hockey	M	Grado	Switzerland	3–2
29 Dec 2007	Handball	M	Avilés	Spain	26–28
28 Jun 2009	Basketball	M	Luanco	Ivory Coast	55–69

• Sports Department of the Principality of Asturias