Roller hockey at the 1992 Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Roller hockeyat the Games of the XXV Olympiad
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| Dates | July 26 to August 7 | |||||||||
| Teams | 12 | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
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Roller hockey (quad) was a special sport shown at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. It was a "demonstration sport," which means it was there to be seen and enjoyed, but the medals didn't count towards the official country totals. Roller hockey was very popular in Catalonia, where Barcelona is located. Many great teams, like FC Barcelona and Reus Deportiu Hockey, were from this area. Because of this, the Olympic organizers decided to include it.
The roller hockey games took place from July 26 to August 7, 1992. It was a men's only event. The matches were played in four different places in Catalonia: Vic, Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Reus, and Barcelona. Twelve countries sent teams, with a total of 120 players competing. The strongest teams were Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Argentina. These four teams ended up in the top spots. Argentina won the gold medal, beating Spain in the final. Italy won the bronze medal against Portugal.
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What is Roller Hockey?
Roller hockey, also known as quad hockey, is a team sport. Players use quad skates (skates with four wheels in a square pattern) and a stick. They try to hit a ball into the opponent's goal. It's a fast-paced game, a bit like ice hockey but played on a hard rink surface.
How the Tournament Worked
The tournament started with a preliminary round. The 12 teams were split into two groups, Group A and Group B. The teams were placed into these groups based on how they did in the 1991 Rink Hockey World Championship.
- Group A games were played in Vic.
- Group B games were played in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia.
The top three teams from each group then moved on to the semi-finals. This stage was a single group of six teams. These games were held in Reus. After the semi-finals, the top two teams played for the gold medal. The third and fourth placed teams played for the bronze medal. These final matches took place at the Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona.
Final Standings
Here's how the teams finished in the tournament:
| Rank | Team |
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 Argentina (ARG) |
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 Spain (ESP) |
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 Italy (ITA) |
| 4 |  Portugal (POR) |
| 5 |  Brazil (BRA) |
| 6 |  Netherlands (NED) |
| 7 |  United States (USA) |
| 8 |  Germany (GER) |
| 9 |  Angola (ANG) |
| 10 |  Switzerland (SUI) |
| 11 |  Australia (AUS) |
| 12 |  Japan (JPN) |
The Final Matches
The last day of the tournament had two exciting matches to decide the medal winners.
Bronze Medal Match
Portugal, who were the world champions in 1991, played against Italy for the bronze medal.
| 7 August 1992 | |||
| Portugal (POR) |
2–3 (2–1) | Italy (ITA) |
Palau Blaugrana Barcelona |
| Luís Ferreira Victor Hugo Silva |
Francesco Amato Massimo Mariotti Roberto Crudeli |
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| Umpires: Miguel Angel Marti Corcuera (ESP) & Alfonso Mestres Torrens (ESP) |
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Italy won this close game, taking home the bronze medal.
Gold Medal Match
The final match was between the host country, Spain, and Argentina. It was a high-scoring and thrilling game!
| 7 August 1992 | |||
| Spain (ESP) |
6–8 (5–5) | Argentina (ARG) |
Palau Blaugrana Barcelona |
| A. Avecilla Porto (2) A. Rovira Lecha (2) Joan Ayats Presas Joan Carles Colas |
J. Paes Picon (3) D. Allende Martinez (2) P. Cairo Valdivia (2) R. Roldan Gomez |
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| Umpires: Luís Alfredo Dias Rei (POR) & João António Pereira Faria (POR) |
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Argentina won the gold medal in a fantastic match, defeating Spain 8-6. Even though it was a demonstration sport, it was a memorable event for all the teams and fans!
See also
- Roller Hockey World Cup
- Women's Roller Hockey World Cup
- Hockey
- Roller hockey (Quad)
- FIRS - International Roller Sports Federation
