Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP)

Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkluβ ðe ximˈnasja i ezˈɣɾima la ˈplata]; La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club), also known simply as Gimnasia, is a professional Argentine sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima", the club is mostly known for its football team, which currently plays in Primera Division, the first division of the Argentine football league system. The club was most famously managed by football legend Diego Maradona from 2019 until his death in November 2020.

Apart from football, CGE also hosts a large number of sports such as athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, fencing, futsal, artistic gymnastics, field hockey, martial arts (aikido, karate, kendo, taekwondo), swimming, roller skating, tennis, volleyball, and weightlifting.

History

The "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata" was founded on 3 June 1887 as a civil association, and thus is the oldest surviving football club still participating in the Argentine league. The club also claims to be the oldest football club in the Americas, despite other football clubs, such as Peruvian Lima Cricket F.C., having older foundation dates. Its foundation came barely five years after the creation of the City of La Plata in 1882.

The first sports offered to its members were, as its Spanish name indicates, gymnastics and fencing. Clubs supporting these sports were common among the upper classes at the end of the 19th century (cf. the prior foundation of Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires in 1880). Later on, other disciplines were added, including track and field, football, basketball and rugby.

The institution changed name a few times: from April to December 1897 it was called a "Club de Esgrima" (in English, "Fencing Club") because fencing was the only activity practised at that moment. On 17 December 1897 it returned to its original name: "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima" ("Gymnastics and Fencing Club"). From July 1952 to 30

This page also has a version in other languages :  Химнасия и Эсгрима (Ла-Плата) (russian)