Club Deportivo Olimpia is a Honduran professional football club based in Tegucigalpa. The club is the nation's most successful team both in the domestic league and in international club competitions. The club competes in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras, the top tier of Honduran football.
Olimpia is the most successful football team in Honduras, having won 40 domestic league titles since its foundation. It has also represented the Honduran football association in international club competitions more than any other team by far. They are the only Honduran club that has won the CONCACAF Champions Cup twice, first in 1972 and again in 1988.
History
Olimpia was originally founded as a baseball club named Nacional Olimpia on June 12, 1912, by Héctor Pineda Ugarte, Carlos Bram, Arturo Bram, Enrique Buk, Santiago Buk, Miguel Sanchez, Samuel Inestrosa Gómez, and Ramón Escobar. The name was dedicated to the ancient Olympic Games that were held in Olympia, Greece in 1896. Due to baseball being the more popular sport in Honduras at the time, Olimpia would not form a football team until later in 1917.
Regional and amateur era
In 1927, the Liga Morazán was organized as the first football governing body in Tegucigalpa. The founding teams included Honduras Athletic, América, Herrera, and Olimpia. To secure affiliation with the league, Olimpia was required to cease its baseball operations, as the league's statutes prohibited a single club from operating multiple sports departments. Consequently, during a session convened by club president Humberto Díaz, the membership voted unanimously to transition exclusively to football. That same year, Olimpia won the inaugural regional league title, successfully defending it in 1928. In September 1928, the Honduran Sports Federation (Federación Deportiva de Honduras) made an effort to establish a national football champion as part of the Second National Sports Week. C.D. Marathón, the champion of the North Coast region, traveled to Tegucigalpa to face Olimpia, the champion of the Central and Comayagua zones. In a series of three matches held at El Campo La Isla. Olimpia finished the three-match series against Marathón with two wins and one draw (1–0, 1–1, and 2–1), and was crowned as the first national champion of the one-off tournament. These matches ignited the club rivalry known as El Clásico Nacional between Olimpia and Marathón. Olimpia would go on to win the 1929, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1936, and 1937 editions of the Liga Morazán, alternating title wins with F.C. Motagua and establishing the local rivalry known as the Honduran Superclásico.
In 1947, the Honduran Amateur League was created and organized by the Federación Nacional de Cultura Física y Deportes (National Federation of Physical Culture and Sports) for the first four editions. The remaining thirteen editions were organized by the Federación Nacional Deportiva Extraescolar de Honduras (National Extracurricular Sports Federation of Honduras). Stuck in a transitional phase for a decade, Olimpia would not its first national championship until 1957, as they defeated Vida, Hibueras, and C.D. Honduras en route to the title. They defended their title successfully in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, and 1964. No championship was awarded in 1960. In 1964, the final season of the amateur league, Olimpia claimed a seventh championship, defeating Platense 3–0 on aggregate over three legs.
National league
The first professional football league in Honduras was founded in 1965, with Platense winning the inaugural tournament. Olimpia was runner-up, finishing with 26 points to Platense's 27. Things were different the following year, as Mario Griffin Cubas was appointed as head coach. In the 1966–67 season, he led Los Leones to 14 victories in 18 matches, winning the title six points clear of Marathón (29 to 23). Olimpia won the title again in 1967–68, with two games to spare against Marathón.
They relinquished the title to Motagua in 1968–69, but in 1969–70 finished the league season undefeated, winning their third title in four years. After losing a championship playoff to Motagua in 1970–71, Los Leones regained the crown in 1971–72. That championship was the product of the efforts of Rigoberto 'Chula' Gomez, Jorge Urquía, and Tonin Mendoza. It would take 6 years for Olimpia to be crowned again. That came in 1977, under the management of Carlos Cruz Carranza. That year, they faced Real España in a championship final. The first leg ended in a scoreless draw, but Olimpia prevailed 2–0 in the return leg. Goals were scored by Uruguayan Walter Chávez and René Enamorado.
It was during the 1980s that Olimpia emerged as the dominant team in Honduras, winning five championships in ten years: 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1989–90. Three more championships came in the 1990s: 1992–93, 1995–96, and 1996–97. That 1996–97 championship was the final one before the short season was adopted.
Short tournament
The Honduran Liga Nacional adopted the split Apertura and Clausura format starting with the 1997–98 season. During this transition period from 1997 through 2000, Olimpia remained a heavy powerhouse but went through an initial domestic title drought before bouncing back on both the domestic and international stages.
Due to the effects of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras, the Liga Nacional was forced to revert to the previous tournament format for the 1998–99 season. Olimpia topped the regular season table and beat Real España 1–0 on aggregate in the grand final, capturing their final league title before a drought that lasted until late 2000. Olimpia reached the finals of both Apertura 1999 and Clausura 2000, but on each occasion was defeated by Motagua on penalties. The first title under this new format was won by Olimpia in the Apertura 2000–01 tournament, led by Edwin Pavón. In that championship, Olimpia finished first in the regular tournament with a total of 39 points in 18 matches. This secured their spot in the final against Platense, winners of the post-season games. In the end, Olimpia was crowned champion with players such as Danilo Tosello, Wilmer Velásquez, and Álex Pineda Chacón, among others. The next title Olimpia won under this format was also against Platense in the Apertura 2002–03 with Juan Carlos Espinoza as coach.
The Clausura 2004 was the start of a new phase in the already fierce rivalry between Olimpia and Marathón, as the teams would meet in the finals for four consecutive seasons to determine the national champion. The first round went to Olimpia, which won the title 2–1 on aggregate. Marathón came back to win Apertura 2004 in the same style, but Olimpia answered by winning the Clausura 2005 3–2 on aggregate. Los Leones won it again in Apertura 2005, overcoming a 2–1 loss at Marathón to win the championship in extra time.
Clausura 2006 was a significant season in Olimpia's history; they beat Victoria 6–4 on aggregate to win three consecutive titles. This achievement is known as the tricampeonato.
Other titles followed in Clausura 2008 (beating the old rivals Marathón), Clausura 2009 (in extra time over Real España), and Clausura 2010 (over Motagua). However, the next era of glory began in Apertura 2011. That was the season that Danilo Tosello, who had played for Olimpia from 1999 to 2007, returned as manager. In Tosello's first season as manager, he led Olimpia to a convincing 3–0 aggregate victory over Real España in the championship round. They repeated as champions in Clausura 2012, beating Marathón 1–0 on aggregate. Then, finally in Apertura 2012, still under Tosello's guidance, Olimpia defeated Victoria 4–0 to complete a second tricampeónato. Tosello stepped down after the season, but Olimpia's run of dominance continued. They won a fourth consecutive championship in Clausura 2013; after losing 1–0 to Real Sociedad in the first leg, they won 2–0 at home to claim the crown.
Olimpia's quest for an unprecedented fifth straight crown ended in Apertura 2013, but they did beat Marathón 4–2 on penalties in Clausura 2014 to hoist a fifth title in six years. They also beat Motagua to win Clausura 2015, and Real Sociedad to win Clausura 2016.
International success
In 1972, Olimpia won their first CONCACAF Champions Cup by defeating SV Robinhood of Suriname in San Pedro Sula by a score of 1–0 after drawing the first leg 0–0 in Tegucigalpa. Before reaching the final, Olimpia eliminated Mexico's Toluca FC. The club won their second CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1988 when they defeated Trinidadian club Defence Force in the final match of the tournament. Before that, Olimpia defeated Mexican champions Cruz Azul by a score of 2–1 in a historic match that took place in the Estadio Azteca. To this day, Olimpia remains the only Central American club to have defeated a Mexican team in that stadium. In the semi-finals, Olimpia defeated Costa Rican giants Alajuelense at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto after they tied the home game in Tegucigalpa.
In 2017, Olimpia won the inaugural CONCACAF League title, the club's first international trophy since 1988. Los Leones defeated Costa Rican side Santos de Guápiles 4–1 on penalties after a 1–1 aggregate score kept things level over two legs. Olimpia would win its second CONCACAF League in 2022, which also served as the final edition of the tournament. Olimpia defeated Alajuelense 5–4 on aggregate in the finals to claim a second title and secure qualification to the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League.
Crests and colours
The lion appears on the club's crest, serving as both a logo element and the team mascot. Olimpia's crest has evolved; for a period, the team's shirts did not feature a logo, appearing completely white or with the club's name written across the chest. The lion was eventually integrated onto the jersey, and the logo was later modernized to align the lion's color palette with the team's official colors. Select variations of the crest have undergone slight modifications over the years, such as the addition of stars to represent domestic and international titles.
In 2012, a commemorative crest was introduced to mark the club's centennial. The emblem was styled entirely in gold to represent the club's milestone anniversary. The design featured a rampant lion with a football under its paw, beneath a crown that symbolized their "King of Cups" moniker—a reference to holding the most titles in Honduran football. The years 1912–2012 were displayed alongside the lion to denote the centennial period. Laurel branches flanked the lion to signify the club's historic sporting achievements. At the top of the emblem, three stars represented their two CONCACAF Champions Cup titles and their Central American Championship. At the base, the name "Olimpia" appeared beneath a vintage scroll containing the word "Centenario." To celebrate the anniversary, the club held friendly matches against Liga MX's Club América and Serie A's AC Milan.
Shirt sponsorship
Official shirt sponsors -Banco Atlántida, Coca-Cola, Hugo, Cerveza Salva Vida
The Chelato Uclés National Stadium is the official venue of Olimpia. The stadium is located in the capital city of Tegucigalpa and has a capacity of approximately 35,000. The stadium features a circular structure divided into four sections, as well as VIP boxes and broadcast booths.
The stadium was built during the presidency of Tiburcio Carías Andino to develop national sports infrastructure. It was inaugurated on March 15, 1948, with a baseball game between Honduras and Cuba. The football inauguration took place during a subsequent quadrangular tournament featuring the national teams of Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Supporters
Olimpia has a large fan base throughout all of Honduras, even in cities that have a team in the Honduran first division. As a result, it is considered to be the most popular team in the country. The club's barra brava is La Ultra Fiel. La Ultra Fiel has a fierce rivalry with cross-town rivals Motagua's barra brava known as "Los Revolucionarios".
El Clásico Nacional (The National Classic) is a Honduran national derby played between Olimpia and Marathón. The derby receives the "national" adjective more due to geographic placement (Olimpia is from Tegucigalpa and Marathón is from San Pedro Sula, the largest cities in the country) than for a football or rivalry matter.
The Clasico Capitalino (Capital's Classic) is played between Olimpia and Motagua. Their matches are also known as the Clasico Local (Local Classic). Some consider this rivalry to be the "true" national derby because Olimpia and Motagua are the two most dominant clubs in the nation. Additionally, matches between Olimpia and Marathón do not generate the same expectations and polemics as matches between Olimpia and Motagua do.
El Clásico Moderno (The Modern Derby) is played between Olimpia and Real España. The is considered a significant rivalry since it features the biggest team from the north coast from San Pedro Sula against the biggest team in Honduras. This rivalry dates back to the 1970s when Real España was dominating the league.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
