On 25 July 1902, in a house in central Asunción, a group of young Paraguayans set up what is today the country's oldest football club. Olimpia turns 125 on 25 July 2027. It is the story of a Dutch teacher, a white shirt with one black band and a club known as the "Rey de Copas", the king of cups.

The Dutchman who brought the ball

The meeting took place at the Rodi family home, on the corner of Azara and Independencia Nacional streets. The main driving force was William Paats, a Dutch physical education teacher who had arrived in Asunción in 1894, aged 18.

Paats had brought the first football to the country and is considered the "father" of Paraguayan football. In 1906 he also helped found Paraguay's first league.

A name from ancient Greece

Three names were proposed: "Paraguay", "Esparta" and "Olimpia". Paats's idea won, as he wanted to honour ancient Olympia, where the Greeks held the Olympic Games.

So Paraguay's oldest club carries a Greek name. It is no accident that its best-known nickname is "El Decano", the dean.

A stripe from a teacup

The first kit was all black, with the word OLIMPIA in white capitals on the chest. Later came the look we know today: a white shirt with a horizontal black band.

A charming story about its origin is told by the Paats family. According to it, the founder had a white cup with a black stripe, given to him by his mother, that reminded him of Holland, and on a trip there in 1908 he had kits made with the same design.

The banded shirt was first worn in 1909, at Paraguay's first national Olympic tournament. The second kit is black with a white band, which became vertical in 2008.

The crest and the stars

The crest has been with the club since its founding. In 2012 it was loaded with stars for every international and domestic title, but in 2015 it went back to the original design.

Today it has three stars below for the three Copa Libertadores titles and one above for the Intercontinental Cup. It is a simple reminder that no other Paraguayan club has won a CONMEBOL title.

1979 and the king of cups

1979 was Olimpia's year. Coached by Luis Cubilla, they beat Boca Juniors 2-0 in Asunción and held on for 0-0 at the Bombonera to win their first Copa Libertadores.

Next came the Intercontinental Cup against Malmö, who took Nottingham Forest's place after the English side declined to play. Olimpia won 1-0 in Sweden and 2-1 in Asunción.

Two more Libertadores titles followed, in 1990 and 2002, as well as a record six straight league titles from 1978 to 1983. Players such as Roque Santa Cruz, Raúl Amarilla and Carlos Humberto Paredes wore the shirt, and in May 2026 the club won the Apertura to reach 48 league titles, without ever having been relegated.

Celebrate with us

From a house in Asunción and a teacup to the stars of the Americas, Olimpia has been making history for 125 years. Happy birthday to El Decano, with health and many more cups to come!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: an Olimpia match at the Manuel Ferreira stadium – Hazaña17, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.