Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata
Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata is a sports club in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, mostly known for a successful basketball team of the 1970s and 1980s and for its professional football team.
The rest of the article is related to the football team.
History
To be completed
The team was relegated in the early 1980s but returned to the top division.
In 1996, Gimnasia was denied a championship title at the very last day of the season. This was its most successful season ever, with coach Carlos Timoteo Griguol.
The performances of the last several years have been inconsistent.
Stadium
The stadium is known as el Bosque (the woods) because it is located in the La Plata park of the same name. The stadium has a capacity of roughly 20,000.
Even though a new stadium has been built for the city of La Plata, neither Gimnasia y Esgrima nor rivals Estudiantes have moved their home games from el Bosque.
Fan Base
Within the city of La Plata and its environs, Gimnasia y Esgrima is identified with the working class, while rival side Estudiantes is regarded as the club of the middle class. The club has few followers outside the La Plata area.
Nicknames
The nickname Mensanas derives from the Latin slogan Mens Sana in Corpore Sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body). It is the preferred nickname used by fans and the press.
Triperos (intestine-handlers, i.e. meat-packers, the occupation of many fans) is used by rivals and deemed offensive.
