| "> | | | | Like a number of Latin American republics, among |
| Road to London 2012! | | | | them Peru, Bolivia and Nicaragua, the Republic of |
| Alexandra Escobar | | | | Ecuador was one of the poorest nations in the |
| Did you know- By 2008, Ecuador's weightlifter | | | | Western Hemisphere. Ecuador was not an active |
| Alexandra Escobar was named by the Ecuadoran | | | | member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) |
| Olympic Committee as the flag bearer of the national | | | | until the late 1960s. |
| delegation for the 29th Summer Olympics in the | | | | Mariuxi Febres-Cordero |
| People's Republic of China. The National Olympic | | | | Did you know- By the mid-1970s,Mariuxi |
| Committee's decision was based on Escobar's | | | | Febres-Cordero, 15, picked up a total of five individual |
| reputation and discipline. After winning a gold medal in | | | | golds medals in the South American Swimming |
| the World Championships in 2001, Escobar has | | | | Championship in Maldonado, Uruguay. She captured |
| become a national idol in Ecuador, one of South | | | | the 100m freestyle (in a time of 1: 02,69), the 200m |
| America's most successful Olympic nations. | | | | freestyle (2: 12, 66), the 400m freestyle (4:34,73), the |
| Basketball | | | | 800m freestyle (9:28,63), and the 400m individual |
| Did you know- The Women's Basketball South | | | | medley ( 5:19,85). The Guayaquil-born swimmer also |
| American Tournament took place in Guayaquil, | | | | won one silver medal in the 200 meter individual |
| Ecuador's largest city, in the early 1970s. It was the | | | | medley, behind Lilian Arce (Peru). In the 70s, she |
| second time the event was held in Ecuador. By 1956 | | | | established several new national records. During that |
| Quito, the country's capital, hosted the Sixth South | | | | time, she was the toast of the Ecuadorean sporting |
| American Championship. | | | | society. Despite these achievements, she did not |
| Jacinta M. Sandiford | | | | participate in the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. |
| Did you know- Jacinta M. Sandiford became the first | | | | Historically, she is the best Latin American swimmer to |
| Ecuadoran athlete -male of female-to win a continental | | | | have never competed in the Summer Olympic Games. |
| event when she captured the gold medal for placing | | | | After her retirement from the national team, Ecuador's |
| first in the women's high jump in the Pan American | | | | sportswomen were never as successful again in the |
| Games in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in February 1951. | | | | South American Swimming Championships. In August |
| Thanks to Sandiford, the team of Ecuador placed ninth | | | | 2009, Ecuador's journalist Ricardo Vasconcellos |
| in the tally of gold medals, among 21 countries. Despite | | | | Rosado published a book on Mariuxi Febres-Cordero |
| being one of Latin America's outstanding athletes, she | | | | ("La Ondina Dorada"). |
| could not compete in the Summer Olympics. Why? | | | | |