| "> | | | | Arizaga (swimming). Ironically, the USSR -host Olympic |
| Did You Know... | | | | nation- subsidized Third World's Olympic teams |
| Like Un Yong Kim (South Korea), Sheik Fahad | | | | (Tanzania -one of the Africa`s poorest countries- sent |
| Al-Sabah (Kuwait) and Joao Havelange (Brazil), | | | | 41 sportspersons). For political reasons, Bolivia also did |
| José Gamarra Zorrilla was one of the best | | | | not participate in the 1983 Pan American Games in |
| Olympic leaders in the Third World. He played a major | | | | Caracas (Venezuela). For the first time since 1971, |
| role in promoting the values of sports in Bolivia and | | | | athletes from Bolivia did not took part in a Pan |
| Latin America. José dedicated his life to fight | | | | American. Unlike athletes from Haiti, Nicaragua, Chad |
| against indifference to sports and the deplorable | | | | and Sierra Leone ,Bolivian athletes had problems to go |
| condition of the athletes in Bolivia. His country is one of | | | | to Olympics Games in 1984. |
| the Third World`s poorest countries. Furthermore, | | | | Johnny Perez took part in the 1978 South American |
| Bolivia has had a record 194 attempted coups. | | | | Games in La Paz, Bolivia, winning three gold medals in |
| However, under his leadership, several international | | | | athletics, in 1,500m, 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase. |
| congress and events were organized in La Paz, | | | | The La Paz Olympic Stadium is one of the most |
| Cochabamba, Oruro and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. | | | | modern in Latin America and the Caribbean. Among |
| José was president of the Organizing | | | | the athletes who have competed in the Olympic |
| Committee of the La Paz Bolivarian Games (1977) and | | | | Stadium are Romario de Souza Faria (soccer/ Brazil), |
| for the South American Games in Bolivia (1978). As | | | | Joao Carlos de Oliveira (athletics /Brazil), José |
| president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee | | | | Luis Chilavert (soccer /Paraguay), Tito Stenier |
| (1970-1982), he led Bolivia to the best result ever in its | | | | (athletics /Argentina), Edith Noeding (track and field/ |
| history: 106 medals in the South American Games. He | | | | Peru) and Carlos Caetano Bledron Verri (soccer/ |
| headed the Bolivian delegation at the Summer | | | | Brazil). |
| Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Many South | | | | Giovanna Morejon Irusta finished 16th in the |
| Americans consider José Gamarra Zorrilla as | | | | 20-kilometer walk at the 2003 World Athletics |
| the greatest South American Olympic leader of the | | | | Championships in Paris, France. |
| 20th century. | | | | Katherine Moreno was one of the youngest |
| This country had great sportspersons: Mario Martinez | | | | swimmers at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. |
| (tennis), Alan Saunders (nordic skiing), Milton Coimbra | | | | The Bolivian team won the silver medal at the South |
| (football), Maria Ortuno (basketball), Giovanna Morejon | | | | American Basketball Championship and qualified for |
| Irusta (athletics), Ramiro Benavides (tennis), Anthony | | | | the World Women's Basketball Championship in 1978 in |
| Iglesias (diving), Johnny Pérez (athletics), Scott | | | | Seoul (South Korea). Bolivia qualified for a world |
| Sanchez Saunders (nordic skiing), Oswaldo Morejon | | | | tournament for the first time.The heroines were: Janeth |
| (track and field), William Arencibia (taekwondo), Erwin | | | | Blanco Saavedra, Betty Saavedra Zaconeta, Daysy |
| Sánchez (football), Ricardo Ramos (nordic | | | | Chucatini Torrico, Liceo Rojas Arteaga, Norma |
| skiing), Guadalupe Yañez (basketball), Betty | | | | Zambrano Siles, Elizabeth Navia Ledesma, Guadalupe |
| Saavedra (basketball), Juan Rodrigo Camacho | | | | Yañez Heredia, Tania Claros Vargas, Antonieta |
| (athletics), Marco Etcheverry (football), Katherine | | | | Gudmanson Torres, Judith Quiñones Miranda and |
| Moreno (swimming), Roberto Nielsen Reyes | | | | Vania Claros de Justinino. |
| (equestrian) and Billy Farwing Aranoa (nordic skiing). | | | | Bolivia sent only one athlete (Fernando Inchauste |
| Bolivia sent 7 sportspeople to the Winter Olympic | | | | Montalvo/ kayak) to the Summer Olympics in 1960. |
| Games in 1988. The South American skiers were | | | | From 1971 to 1979, 500 Bolivian athletes participated in |
| Manuel Aramayo, Guillermo Avila Paz, Jaime Bascon, | | | | international tournaments and competitions. |
| Jorge Bejarano, Enrique Montaño, Pedro | | | | Like Hortencia Maria de Fatima Marcari (Brazil) and |
| Tichaver and Luis Vizcarra. | | | | Carol Turney (Canada), Guadalupe Yañez was |
| Julia Iriarte is the greatest Bolivian athlete of all time. | | | | one of the best basketball players in the 1979 Pan |
| Why? She won 5 gold and 3 silver medals at the 1947 | | | | American Games in San Juan de Puerto Rico. |
| Bolivarian Games in Lima, Peru. She became the star | | | | Erwin Sanchez was one of the most important |
| of the Games. Her gold medals were in the 80m | | | | football players in Bolivia in the 1990s. |
| hurdles, discus throw, shot put, long jump and high jump. | | | | From 1975 to 1977, more than 25 foreign coaches |
| Her homecoming was a huge success . After she | | | | helped to train Bolivian sportspeople in preparation for |
| was invited by president Enrrique Hertzog to the | | | | the international competitions (Olympic Games, |
| Government Palace (Palacio Quemado). She also won | | | | Bolivarian Games, Pan American Games and South |
| five gold medals in the South American Athletics | | | | American Games). The coaches were: Bornj |
| Championships in La Paz in 1948. Under her coach, | | | | Wangemann (athletics/ West Germany), Mike Lucero |
| George Voeg , she broke several national records | | | | (basketball/ USA), Paul Gonzalez (basketball/ USA), |
| during the 1940s. Unfortunately, she did not compete at | | | | Stanislav Golubkov (boxing/ USSR), Heriberto Diaz |
| the 1948 Olympic Games in Helsinki (Finland). She was | | | | (cycling/ Mexico), Pedro Escobar (equestrian / Chile), |
| born in Cochabamba, Bolivia on December 20, 1919 to | | | | Stanislav Spyra (fencing/ Poland), Walter Madel |
| Placido Iriarte and Clara Velasco. | | | | (fencing/ West Germany), Eduardo Virba (football/ |
| Bolivia participated at the 1979 Spartakiade of the | | | | West Germany), Dale Cutler (gymnastics/ USA), |
| Nations of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | | | | Donald Howorth (gymnastics/ USA), Pedro Ortega |
| (USSR). | | | | (gymnastics/ Mexico), Jasuhido Takasuka (judo/ |
| From 1980 to 1984, the Bolivian government destroyed | | | | Japan), Benigno Marquez (wrestling/ Venezuela), Karol |
| the sport. The South American athletes were not | | | | Czarkoswki (weightlifting/ Poland), Wu Yu Yung |
| allowed to compete in the Olympics in 1980. Many | | | | (swimming/ Taiwan), Yadwiga Czarkoswka (swimming |
| sportspeople who had trained for years for the | | | | Poland), Adolfo Coronado (swimming/ Ecuador), |
| Games felt great frustration. Among these athletes | | | | Francis Conway (shooting/ USA), Nicolay Durnev |
| were: Johnny Pérez (track and field), Luis Dario | | | | (shooting/ USSR), Cselaw Gajdamovicz (volleyball/ |
| Vasquez (fencing), Mary Rojas (athletics), Walter | | | | Poland), Tien Heing Hisch (volleyball/ China), Chiu Chiao |
| Quiroga (shooting), Linda Spents (track and field), Isidro | | | | Chi (volleyball/ Taiwan) and Lin Chou Nou (volleyball/ |
| Guarachi (boxing), Walter Quispe (boxing), Edgar Cueto | | | | China). |
| (cycling), Jean Young Kim Song (judo) and Antonieta | | | | |