Sport in Bolivia

In Bolivia, as in the great majority of its Latin-American neighbors, football (soccer) remains the sport by excellence.

Matches between different club on Sundays, in the street with friends or on fitted fields in isolated villages, futbol is omnipresent in the Bolivian daily life.

By the way, this is an excellent subject to start a conversation while meeting someone by coincidence. This is an important national pride since 1993 when a large program of social reinsertion has been started for children of Santa Cruz’s street with football, which led Bolivia to qualify for the World Cup in 1994.

This renewal for the football’s image, when people take back this sport, often tainted with corruption and elitism. Football belongs to everyone, no matter the social origin of the players.

Several national clubs regularly participate to the Copa Libertadores, annual tournament where the best football teams of Latin America fight. Among the most prestigious teams of Bolivia, it is to mention especially Bolivar and The Strongest.

In addition to football, common denominator in Latin America, a particularity of Bolivia and La Paz’s region is the lucha libre, also known as “cholitas” wrestling when women enter on the ring. Dressed with traditional clothes, more impressive the one than the last, sometimes ingenuous and sometimes provocative, those matches are characterized by violence, brutality and technicity of choreographies. A single rule; all blows permitted. Then it’s ShowTime!

At last, amateurs of all kind of sport, Bolivia has plenty of outdoor shipping. Windsurfing on Titicaca Lake; rafting on Yungas’ rivers, mountain bike in highest velodrome of the world in La Paz, exclusive of the infinite walks and trekking possibilities offered by the entire Andean Department.

Infrastructures may often be insufficient so a good accompaniment is necessary in order to go after wild nature.