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.