1970 Bolivarian Games

VI Bolivarian Games
Host cityMaracaibo
Country Venezuela
Nations6
Athletes1122
Events17 sports
OpeningAugust 22, 1970 (1970-08-22)
ClosingSeptember 6, 1970 (1970-09-06)
Opened byRafael Caldera
Athlete's OathBrígido Iriarte
Torch lighterJosé "Pachencho" Romero
Main venueEstadio Olímpico del Complejo Polideportivo

The VI Bolivarian Games (Spanish: Juegos Bolivarianos) were a multi-sport event held between August 22 - September 6, 1970, at the Estadio Olímpico del Complejo Polideportivo[1] in Maracaibo, Venezuela. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (ODEBO).

The Games were officially opened by Venezuelan president Rafael Caldera. Torch lighter was javelin thrower José "Pachencho" Romero, who won the first gold medal ever in athletics for Venezuela at the 1947–48 Bolivarian Games. The olympic stadium in Maracaibo was later named after him. The athlete's oath was sworn by athlete Brígido Iriarte, who the gold medal in pentathlon at the 1951 Bolivarian Games.[2]

A detailed history of the early editions of the Bolivarian Games between 1938 and 1989 was published in a book written (in Spanish) by José Gamarra Zorrilla, former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee, and first president (1976-1982) of ODESUR.[2] Gold medal winners from Ecuador were published by the Comité Olímpico Ecuatoriano.[3]

Participation

About 1122 Athletes from 6 countries were reported to participate:[2][4]

Sports

The following 17 sports were explicitly mentioned:[2][3] For the first time, softball was included. On the other hand, initially scheduled events in sailing, chess, and table tennis were cancelled.[4]

Medal count

The medal count for these Games is tabulated below.[5] A slightly different number of medals[6] (without Bolivia) was published elsewhere.[7] This table is sorted by the number of gold medals earned by each country. The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next, and then the number of bronze medals.

1970 Bolivarian Games Medal Count
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Venezuela 76 57 58 191
2  Colombia 52 54 45 151
3  Peru 34 40 22 96
4  Panama 18 24 29 71
5  Ecuador 8 11 15 34
6  Bolivia 1 3 5 9
Total 189 189 174 552

References

  1. ^ "Brillante fue la inauguración de los VI Juegos Bolivarianos", El Tiempo (in Spanish), p. 10 (original page no.: 18), August 23, 1970, retrieved January 14, 2013
  2. ^ a b c d Gamarra Zorrilla, José, Bolivia Olímpica Capítulos VI al VIII (PDF) (in Spanish), ANDES Academia del Conocimiento y el Desarrollo "Fernando Diez de Medina", retrieved October 22, 2012
  3. ^ a b CUADRO DE MEDALLISTAS ECUATORIANOS EN LA HISTORIA DE LOS J. D. B. POR EDICIÓN (PDF) (in Spanish), Comité Olímpico Ecuatoriano, archived from the original (PDF) on June 8, 2012, retrieved October 22, 2012
  4. ^ a b Beals, Herman (September 6, 1970), "Venezuela se quedó con máximo título", El Tiempo (in Spanish), p. 35 (original page no.: 21), retrieved January 14, 2013
  5. ^ Historia - Resultados (in Spanish), XV Juegos Bolivarianos 2005 - Armenia y Pereira - Ecuador, archived from the original on October 11, 2007, retrieved January 14, 2013
  6. ^ Matallana, Rafael (March 4, 1973), "En Maracaibo, 5 medallas más", El Tiempo (in Spanish), p. 10 (original page no.: 3B), retrieved January 14, 2013
  7. ^ "Medallas", El Tiempo (in Spanish), p. 35 (original page no.: 21), September 6, 1970, retrieved January 14, 2013