20:41 | Trujillo, Nov. 16 (ANDINA).
The 17th Bolivarian Games got under way Saturday with a colorful opening ceremony at a packed Chan Chan stadium in Peru's northern city of Trujillo, capital of La Libertad region.
Present at the opening ceremony were Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, Bolivarian Sports Organization (ODEBO) President Danilo Carrera, Trujillo's Mayor Cesar Acuña, La Libertad's Regional President Jose Murgia and a number of Peruvian and Latin American sports authorities.
More than 5,000 spectators packed out the stadium to witness a fantastic show including fireworks, a re-enactment of ancient Mochica rituals, traditional Peruvian music and dance performances, the celebratory athletes' parade and the lighting of the flame for the Games.
In addition to Trujillo, this year's Bolivarian Games will take place in Lima and Chiclayo over 15 days. About 6,000 athletes will take part in events in 57 sporting disciplines and compete for 1,230 medals before the Games close on November 30.
The 2013 event will be the first Bolivarian Games to have athletes from 11 countries, instead of the usual six members of the Bolivarian Sports Organization, or ODEBO.
The ODEBO member countries are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Venezuela; while the other participating nations are Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay and Dominican Republic.
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Published: 11/16/2013