The Bolivarian Games (Spanish: Juegos Bolivarianos, full name Juegos Deportivos Bolivarianos) are a regional multi-sport event held in honor of Simón Bolívar, and organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (Organización Deportiva Bolivariana, ODEBO). The event is open to athletes from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. In 2010, the ODEBO decided to include Chile as the seventh member of ODEBO.[1] Except Panama, all other participating countries are Andean states.
 | |
| Type | Multi-sport event |
|---|---|
| Organising body | ODEBO |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Region | South America (Andean states) |
| Nations | 11 (2022) |
| Related | Pan American Games |
| Website | odebo.org/juegos |
History
The first Games were held in 1938 in Bogotá, Colombia for the city's 400th anniversary. They have since been held irregularly, but every four years since 1973, with the most recent edition in Valledupar, Colombia in 2022. Inspired by the events of 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin,[2] Alberto Nariño Cheyne was the key designer of the idea of a Games to foster unity among the Bolivarian countries through the means of sport.[3]
Following the first Games, the Bolivarian Sports Organization was formed as a sub-organisation of the Pan American Sports Organization by six founding members from the respective countries – Jorge Rodríguez Hurtado (Bolivia), Alberto Nariño Cheyne (Colombia), Galo Plaza Lasso (Ecuador), Luis Saavedra (Panama), Alfredo Hohagen Diez Canseco (Peru) and Julio Bustamante (Venezuela).[2]
In terms of medals, Peru was dominant in the early years of the competition but Venezuela has consistently been the most successful country since the 1960s.
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.[4]
Summary
Games
Beach Games
| Year | Games | Host City | Host Country | Opened by | Dates | Nations | Events | Top medalling nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | I | Lima |  Peru | 1–11 November | 10 | 64 | Peru | |
| 2014 | II | Huanchaco[6] | Peru | 3–12 December | 11 | 71 |  Venezuela | |
| 2016 | III | Iquique[7] |  Chile | 24 November - 3 December | 11 | 81 | Chile | |
| 2019 | IV | Vargas | Venezuela | Cancelled | ||||
- Notes
Youth Games
| Year | Games | Host City | Host Country | Opened by | Dates | Nations | Events | Top medalling nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | I | Sucre[8] |  Bolivia | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Sports
The following table was compiled based on information extracted from a variety of sources.[4][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] It should be considered as incomplete.
Disciplines from the same sport are grouped under the same color:
Aquatics – Cycling – Football – Gymnastics – Underwater sports – Volleyball - Basketball
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Nations
Core (6):
- Western South America (Andean Community):
Bolivia,
Panama,
Peru,
Colombia,
Venezuela,
Ecuador
Since 2013 (5):
Members
ODEBO Members of the National Olympic Committees include:
| Name | Olympic Committee | Admitted in |
|---|---|---|
| Bolivia | Bolivian Olympic Committee | 1938 |
| Chile | Chilean Olympic Committee | 2010 |
 Colombia | Colombian Olympic Committee | 1938 |
 Ecuador | Ecuadorian National Olympic Committee | 1938 |
 Panama | Panama Olympic Committee | 1938 |
| Peru | Peruvian Olympic Committee | 1938 |
| Venezuela | Venezuelan Olympic Committee | 1938 |
All-time medal count
The total medal count for all the Games until 2022 is tabulated below. This table is sorted by the number of gold medals won by each country. The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next, and then the number of bronze medals. Chile, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Paraguay started competing since the 2013 Bolivarian Games.
As of 2022:
| Bolivarian Games Medal Count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Venezuela | 1861 | 1555 | 1188 | 4604 |
| 2 | Colombia | 1562 | 1381 | 1146 | 4089 |
| 3 | Peru | 621 | 715 | 935 | 2271 |
| 4 | Ecuador | 442 | 699 | 1048 | 2189 |
| 5 | Panama | 196 | 198 | 335 | 729 |
| 6 | Chile | 124 | 146 | 221 | 491 |
| 7 | Bolivia | 109 | 193 | 421 | 723 |
| 8 |  Dominican Republic | 58 | 57 | 122 | 237 |
| 9 |  Guatemala | 45 | 63 | 88 | 196 |
| 10 |  Paraguay | 23 | 32 | 36 | 91 |
| 11 |  El Salvador | 13 | 20 | 22 | 55 |
| Total | 5054 | 5059 | 5562 | 15675 | |
All time records
- Colombia holds the record for the highest number of gold medals won for a country in a single edition, obtaining 213 gold medals at the 2017 Bolivarian Games in Santa Marta as the host nation.[32]
- Colombia holds the record for the biggest lead of gold medals to second place, obtaining a margin of 119 gold medals over Venezuela in Santa Marta 2017.[33]
- Colombia holds the record for the biggest lead of total medals to second place, 168 medals more than Venezuela in 2017.[34]
- Venezuela holds the record for the highest number of total medals obtained in a single edition with 476 in the 2009 Bolivarian Games in Sucre.[35]
All-time medal count (Beach Games)
As 2016
| Bolivarian Games Medal Count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Venezuela | 58 | 50 | 46 | 154 |
| 2 | Chile | 48 | 46 | 38 | 132 |
| 3 | Peru | 48 | 35 | 47 | 130 |
| 4 | Colombia | 30 | 24 | 29 | 83 |
| 5 | Ecuador | 19 | 40 | 37 | 96 |
| 6 | Guatemala | 6 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
| 7 | Paraguay | 3 | 9 | 9 | 21 |
| 8 | El Salvador | 3 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| 9 | Dominican Republic | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 10 | Panama | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | Bolivia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 216 | 216 | 215 | 647 | |
Sport in Americas
See also
References
External links
- Official website
- 2001 Bolivarian Games results (in Spanish)
- 2005 Bolivarian Games official website (in Spanish)
- 2009 Bolivarian Games official website (in Spanish)
