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Like Un Yong Kim (South Korea), Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah (Kuwait) and Joao Havelange (Brazil), José Gamarra Zorrilla was one of the best Olympic leaders in the third world. He played a major role in promoting the values of sport in Bolivia and Latin America. José dedicated his life to fighting indifference to sport and the deplorable condition of the athletes in Bolivia. One of the `Third World country's poorest countries. Further, there were a record 194 attempted coups in Bolivia. However, under his leadership, a number of international congresses and events was in La Paz, Cochabamba, Oruro and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. José was president of the Organizing Committee of the Games of La Paz, Bolivar (1977), and the South American Games Bolivia (1978). President of the Bolivian Olympic Committee (1970-1982), he led Bolivia is the best result in its history: 106 medals at the South American Games. He led the Bolivian delegation Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Many South Americans José Gamarra Zorrilla is the greatest South American Olympic leader of the 20th century.
This country was a great athlete, Mario Martinez (tennis), Alan Saunders (cross-country), Milton Coimbra (football), Maria Ortuño (basketball), Giovanna Morej Irusta (athletics), Ramiro Benavides (tennis) Anthony Iglesias (diving), Johnny Perez (athletics), Scott Sanchez Saunders (cross-country), Oswaldo Morej (athletics), William Arencibia (taekwondo), Erwin Sánchez (football), Ricardo Ramos (cross-country), Guadalupe Yañez (basketball) Betty Saavedra (basketball), Juan Rodrigo Camacho (athletics), Marco Etcheverry (football), Katherine Moreno (swimming), Roberto Nielsen Reyes (rider) and Billy Farwing Aranoa (cross-country).
Bolivia has sent seven athletes to the Winter Olympics in 1988, the South American skiers Manuel Aramayo, Guillermo Avila Paz, Jaime BASCON, Jorge Bejarano, Luis Enrique Montaño and Tichaver Pedro Vizcarra.
Julia Iriarte the greatest Bolivian athlete of all time. Why? He won five gold and three silver medals at the 1947 Bolivarian Games in Lima, Peru. He became the star of the games. Her gold medal was the 80m hurdles, discus throw, shot put, long jump and high jump. Her homecoming was a huge success. After Enrrique Hertzog President invited the Government Palace (Palacio Quemado). He also won five gold medals in the South American Track and Field Championships in La Paz in 1948. Under coach George Voegel, broke several national records during the 1940s. Unfortunately, she did not compete in 1948 Olympics in Helsinki (Finland). He was born in Cochabamba in Bolivia on December 20, 1919, Placido Iriarte and Clara Velasco.
Bolivia participated in the 1979 gymnastics Nations to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
From 1980 to 1984, the Bolivian government ruined the sport. The South American athletes can not participate in the Olympics, in 1980, a lot of athletes who trained till the games felt frustration. Among these athletes they were: Johnny Perez (athletics), Luis Dario Vasquez (fencing), Mary Rojas (athletics), Walter Quiroga (shooting), Linda Spents (athletics), Isidro Guarachi (boxing), Walter Quispe (boxing), Edgar Cueto (cycling), Jean Young Kim Song (judo) and Antonieta Arizaga (swimming). Ironically, the Soviet Union supported the Third World -host Olympic national Olympic team (at the Tanzania Africa`s poorest countries- sent 41 athletes). For political reasons, Bolivia is not participating in the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas (Venezuela). For the first time since 1971, Bolivia athletes did not participate in the Pan American. Unlike athletes were to go to the Olympic Games in 1984
Johnny Perez participated in the 1978 South American Games La Paz, Bolivia, won three gold medals in track and field in Haiti, Nicaragua, Chad and Sierra Leone, Bolivia athletes Problems , 1,500 m, 5,000 and 3,000 steeplechase.
La Paz Olympic Stadium is one of the most modern in Latin America and the Caribbean. Among the athletes who competed in the Olympic Stadium Romario de Souza Faria (Soccer / Brazil), Joao Carlos de Oliveira (athletics / Brazil), José Luis Chilavert (football / Paraguay), Tito Stenier (athletics / Argentina), Edith Noeding (athletics / Peru) and Carlos Caetano Verri Bledron (soccer / Brazil).
Giovanna Morej Irusta finished 16th in the 20-kilometer walk through the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris, France.
Katherine Moreno was one of the youngest swimmers to the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
Bolivian team won the silver medal in the South American basketball league and qualified for the women's basketball world championship in 1978 in Seoul (South Korea). Bolivia is suitable for the World Cup were the first time.The heroines Janeth Blanco Saavedra, Betty Saavedra Zaconeta, Daysy Chucatini Torrico, Liceo Rojas Arteaga, Norma Zambrano Siles, Elizabeth Ledesma Navia, Guadalupe Yañez Heredia, Tania Vargas Claros, Gudmanson Antonieta Torres Judith Quiñones Miranda and Vania de Claros Justinino.
Bolivia sent only one athlete (Fernando Montalvo Inchauste / kayak) that the Summer Olympics in 1960.
from 1971 1979-500 Bolivian athletes participated in international competitions and tournaments.
Like Maria Hortencia de Fatima Marcar (Brazil) and Carol Turney (Canada), Guadalupe Yañez was one of the best basketball player in the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan de Puerto Rico.
Erwin Sanchez was one of the most important football players in Bolivia in the 1990s.
1975 and 1977, more than 25 foreign coaches have helped athletes to train in Bolivia in preparation for international competitions (Olympic Games, Bolivarian Games, Pan American Games and South American Games). The coaches were: Bornj Wangemann (athletics / West Germany), Mike Lucero (Basketball / USA), Paul Gonzalez (Basketball / USA), Stanislav Golubkov (boxing / USSR), Heriberto Diaz (cycling / Mexico), Pedro Escobar (riding / Chile), Stanislav Spyra (fencing / Poland), Walter Madel (fencing / West Germany), Eduardo Virba (football / West Germany), Dale Cutler (gymnastics / USA), Donald Howorth (gymnastics / USA), Pedro Ortega (gymnastics / Mexico), Jasuhido Takasuka (judo / Japan), Benigno Marquez (wrestling / Venezuela), Karol Czarkoswki (weightlifting / Poland), Wu Yu Yung (swimming / Taiwan), Yadwiga Czarkoswka (swimming / Poland), Adolfo Coronado ( swimming / Ecuador), Francis Conway (shooting / USA), Nicolay Durnev (shooting / USSR), Cselaw Gajdamovicz (volleyball / Poland), Tien Heing Hisch (volleyball / China), Chiu Chiao Chi (volleyball / Taiwan) and Lin Chou Nou (volleyball / China).