2010 South American Games

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Families that are in Medellín pickin gup their children will have a special treat this week. They will be joined by hundreds of athletes, coaches, and journalists from all ove South America as Medellín hosts the 2010 South American Games (Juegos Suramericanos). The games start tomorrow (March 19th) and will run through the 30th. I can imagine that hotels will be full and the town will be hopping.



There will be athletes from 15 different countries participating in 42 different events (31 different sports). The picture is of the park that will host the games.



Here is a little bit of interesting trivia. Like in the Olympics, the game sports an official flame. However, this flame doesn't come from Athens. Nope! It was lit by indigenous priests in Bolivia at the Puerta del Sol (Door of the Sun) in Tiwanaku. The flame then travelled to the airport in La Paz and on to Medellín. Over the past 2 weeks the flame has travelled to different neighborhoods in Medellín and today can be found following the route from Comuna 8-10 to Villa Hermosa to La Candelaria and finally to Pernocta en La Alpujarra. Tomorrow the torch will arrive at Estadio Atanasio Girardot.


The medals are in the shape of hearts. See them here:
If you happen to be in Medellin, you can purchase tickets to the opening ceremony by calling 444-4446. You can also find out about events, times and locations, here:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juegos_Sudamericanos_de_2010

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