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How to Un Yong Kim (South Korea), Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah (Kuwait) and Joao Havelange (Brazil), was José Gamarra Zorrilla one of the best Olympic leaders in the Third World. He played an important role in promoting the values of sport in Bolivia and Latin America. José devoted his life against the indifference to sport and the deplorable condition of the athletes in Bolivia to fight. His country is one of the Third World `s poorest countries. In addition, Boliviahas a record contract had 194 coup attempts. But under his leadership, several international congresses and events in La Paz, Cochabamba, Oruro and Santa Cruz de la Sierra were organized. José was President of the Organizing Committee of the Bolivarian Games La Paz (1977) and for the South American Games in Bolivia (1978). As president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee (1970-1982) he led Bolivia, the best result in its history: 106 medals in the South American Games. He led theBolivian delegation to the Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Many South Americans look José Gamarra Zorrilla as South America's largest Olympic-leader of the 20th Century.
The country had great athletes: Mario Martinez (tennis), Alan Saunders (Nordic skiing), Milton Coimbra (football), Maria Ortuno (basketball), Giovanna Morejon Irusta (athletics), Ramiro Benavides (tennis), Anthony Iglesias) (diving, Johnny Perez (Athletics), Scott Saunders Sanchez(Nordic skiing), Oswaldo Morejon (track and field), William Arencibia (taekwondo), Erwin Sanchez (football), Ricardo Ramos (Nordic skiing), Guadalupe Yanez (basketball), Betty Saavedra (basketball), Juan Rodrigo Camacho (athletics) , Marco Etcheverry (football), Katherine Moreno (swimming), Nielsen Roberto Reyes (equestrian) and Billy Farwing Aranoa (Nordic skiing).
Bolivia sent athletes to the 7 Olympic Winter Games in 1988. The South American skiers were Manuel Aramayo,Guillermo Avila Paz, Jaime Bascon, Jorge Bejarano, Enrique Suarez, Pedro and Luis Vizcarra Tichaver.
Julia Iriarte is the largest Bolivian athletes of all time. Why? She won 5 gold and 3 silver medals at the 1947 Bolivarian Games in Lima, Peru. She was the star of the Games. Their gold medals were in the 80m hurdles, discus, shot put, long jump and high jump. Their homecoming was a huge success. After she was invited by the President of the Government Palace Enrrique Hertzog(Palacio Quemado). She also won five gold medals in the South African athletics championships in La Paz in 1948. Under their coach, George Voeg, she broke several national records in the 1940s. Unfortunately she did not compete at the 1948 Olympic Games in Helsinki (Finland). It was in Cochabamba, Bolivia, 20 Born in December, 1919 to Placido Iriarte Velasco and Clara.
Bolivia adopted at the 1979 Spartakiade the peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR).
From 1980 to 1984, destroyed the Bolivian government in sport. The South American athletes were not allowed to compete in the Olympics in 1980. Many athletes who have trained for years for the games felt great frustration. Among these athletes: Johnny Perez (track and field), Luis Dario Vasquez (fencing), Mary Rojas (athletics), Walter Quiroga (shooting), Linda Spent (track and field), Isidro Guarachi (boxing), Walter Quispe (boxing ), Edgar Cueto (cycling), JeanYoung Kim Song (judo) and Antonieta Arizaga (swimming). Ironically, the USSR Olympic host nation, subsidized third-world Olympic teams (Tanzania, one of Africa `s poorest countries-sent 41 athletes). For political reasons, Bolivia does not participate in the Pan American Games in 1983 in Caracas (Venezuela). For the first time since 1971, athletes from Bolivia not attended a Pan American. Unlike athletes from Haiti, Nicaragua, Chad and Sierra Leone, Bolivia athletes hadProblems to the Olympic Games in 1984.
Johnny Perez participated in the South American Games 1978 in La Paz, Bolivia, won three gold medals in athletics, in 1,500 m, 5,000 m and 3,000 m steeplechase.
The La Paz Olympic Stadium is one of the most modern in Latin America and the Caribbean. Among the athletes who compete in the Olympic Stadium, Romario de Souza Faria (Football / Brazil), Joao Carlos de Oliveira (track / Brazil), José Luis Chilavert (football / Paraguay)Tito Stenier (Athletics / Argentina), Edith Noeding (track and field / Peru) and Carlos Caetano Verri Bledron (Football / Brazil).
Giovanna Morejon Irusta finished 16th in the 20-kilometer walk at the World Athletics Championships 2003 in Paris, France.
Katherine Moreno was one of the youngest swimmers at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
The Bolivian team won the silver medal at the South American Basketball Championship and the Women's World Basketball Championship qualifying1978 in Seoul (South Korea). Bolivia had qualified for a world tournament for the first time.The heroines: Janeth Blanco Saavedra, Saavedra Zaconeta Betty, Daysy Chucatini Torrico, Liceo Rojas Arteaga, Norma Zambrano Siles, Elizabeth Navia Ledesma, Guadalupe Heredia Yanez, Tania Vargas Claros, Antonieta Gudmanson Torres, Judith Quiñones Miranda and Vania Claros de Justinino.
Bolivia sent only one athlete (Fernando Montalvo Inchauste / kayak) to the summerOlympic Games in 1960.
From 1971 to 1979 Bolivia's 500 athletes participated in international tournaments and competitions.
How Hortencia Maria de Fatima Marcari (Brazil) and Carol Turney (Canada) was, Guadalupe Yanez one of the best basketball player in the Pan American Games 1979 in San Juan de Puerto Rico.
Erwin Sanchez was one of the most important football player in Bolivia in the 1990s.
From 1975 to help until 1977, more than 25 foreign coaches, Bolivian trainAthletes to prepare for international competitions (Olympic Games, Bolivarian Games, Pan American Games and South American Games). The trainers were: Bornj Wangemann (Athletics / Germany), Mike Lucero (Basketball / USA), Paul Gonzalez (Basketball / USA), Stanislav Golubkov (boxing / USSR), Heriberto Diaz (cycling / Mexico), Pedro Escobar (Equestrian / Chile), Stanislav Spyra (Fencing / Poland), Walter Madel (Fencing / Germany), Eduardo Virba (Football / 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 Chi Chiao (Volleyball / Taiwan) and LinChou Nou (Volleyball / China).