| Host city | Barquisimeto,Lara |
|---|---|
| Country |  Venezuela |
| Nations | 6 |
| Athletes | 1516 |
| Events | 18 sports |
| Opening | December 4, 1981 (1981-12-04) |
| Closing | December 14, 1981 (1981-12-14) |
| Opened by | Luís Herrera Campins |
| Torch lighter | Carmen Militza Pérez |
| Main venue | Estadio de Barquisimeto |
TheIXBolivarian Games (Spanish:Juegos Bolivarianos) were amulti-sport event held between December 4–14, 1981, at theEstadio de Barquisimeto[1] inBarquisimeto,Venezuela. The Games were organized by theBolivarian Sports Organization (ODEBO).[2] In February 1980, Barquisimeto was chosen to substitute the initial host cityLima inPerú. TheComité Olímpico Peruano renouncedbecause of financial problems.
The Games were officially opened by Venezuelan presidentLuís Herrera Campins.[1] Torch lighter was fencerCarmen Militza Pérez.[3]
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 theBolivian Olympic Committee, and first president (1976–1982) ofODESUR.[1] Gold medal winners from Ecuador were published by theComité Olímpico Ecuatoriano.[4]
A critical comment was published.[5]
A total of 1516 athletes from 6 countries were reported to participate:[1]
The following 18 sports were explicitly mentioned:[1]
Athletics (details)
Baseball (details)
Basketball (details)
Bowling (details)
Boxing (details)
Fencing (details)
Football (details)_pictogram.svg)
Gymnastics (artistic) (details)
Judo (details)
Shooting (details)
Softball (details)
Table tennis (details)
Tennis (details)_pictogram.svg)
Volleyball (details)
Weightlifting (details)
Wrestling (details)The medal count for these games is tabulated below.[6] This table is sorted by the number ofgold medals earned by each country. The number ofsilver medals is taken into consideration next, and then the number ofbronze medals.
| 1981 Bolivarian Games medal count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Venezuela | 140 | 91 | 67 | 298 |
| 2 |  Colombia | 39 | 52 | 53 | 144 |
| 3 |  Panama | 25 | 22 | 34 | 81 |
| 4 |  Peru | 16 | 37 | 40 | 93 |
| 5 |  Ecuador | 12 | 28 | 28 | 68 |
| 6 |  Bolivia | 3 | 7 | 17 | 27 |
| Total | 234 | 233 | 241 | 708 | |
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