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| Host city | Bogotá |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Nations | 6 |
| Athletes | 716 |
| Opening | August 6, 1938 (1938-08-06) |
| Closing | August 22, 1938 (1938-08-22) |
| Opened by | Alfonso López Pumarejo |
| Main venue | Estadio El Campín |
TheIBolivarian Games (Spanish:Juegos Bolivarianos) were amulti-sport event held between August 6–22, 1938, inBogotá,Colombia, at theEstadio El Campín, for the city's 400th anniversary. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (ODEBO).
The Games were officially opened by Colombian presidentAlfonso López Pumarejo, accompanied byAlberto Nariño Cheyne from theColombian Olympic Committee, ColonelLeopoldo Piedrahita from the local organizing committee, andGustavo Santos, mayor of the city ofBogotá.[1]
A detailed history of the early editions of the Bolivarian Games between 1938and 1989 was published in a book written (in Spanish) by José GamarraZorrilla, former president of theBolivian Olympic Committee, and firstpresident (1976-1982) ofODESUR.[1] Gold medal winners from Ecuador were published by theComité Olímpico Ecuatoriano.[2]
The official posters for the Games were designed by Colombian artistSergio Trujillo Magnenat.


Further photos can be found on the webpage of theLuis Ángel Arango Library.[3]
A total of 716 athletes from 6 countries were reported to participate:[1]
The following sports were mentioned:[1][2][4][5][6]
†: Exhibition event.
The list might be incomplete.
The medal count for these Games is tabulated below.[7] 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.
| 1938 Bolivarian Games Medal Count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 65 | |
| 2 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 58 | |
| 3 | 19 | 26 | 21 | 66 | |
| 4 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 21 | |
| 5 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 | |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 10 | |
| Total | 84 | 83 | 66 | 233 | |