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South American Games torch lit in Bolivia's Tiahuanaco ahead of September games
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Sports

South American Games torch lit in Bolivia's Tiahuanaco ahead of September games

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The torch for the 13th South American Games, to be held in Santa Fe, Argentina, was lit at the pre-Hispanic citadel of Tiahuanaco in Bolivia.
  • The ceremony included Andean rituals and saw young people dressed as Inca messengers carry the torch from the Akapana pyramid.
  • Tiahuanaco has been the traditional site for lighting the South American Games flame every four years since 1978, symbolizing regional unity and the evolution of the games.

The flame for the 13th South American Games, set to take place in Santa Fe, Argentina, was ceremonially lit at the ancient citadel of Tiahuanaco in Bolivia. This tradition, rooted in Andean culture, marks the beginning of the journey for the torch that will travel to the host nation for the games commencing September 12.

The statute of Odesur provides that every four years in this pre-Hispanic citadel... the flame of the South American Games is lit.

— Article textExplains the tradition of lighting the torch at Tiahuanaco.

The ceremony, held at the entrance of the Kalasasaya temple, one of Tiahuanaco's most significant structures, began with Andean rituals. 'Amautas,' or wise elders, presented an offering to Pachamama, the Earth Mother, seeking auspicious signs for the upcoming games. Following this, a group of youths, costumed as 'chaskis', the swift messengers of the Inca empire, descended the Akapana pyramid carrying the torch.

Marco Arze, president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee (COB), and Alejandro Menacho, director general of the Vice Ministry of Sports, handed the torch to Mario Moccia, president of the South American Sports Organization (Odesur). Arze highlighted the historical significance of Tiahuanaco as the starting point for the flame, a tradition upheld every four years since the games' inception in 1978.

The thing has evolved so favorably, so grandly, that after 50 years, we have the possibility of gathering more than 4,000 athletes in 43 sports and in a greater number of sports disciplines.

— Marco ArzePresident of the Bolivian Olympic Committee reflecting on the growth of the South American Games.

Arze noted the remarkable growth of the games, from their beginnings as the "Cruz del Sur" Games with 600 athletes in 16 sports, to the upcoming event expected to host over 4,000 athletes across 43 sports. He attributed this expansion to the "brotherhood" among regional sports leaders and emphasized the symbolic importance of lighting the flame at this significant Andean spiritual center. Moccia echoed the sentiment, thanking the organizers and local communities, and calling the ceremony a "milestone" in the history of the South American Games.

this ceremony "marks a milestone in the organization of the South American Games since 1978".

— Mario MocciaPresident of Odesur commenting on the significance of the torch-lighting ceremony.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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