Medellin, Colombia – 13 April 2010

The final country to visit on the Why Sport Matters tour of South America was Colombia. To say that Colombia is different than what we had expected is an understatement. Not only is it naturally beautiful with several diverse climates, but the people are warm and went out of their way to make us feel welcome and introduce us to the real Colombia. In addition, their passion for sport has been intertwined with the history of the country, and is a good example of how sport reflects culture.

The capital city of Bogota is the business centre and largest city. Although located right on the equator, it sits at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, which means it never gets very hot. It has a vibrant nightlife, with several bustling universities and many cultural attractions. It is amongst the steep and mountainous terrain of this region that some of the world’s top cyclists are found, with Colombians world renowned as the best climbers in racing. As a result, cycling is very popular in Colombia. Bogota originated a programme called Ciclovia, where every Sunday the main streets of Colombia’s largest cities close down to allow citizens to hit the streets in bicycles, rollerblades and running shoes.

Colombia has a stronger cultural association with the USA than most other countries in South America. This can be seen in Cartagena, a colonial city that lies on the northern coast of the country where the climate is hot and humid and typical of a Caribbean beach town. Across the entire coastal region, baseball fields are found everywhere and cheering from nightly matches can be heard in the air. Both men and women play baseball – and various forms like softball and kickball. Check out the YOUTUBE VIDEO that Why Sport Matters shot from a night game. In addition, this region also produces some great boxers, not to mention some notable football players including the legendary Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama (see photo which is evidence to his continuing popularity).

Why Sport Matters timed a visit to Medellin for the 2010 South American Games, a multi-sport competition for the continent that takes place every four years. Medellin is a stunning city of 3 million wedged in a valley between 2 mountain ridges. The city has been plagued in recent history from the time of the drug traffickers and the notorious Medellin drug cartel (see Pablo Escobar), and years of violence. But the city is transforming itself through investment in the city and engaging its citizens to get involved. City planners are using these South American Games as part of this resurrection and change in identity, and Why Sport Matters made the above video report to capture a bit of this amazing story. Some of the stories of these Games are fascinating: free entrance to all sporting events, a closing ceremony conducted in the open street (also free to the citizens), and an athlete village built in the middle of one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, where local families will move into the apartments following the Games.
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