The 2002 South American Games, officially the VII South American Games (; ), were a multi-sport event held from August 1 to August 11, 2002, across four Brazilian cities: Belém, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. Organized by the South American Sports Organization (ODESUR), the Games brought together roughly 2,069 athletes from 14 countries competing in 380 events across 24 sports.
The seventh edition of the Games had originally been awarded to Córdoba, Argentina, but hosting rights were reassigned to Bogotá, Colombia, after Argentina's economic crisis of the early 2000s made it unable to proceed as host. Rising violence tied to Colombia's internal armed conflict, including a car-bomb attack in Villavicencio during a Davis Cup tie only months before the Games were due to begin, led several national teams to threaten withdrawal, and ODESUR relocated the event to Brazil at short notice. In protest at losing the hosting rights, Colombia boycotted the Games entirely.
Host nation Brazil topped the medal table for the first time in the history of the Games, ending Argentina's traditional dominance of the competition; Venezuela also surpassed Argentina to finish second in the overall standings.
Host selection Colombia's capital, Bogotá, had been confirmed as the replacement host after Córdoba withdrew, and organizers there had reportedly invested some 2 billion Colombian pesos in preparation for the event. However, escalating conflict between the Colombian government and guerrilla groups unsettled several participating federations. On April 6–7, 2002, a car bomb exploded in Villavicencio, the city hosting a Davis Cup tie between Colombia and Uruguay, killing at least twelve people and injuring more than one hundred; Colombian president Andrés Pastrana traveled to the city and convened an emergency security council in response. In the aftermath, the delegations of Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela threatened to withdraw from the Bogotá Games. On April 10, 2002, ODESUR president Antonio Rodríguez formally asked the Colombian Olympic Committee to cancel its hosting of the Games, which had been scheduled to open on May 3, 2002. Only Panama, Chile, and Ecuador ultimately voiced support for Colombia retaining the Games, and Bogotá's bid was abandoned.
With the Games' quadrennial cycle at risk, ODESUR briefly considered an offer from the Peruvian Olympic Committee to stage the event in Arequipa, drawing on that city's experience hosting the 1997 Bolivarian Games, before settling on Brazil as the new host at short notice. Colombia, in protest at the loss of its hosting rights, declined to send a delegation to the Games and did not attend the following ODESUR general assembly.
Opening ceremonies Because the Games were spread across four cities, each host staged its own opening ceremony rather than a single unified event. In Belém, the games were officially opened by the governor of the state of Pará, Almir Gabriel, with the torch lit by bowler Dayse Silva. In São Paulo, whose events were centered on the Ibirapuera Gymnasium, the city's ceremony was opened by mayor Marta Suplicy, who governed São Paulo from 2001 to 2004.
Participating nations Fourteen ODESUR members took part in the 2002 Games. The Netherlands Antilles returned to competition after an absence, while Colombia did not send a delegation, in protest at being stripped of its hosting rights.
(Hosts)
Medal count The medal count for these Games is tabulated below, sorted by the number of gold medals earned by each country, then by silver medals, then by bronze medals. Brazil's total of 333 medals, and its 148 gold medals, were both records for the Games at the time, and marked the first occasion on which Argentina failed to finish first in the overall standings.
Sports The 2002 program comprised 24 sports. Compared with the previous edition in Cuenca, handball made its debut on the program, while basketball was not contested. Association football has not featured at the Games since 1998; futsal has been held in its place since this edition. Aquatic events, staged under a single "aquatics" program, included synchronized swimming alongside swimming.
Archery Athletics† Bowling Boxing Canoeing Cycling Fencing Futsal Golf Gymnastics Handball Judo Karate Roller sports Rowing Sailing Shooting Aquatics‡ Table tennis† Taekwondo Tennis‡ Triathlon Weightlifting Wrestling
Notes † Contested by junior (U-20) representatives. ‡ Contested by youth (U-18) representatives.
Venues
Belém Estádio do Mangueirão – Athletics Ginásio da Escola Superior de Educação Física – Aquatics, boxing, and wrestling
Curitiba Iguaçu Park – Canoeing Curitiba–Paranaguá Highway – Cycling (road) Barigui Park – Cycling (mountain bike) Botanical Garden Velodrome – Cycling (track) Tarumã Gymnasium – Gymnastics
Rio de Janeiro Botafogo Gymnasium – Fencing Maracanazinho Gymnasium – Futsal Tijuca Tennis Club – Judo, taekwondo Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas – Rowing Centro de Educação Física Almirante Adalberto Nunes – Archery Copacabana Beach – Triathlon Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro – Sailing
Resende AMAN, Resende – Shooting
São Paulo Ibirapuera Gymnasium – Karate Sambodromo do Anhembi – Roller sports (speed skating) Olympic Training and Research Centre – Weightlifting and table tennis Banco do Brasil Athletic Association – Roller sports (figure skating) Bom Retiro Stadium – Softball Clube Atlético Monte Líbano – Tennis Funstation Bowling, Shopping Analia Franco – Bowling
Itu Lago Alpha Village – Water skiing
Mogi das Cruzes Paradise Golf Club – Golf
São Bernardo do Campo São Bernardo do Campo Municipal Gymnasium – Handball
See also South American Games South American Sports Organization
References
External links Brasil 2002 ODESUR page Official site (from web.archive.org; many links are dead)