SPORTS AND RECREATION
Bolivians love soccer, which is called fútbol in Spanish. People enjoy playing impromptu games of fútbol after work or school. Bolivia has a respected national team, which has participated in the World Cup competition. Many Bolivians spend Saturdays at fútbol stadiums, watching a local team play. Famous Bolivian fútbol players include Marco Etcheverry, Ramiro Castillo and Demetrio Angola. Volleyball and basketball are also popular.

 Many Bolivians enjoy playing chess and card games. Women often play canasta or rummy. Men get together on Fridays, which are commonly called Bachelor Fridays, to play cacho, a game with dice, or sapo, in which they try to shoot small metal pieces into the mouth of a receptacle shaped like a frog. Men, women and children also enjoy soap operas on radio and television.
Children play with marbles and with tops called trompos. Little girls like to jump rope or play hopscotch, which is called coscoja or tuncuna. Poorer children make their own toys, such as dolls or slingshots. Children love to play fútbol; if there are no balls available, they will make their own out of rags.

 In rural areas, the fería (market day) is an important weekly social event. The fería gives rural people a chance to see each other and to hear the community news. Visiting friends and relatives is also a favourite activity. Women often get together for tea at a friend's house or in a café. Bolivians enjoy attending parties or informal barbecues called parrilladas. Bolivian parties usually feature music and dancing. 
  Did you know?
Bolivia has the highest ski resort in the world. Mount Chacaltaya is 5,200 metres high. The resort keeps oxygen tanks for skiers who become faint because of the high altitude.
Festivals are often celebrated with sports. The Festival of the Holy Trinity in thecity of Trinidad in June is celebrated with a bullfight. T'inkus (dance-like ritual fights) are performed in some towns during the Festival of the Holy Cross in May. In Tarija, a town in the south of Bolivia, gauchos (South American cowboys) compete in a rodeo in April. Cockfights take place in the countryside and in some cities on Fridays and Saturdays.

Every year there is a reed boat race in Lake Titicaca and an annual swimming race. The contestants cover themselves in grease and swim quickly because the water is very cold.
 
 
  Did you know?
The Mexican marathon team trains in Bolivia because of the altitude. Training at high altitudes expands the lungs and makes it easier for teams that come from lower-altitude countries to compete in high-altitude countries.