LatAm development bank offers Bolivia $200m credit for sports venues

The Latin American Development Bank (known by its Spanish acronym CAF) has offered Bolivia 200 million U.S. dollars in credit to build sports venues in the lead-up to the 2018 South American Games in Bolivia, Bolivian President Evo Morales said Monday. Following a meeting with the governor of central Cochabamba department, Edmundo Novillo, and other officials, Morales told reporters at a press conference that the "CAF has no problem in supporting us in building sports infrastructure in the department of Cochabamba, which will be needed for the South American Games." According to media reports, Morales said he spoke by phone with CAF President Enrique Garcia several days ago, and sought his agency's cooperation, in view of CAF's financial aid to Brazil for the same purpose. The president added that he would prefer the sports venues to be state owned, "but if we cannot cover the expenses then we will have to call on the private sector." Officials want to "provide a good image of all Bolivia from Cochabamba, through the organization and mobilization to receive our visitors with a lot of hospitality," said Morales. The South American Games, organized by the South American Sports Organization (Odesur), will be held in Bolivia in 2018, 40 years after the nation hosted the first edition in 1978 in La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. According to the government, Bolivia plans to host the 2018 games at two sports villages, one in Cochabamba and a second in the country's tropical region. The Bolivian government says it will invest 500 million dollars to build or remodel 33 sports venues for hosting 46 different types of sports.