Swimming athlete from Colombia Moises Fuentes
at the Water Cube in Beijing, China. Photo: CPC

For nine days the torch universal, symbol of sportsmanship, has been traveling through Colombia to get the enthusiasm of the regions by the Second National Paralympic Games which will bring together one thousand seven hundred and seventy-two athletes classified into five types of disabilities where they will physical high-performance .
 
The Second National Cali 2008 Paralympic Games will live experience the emotion of the sports with the tour of the fire, a symbol of the spirit of healthy competition which will bring together one thousand seven hundred and fifty-two athletes with disabilities, who will compete in thirteen sports.
  
The sport flame was lit at nine o'clock on Sunday October 12, during the feast of race in America, at the stadium The Campinos from Bogota. The fire is being carried by athletes with disabilities by each of the five disabilitiy groups that are qualified for the games.
  
In the plaza of Coldeportes an act of protocol was met with the authorities of the National Sports System, headed by chiefs of the Colombian Institute of Sport and the Colombian Paralympic Committee.
  
At the end of the symbolic act in Bogota, the torch was carried to the town of Melgar scale of the caravan which ended the day for an overnight stay in Neiva on Sunday, Oct. 12.
  
On Monday, 13 days after the event in the cultural capital of Huila, the fire came into the town of Espinal and ended the day in Ibague. From Tolima capital the fire left the territory of Cundinamarca with a stop in Caqueza to close the day on Tuesday, 14 in Villavicencio.
  
The sports authorities of Meta paid tribute to the universal symbol of the sport on Wednesday October 15 to escort the symbol to the city of Tunja. After a tour of nine days, the fire will end his sporting national route in the cities of Pereira and Armenia on October 20 to be delivered in the territory of Valle del Caua in the town of Paila where he starts the final journey to the city of Cali after visit various municipalities in the Valley.
 
The Games begin on October 26th and during 7 days, athletes compete for medals in the following sports: 

• Chess
• Athletics
• Basketball
• Billiards
• Boccia
• Cycling
• Football
• Football Hall
• Weightlifting
• Swimming races
• Tennis Field
• Table Tennis
• Shooting Sports

For more information about the National Paralympic Games in Colombia, visit the official website: http://www.paralimpicosnacionales.gov.co/