High-Altitude Antics

The things that inspire me to write: books, movies, news, events in my daily life, opinions, connections. Often these ideas need time and space to become fully-formed, and some never make it to a finished product. Rarely does an event compel me to the point where I have to sit down and punch it out at the expense of everything else.

Such an opportunity has finally presented itself, namely these just-released pictures of Bolivian president Evo Morales playing soccer on the frosty plain of Mt. Sajama, Bolivia's highest peak. Why, you might ask, is the leader of South America's poorest nation playing football at 19,700 feet?

Here's your answer. Last month FIFA, the international governing body of "association football" (i.e. "soccer") , decided to ban the playing of international matches above 2,500 meters (8,200 ft). While Argentines and Brazilians may have been breathing a sea-level sigh of relief, the Andean nations cried foul. The new regulations prohibit cities such as Quito, La Paz, and Cusco from hosting Copa America games or World Cup qualifying rounds. Morales, incensed, told a BBC reporter, "This is not only a ban on Bolivia, it's a ban on the universality of sports."

Or perhaps its an honest attempt by FIFA to level the playing field. The two critical issues that weigh into FIFA's decision are fairness and health risk. With respect to the former, BBC Sports columnist Tim Vickery observed that the major Bolivian clubs boasted a combined 25 wins in 40 matches at home, while their record away from the altiplano consisted of a singular win in 38 tries.

For those unaccustomed to high altitude, health effects can be severe. Earlier this year several Brazilian players needed oxygen while playing a match in Potosi (13,120 feet), and that Brazilian club has henceforth sworn off high altitude games. According to a Rice University website, "symptoms of headache, malaise, and decreased appetite are fairly common amongst individuals traveling to altitudes greater than 8,000 ft -- although this can occur at lower altitudes." Intensity of altitude sickness can vary amongst individuals, but there is no denying that less oxygen forces the body to work even harder. I am reminded of Ismael, the trip leader of my study abroad program in Bolivia, who, despite being a native Bolivian and a former resident of La Paz, suffered severe altitude sickness and subsequently had to be hospitalized during a visit to that city.

In response to FIFA's decision Evo set out to prove that high-altitude football is safe and fun, commissioning several high-profile matches between himself and his most trusted ministers at alpine pitches. Morales and his cabinet arrived by helicopter and used mountaineering huts as locker rooms, all in an attempt to prove that if he can do it, anyone can. Congratulations, Mr. Morales. You have finally proven to FIFA and the rest of the world that Bolivians who are accustomed to living at high altitudes can also play sports at high altitudes!

Maybe you should focus more time on running the country instead of populist pandering. I understand that football is an issue of national and cultural pride to Bolivians and citizens of other Andean nations, but maybe we could strike some kind of deal with FIFA -- perhaps raise the limit to 10,000 feet and establish some kind of guidelines for high-altitude play (a mandatory acclimatization period, for instance)?

Certainly the best line to come out of this whole scandal was this quote from Evo: "Football makes us forget our problems, economic, social and political." Which just goes to show that Bolivia has only two real contingency plans: blame everything on a lack of maritime access or just go play football.