Bolivian athlete Euardo Aruquipa to run in CAF Caracas Marathon 2011

(La Paz, February 15, 2011).- With the backing and sponsorship of CAF - Latin American development bank - La Paz athlete Eduardo Aruquipa will travel on Friday February 18 to the Venezuelan capital to participate in the CAF Caracas Marathon 2011 - Millions of steps for Latin American Integration - organized by the financial institution to mark its 40th anniversary .

The athlete was given the representation after winning first place in the second "La Paz 3600" race, a 10-kilometer event organized by CAF in partnership with the La Paz Autonomous Municipal Government on November 7, 2010.

"CAF's mission is to promote sustainable and integrated development in its partner countries, which is why sport has a very important place in our agenda as an empowering tool of human capital and as an activity that integrates all the inhabitants of cities and also has positive connotations for the people who practice it," CAF director representative in Bolivia Emilio Uquillas said at a ceremony in the CAF office in La Paz.

In the ceremony, Uquillas presented Aruquipa with his ticket, travel expenses, registration certificate and sportswear for the competition in Venezuela. He said the athlete would participate while in Caracas in a specialized technical congress with the elite athletes from the participating countries.

After thanking CAF for its support, the Bolivian athlete said he had trained very hard with the prospect of achieving a leading position for his country and qualifying for the XVI Pan American Games in October in the Mexican city of Guadalajara. He said he expects to get a good time which, besides qualifying him to run in Mexico, will put the London Olympics in 2012 in his sights.

The CAF Caracas Marathon will be run on February 20 in the Free category, with a route of 42 kilometers, as well as a half marathon of 21 kilometers. The sporting event was recently certified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).

The CAF Caracas Marathon 2011 is part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Latin American financial institution. Its objective is to stimulate sport as a means of strengthening regional integration with athletes participating from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.