6/19/07- Late last month FIFA said it was setting a limit of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level for international games.
-
La Paz- 3,600 meters
-
Quito- 2,800 meters
-
Bogota- 2,700 meters
Andean nations including Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, & Colombia, are being hit by the ban.
Altitude Sickness
A friend of mine, Mary, used to live in Bolivia, and the altitude is definitely a factor, even for non-athletes. A friend got really sick visiting this friend of mine in Bolivia. So sick, they had to leave the country after 1 week because of their altitude sickness. .
And then a few years after Mary moved away, she went back to visit and got a terrible altitude sickness as well - and she had earlier lived there for 3 years.
Back to Soccer
Bolivia has won some major soccer victories over Brazil & Argentina in it's capital La Paz. Some say a large part of the reason for these victories has been the altitude.
What About Countries That Are HOT
That begs the question though, what about countries that have extreme heat, or extreme cold. Should games be avoided there because of the heat or cold? It's like football I guess.
Football teams that are used to scrimaging in the cold, are going to have a leg up over those that usually train in the calor (heat) and vice versa.
So at some point this "leveling" for weather has to level off. Where does it end?
-El Pansonsote