Ninth World Games open in Santiago de Cali, Colombia

July 26, 2013

The ninth edition of the opened last night in, Colombia's. At least 4,000 athletes from all over the globe are scheduled to take part in this year's edition, which occurs every four years. About 40,000 people attended the opening ceremony. The event started around 8:10 PM Colombian local time with the parade of nations. The first delegation to enter was Afghanistan, followed by Germany. The last delegation in the parade was the local one, Colombia, which was also the most cheered. The country has the largest delegation in the competition, with France having the second largest.

The ceremony was attended by the Presidents of and,  and , and the Vice-President of Colombia,. When Garzón apologized for President not being there, the public exploded in whistles of disapproval.

The opening ceremeony finished with a spectacle of dance and fireworks.