The 2009 Lusophone Games are currently taking place in Portugal, and run from July 11th through the 19th. These games are for the Portuguese-speaking National Olympic Committees of the world, and this is the second staging of the games. The first Lusophone Games took place in 2006 in Macau, China, a former Portuguese colony.
The 2009 games are being held in Lisbon and surrounding communities, with nine sports and 70 events being contested. 12 nations and territories are competing at this year’s games, including Portugal, Brazil, Macau, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Angola, India, Sri Lanka, Guinea Bissau, East Timor and Sao Tome and Principe.
The sports being contested are Athletics, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Disabled Athletics, Football (soccer), Futsal, Judo, Taekwondo, Table Tennis and Volleyball. Not surprisingly, Brazil and Portugal tend to dominate the events as they are the largest and most athletically inclined nations in the Portuguese speaking world. The games provide an opportunity for athletes in smaller countries to compete on the world stage and in a major setting that Lisbon provides.
Many of the events for the 2009 games are being held in the Atlantic Pavilion in Lisbon. This 20,000-seat arena hosted the opening ceremonies and will also see the closing ceremonies. Additionally, basketball, judo, futsal, taekwondo and table tennis can be viewed here. Athletics and disable athletics events are being held at the Estadio Universitario de Lisboa, while soccer matches are at the Estadio Nacional in nearby Oeiras and the Estadio Jose Gomes (Estatdio da Robeleira) in Amadora. Additional basketball games are at the Pavilhão Açoreana Seguros in Lisbon.
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