> The Bolivians usually play in the capital La Paz at 3,640 meters (11,940 feet) above sea level, but the South American soccer body CONMEBOL has allowed them t

> The Bolivians usually play in the capital La Paz at 3,640 meters (11,940 feet) above sea level, but the South American soccer body CONMEBOL has allowed them to move their games to El Alto, the second largest city in the country at an altitude of 4,150 meters (13,615 feet). Oh wow, I can't believe they're actually allowing this move. The World Cup teams are going to have a hell of a time training for that altitude. I wonder if a few months of acclimation right before the Cup will be enough for trained athletes or if they'll all have to train for a while at altitude. I wonder how many countries even have a place to train within their borders. ~4,000 meters is easily high enough for an unacclimated person to get serious high altitude sickness. I had to get carried down the side of a mountain on a stretcher when I got sick camping at the Palisade Glaciers (just under 4,300m) despite having done several Mt Whitney hikes to acclimate that year. I'd hate to think what it would have been like if I had been physically exerting myself in a game of foodball.