Central America Begins to Stand Out in the London Olympic Games · Global Voices
Ariel Moreno

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
A week has passed since the London 2012 Olympic Games started, and while the medal count is being disputed strongly between China and the United States, Central America has also experienced moments of joy and hope with small triumphs in the midst of complaints of lack of support and obvious comparisons between well prepared athletes and some who are semi-amateurs.
Social networks have been a fundamental part of these Olympic Games, where people share their impressions, complaints, and dreams that Central America will bring home a medal after these games. These are some of the highlights up until this moment.
Guatemala
With a delegation of nineteen athletes, Kevin Cordón and Ana Sofía have been Guatemala's best representatives this week. Cordón was able to advance into the next round of Badminton and competed strongly before being eliminated. Guatemalans expressed their satisfaction and pride in this participation, as demonstrated by Mario Santizo (@mario_santizo) [es], who wrote an excited Tweet after the first triumph:
(@mario_santizo) Kevin gordon gano su primer partido Felicidades #OrgulloChapin
Additionally, the gymnast Ana Sofía classified into the final rounds of gymnastics, and in spite of being eliminated, she honored Guatemala's name, as dozens of people agreed on Twitter. Roba Mentes (@RobaMentes) [es] wrote:
(@RobaMentes) ¡FELICIDADES ANA SOFÍA GÓMEZ! ¡GRACIAS POR PONER A GUATEMALA EN ALTO!
Honduras
Honduras reached its highlight of the week when their men's soccer team defeated the favorite Spanish team. Honduras is the only country from Central America that is participating in a team sport. Honduras tied with Morocco and Japan, classifying into quarterfinals  where they will face another favorite: Brazil.
The blogger Fabricio Estrada writes about this on his blog Bitácora del Párbulo [es] pointing out how even in the midst of difficult circumstances in their country, there has been time to cheer the goals and celebrate the accomplishments:
Qué días más difíciles en los que nos toca verles triunfar, compitas, y aún así, siempre, siempre, nos detenemos, hacemos pausa para gritar en silencio, con un orgullo extraño, olímpico, imposible de explicar, y una vez que sabemos que somos los mismos hermanos despojados de todo, me sumo al equipo humilde, al que muestra al mundo lo que podemos lograr y celebrar desde la nada impuesta. Arriba los humildes, arriba los pobres del mundo que siempre damos las grandes lecciones!!
Nicaragua
The highlight from Nicaragua this weeks was brought by Osmar Bravo, who obtained for the first time a boxing triumph for the Central American country. The boxer continues in the competition and could cause a stir and obtain a medal.
Amalia del Cid (@AmaliadelCid) [es] celebrates the event on her Twitter account:
(@AmaliadelCid) Osmar Bravo, la primera victoria de#Nicaragua en el boxeo olímpico en los últimos 20 años. #Londres2012 @JJOO
There are still several weeks of Olympic Games left and Central America will not give up the hope of obtaining a medal. This weekend the track and field competitions begin, where there is an important delegation of Central American athletes and with them the hopes of all the Isthmus.
This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.