Athletics competitions at the 1938 Bolivarian Gameswere held at the Estadio El Campín in Bogotá,Colombia, in August 1938. A detailed history of the early editions of the Bolivarian Games between 1938and 1989 was published in a book written (in Spanish) by José GamarraZorrilla, former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee, and firstpresident (1976-1982) of ODESUR. Gold medal winners from Ecuador were published by the Comité Olímpico Ecuatoriano. A total of 27 events were contested, 23 by men and 4 by women. Unusually, cross country events (individual and team) were part of the games.