QUITO, Feb 3 - Barcelona, Ecuador's biggest and
most successful club from the Pacific port city of Guayaquil,
have installed their players in accommodation in Quito so they
get used to playing at altitude.
"We're adapting quite well, better than we imagined,"
Barcelona's Paraguayan striker Juan Samudio told the official
website (www.bsc.ec) of the club, who last won the league title
in 1997 and were nearly relegated last year.
The Ecuadorean capital is 2,850 metres above sea level in
the Andes where the thin air is an extra handicap for teams
coming from the lowlands. Barcelona put aside $125,000 to cover
the costs, El Comercio newspaper reported.
The team have been preparing this week for their opening
match in the 2010 championship away to promoted Universidad
Catolica in Quito on Sunday.
(Editing by Justin Palmer; to query or comment on this story
email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)