First "indigenous Olympics" to kick off in Brazil

PALMAS, Brazil -- What's billed as the first "indigenous Olympics" is set to kick off with some 2,000 athletes from around the world at a remote sunbaked city in northern Brazil.

The first edition of the games officially opens in Palmas on Friday, but the event's soccer tournament got underway on Thursday.

Gaviao indigenous children watch a soccer game during the World Indigenous Games in Palmas, Brazil, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015. AP

Participants came from dozens of Brazilian ethnicities, as well as from such far-flung nations such as Ethiopia and New Zealand.

On Thursday a small group of Brazilian indigenous people staged a protest denouncing what they say is poor organization and unnecessary spending on the World Indigenous Games.

About a dozen protesters decried the multi-million dollar price tag, saying the money would be better spent on improving the conditions of Brazil's impoverished indigenous peoples.

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