Peru's bullfights, which are about as popular as soccer in the South American nation, made their much-anticipated return this weekend to the rings of Lima after a lengthy pandemic-induced hiatus, AFP reports.

Spanish bullfighter Juan Ortega and his Peruvian colleague Joaquin Galdos took to the ring at the Plaza La Esperanza in Lurin, a coastal district on the capital's south side, where the first bullfights since the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020 were held.

“Ole, Ole!” the nearly 3,000 spectators shouted at various points throughout the fight.

All major public events were brought to a screeching halt last year in Peru, dealing a bitter blow not only to lovers of the ancient but controversial bullfighting tradition, but to the matadors at the center of the spectacle and the associated showmen and cattle breeders.