Oscar Garcia Jr., 10, touched the golden medal around his neck with pride as he stood in a mostly Latino crowd of families at Burger Center on Saturday. He had done a little of everything: been part of a tug-of-war contest and tumbled around on a gymnastics mat as part of Fitness Feria, a health-oriented fair that targeted predominately Spanish-speaking families.

The goal of the fair, which attracted an estimated 2,000 people, was to engage children like Oscar in sports like rowing or kayaking. Outside the center were obstacle courses with kids riding around on bikes or running around inside the stadium. Indoors, children jumped rope while their parents found free resources for summer camps and other fitness programs.

Dozens of kids stood in line to take pictures of themselves in sports gear and with Olympic-looking medals like Oscar's.

"It's really fun," Oscar said. "I went over there for the dancing. I learned that exercise is more important than sitting around playing video games."

Statistics show that Hispanics have an increased risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease, among other preventable conditions. According to the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 2007, Hispanic adults were 50 percent less likely to engage in active physical activity as non-Hispanic whites.

That figure got Sylvia Acevedo, the founder of Fitness Feria, excited about creating an event to help link Hispanics to physical wellness. Acevedo is the chief executive officer of CommuniCard , a company that works with organizations to help them plan for demographic shifts.

The company launched Feria Para Aprender in Austin