As a young boy, Salvadores' family immigrated from Spain to Chile by boat, due to the Spanish Civil War. On the way, he was kidnapped by a Gypsy, but was he was later found by his mother, with the help of some men. His family moved to Lanco, Chile, where they were known for their talent in basketball and music. He studied Law at the Universidad de Concepción, but gave it up a couple of years later.
In 1952, Salvadores was a member of the senior Chilean basketball team, which finished in fifth place at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic Games. He played in all eight of Chile's games during the tournament, despite fracturing his femur during the dying minutes of the seventh game, after colliding with the goal post when he botched a layup attempt. He played the last game on large amounts of pain medication, which would later be described as, "a mixture that could very nearly have killed him."
Personal life
Álvaro Salvadores went to Cartagena de Indias, Colombia for a basketball competition. There, he met his future wife, Elsa de la Espriella, with whom he fell in love, and he decided to stay in Colombia. He was known for his handsome looks, which granted him a role as an extra in the film, "The Adventurers", in 1970. He had four children, Álvaro, Mónica, Elsa, and María Angélica Salvadores. After being Chile's ambassador to Colombia, he continued to live there, until his death in 2002, from lung cancer.
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