San Salvador, June 13 (EFE).- Ten days after the inauguration of the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, the organization is finalizing the missing details in the standings. And 5,200 athletes from 36 countries are gearing up for the party. Two weeks.
The competition required an economic investment of 195 million dollars, equivalent to 181 million euros.
For 15 days from June 23, El Salvador will be the center of the regional and Caribbean Games, and in some fields, Santiago will host the 2023 Pan American Games.
According to Yamil Bukhele, head of the Games’ organizing committee, work is still ongoing on the main stadiums, but they will be ready for the different divisions that will be played.
On this occasion, El Salvador, which hosted the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1935 and 2002, shares the venue with the Dominican Republic. Although most sporting events take place in the capital, San Salvador.
Price of games
Bukele pointed out in a press conference that the organization of the sports event will cost about 65 million dollars (69.64 million euros), the investment in infrastructure and stage equipment will be 130 million dollars (about 139 million euros).
In addition to the above, more than 40 million dollars have been invested in the construction of the Central American and Caribbean Village, which will operate at the headquarters of the State University of El Salvador (UES).
High expectations
Armando Bruni, president of the El Salvador Olympic Committee (COES), told EFE in an interview that he runs „great expectations” in the Central American and Caribbean Games, „obviously not only in terms of sports, but in anything that hosts games of this magnitude in our country”.
„When cities become a place for these kinds of sports, they have to take advantage of all the edges that are involved. The development, the infrastructure, the legacy that this kind of sport really leaves a city is important, and that’s why I think. El Salvador is at the right time to start again on this issue. ,” he said.
„From the Olympic Committee we are looking at it with good eyes, there is a good expectation, we have closely followed everything from the redesign of the sports grounds, the purchase of equipment, the technology, (implementation) of the sciences used for the Games,” he stressed.
„I think we need to use all of this as a country to build forward what we want from our sport in the next 10 years,” he said.
However, despite the positive expectations of the Olympic Committee, its president made it clear that „we are not going to win the Games”.
„It’s not the country’s goal now, not to win the game, but to see investment, improve infrastructure, leave a legacy, have technology and update equipment and sow the next based on that. In 10 years we can reap the harvest,” he reflected.
Infrastructure behind the game
Bruni, a member of the Games’ organizing committee, pointed out that unlike in 2002, the maintenance manual for the sports venues and the application that should have been used were not known to have survived, saying, „It’s time to beat it.”
He explained that part of the full investment plan made by the National Institute of Sports (INDES) „has already worked on manuals to be communicated to the sports federations and hopefully the stadiums will become self-sustaining.” .
„If this bet that we can have an additional, self-sustainable budget for the maintenance of the stadiums is really achieved, with INDES, I believe that El Salvador will enter a new phase. Not only to invest when there are games like this. The size at each specific time, but also to host World Cups or any international competition. Leave the shots,” he said.
High level competition
The president of COES pointed out that „Olympic medalists will come to El Salvador, they will travel here from Tokyo (at the Olympics) and maintain world dominance.”
„With these athletes, El Salvador is a luxury to compete and train with,” he said.
He indicated that, in his opinion, „there is going to be a fight” between the top spots in the medal table Mexico, ColombiaVenezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico.
According to Bruni, in the intermediate table they would be, Costa Rica, Panama And at the bottom of the medal table are El Salvador and some Caribbean islands that have „so much experience, so much sporting history, so little development.”
Sarah Acosta
(c) EFE Agency