Mexico City.- Of the more than 100 athletes that Mexico will take to the Paris Olympics, almost half come from the ranks of the Army. The strong presence responds to a reality: the armed forces have become in recent years the lifeline for many athletes who have found an economic respite there.
This is well known by diver Kevin Berlin, a bronze medalist at the Fukuoka World Championships in the 10-meter synchronized event and who at the beginning of 2023 faced a crisis when the governing body of the sport in Mexico withdrew a scholarship that put his participation in the Olympic Games in jeopardy.
Without enough resources to cover his expenses, Berlín Reyes faced a crossroads: whether or not to continue with a 16-year sports career that he began as a child.
In a desperate attempt to earn an income, the 23-year-old diver, along with his mother and other relatives, started a small business selling coffee remotely, produced in his native state of Veracruz, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, which he named “Olimpiada Café.”
At the same time, he began a legal battle, which he recently won, to get the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport (Conade) to reinstate the scholarship that it withdrew from him and other aquatic athletes for being part of an organization that does not have legal recognition in the Mexican sports system.
In the midst of his struggle, Berlin Reyes received unexpected news: the National Defense Secretariat (Sedena) approved his entry into the military ranks this year, ensuring a monthly salary and a series of social benefits for him and his family. In addition to his salary, the armed forces provide athletes with social security, access to home purchases and a retirement plan, something that does not exist in the Conade scholarships.
“Obviously it gives me peace of mind and not having to think about how I’m going to pay the rent,” said Berlin Reyes when speaking about his entry into the Army from the capital headquarters of the Mexican Olympic Committee, after completing a training session for Paris 2024.
Her case is not an isolated one. Two fellow divers, Alejandra Orozco (silver in London 2012 and bronze in Tokyo 2021) and Gabriela Agúndez (bronze in the Japanese capital) also found a respite by enlisting in the Army between 2019 and 2021, as did Randall Willars, gold medalist at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
In recent months, in the midst of their training period for the Games, Orozco, Agúndez and Willars Valdez faced a situation of uncertainty after Conade withdrew their scholarships. The three also had to go to court to get their subsidy paid.
Faced with the difficulties and pressures they face in the civilian world, some athletes like Orozco, considered one of the best divers in the world at 27 years old, said that she has found in the Army a “great family” and an opportunity for “personal growth.”
“They have supported us a lot and have been part of all our achievements. They were part of our great medal in Tokyo,” said Orozco, who has the rank of second sergeant and will be Mexico’s flag bearer at the Paris Games.
Athletes enter the army with the rank of soldier and are then promoted based on their sporting achievements.
Army Lieutenant Colonel Leticia Yáñez Domínguez is the head of the high performance and joint teams section of the Sedena. She explained that athletes must complete the eight-week basic training course and other requirements that are required of all military personnel.
However, he admitted that athletes are given “every facility” to carry out their training full-time.
Asked what the Army’s objective was in allowing athletes into its ranks, Yáñez Domínguez replied: “It’s not that we aspire to anything, Sedena has a tradition that goes back 100 years.”
The Army currently has 104 athletes in 24 disciplines including athletics, diving, modern pentathlon, shooting, racquetball, rhythmic gymnastics and artistic swimming. Of that group, 36 have qualified for Paris 2024.
The Navy has 51 high-performance athletes in 12 disciplines such as athletics, rowing and volleyball. Of these, seven will be competing in the Games.
Mexican military personnel began competing in the Games in Berlin in 1936. They have done so uninterruptedly since London 2012.
In the last decade, the participation of military personnel in Mexican Olympic delegations has grown. From 21 military athletes who went to Rio 2016, the number rose to 47 in Tokyo 2021, and this year 46 will compete, representing nearly half of the delegation of 109 athletes that will go to Paris.
The jump in participation has coincided with the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who during his six-year administration that ends in September has handed over to the military numerous tasks and budgets that were previously handled by civilians. This has sparked criticism among his adversaries who have accused him of increasing the power of the armed forces in Mexico.
Despite the criticism that the growing military influence may generate, it is viewed favorably by sports leaders.
Former diver Fernando Platas, a permanent member of the Mexican Olympic Committee, said that the armed forces have become a “great turning point” for Mexican athletes because they give them “peace of mind” and “a lot of security.” He said that this has been reflected in the “great results” that Mexico has obtained in the last international sporting events.
“It has been the differential in being able to give continuity to many generations,” he added.
The only double gold medalist that Mexico has had in history was the jockey Humberto Mariles, a lieutenant colonel who achieved his feat in London 1948.
Another prominent military man in the Olympic Games was Sergeant José Pedraza, who joined the armed forces at the age of 15 and won the silver medal in the 20-kilometer race walk in 1968, despite a titanic effort to win gold in the final stretch, which thrilled the local public. It was the country’s first Olympic medal in athletics.
Throughout its history, the Mexican Army has won 15 Olympic medals, 153 Pan American Games medals and 231 Central American and Caribbean Games medals.
After finishing fourth in the 10-meter synchronized platform diving competition in Tokyo 2020, Berlin Reyes dreams of a podium finish in Paris. Now free from the stress of financial issues, he admits that he is focused on his training, but it is inevitable to think about his future in the military.
“When I see what happens, I will decide whether I will continue for a few more years or see more of the venture,” he said.
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