The National Games of 2023which will take place between November 11 and 23 at the Coffee Axis They are no longer the great concern of leagues and athletes, nor of their organizers.
Although the schedule has been adjusted on several occasions, work has been done to comply with it, although in some works it has been necessary to adjust it and rather resort to plan B.
Armenia, Pereira and Manizales They have been changing to the delivery times of the works and have also worked on other issues such as implementation, hotel capacity and others to comply with the country.
The Games are made
The jousts were never in danger, since the law says that the Games must be held on the agreed dates; what has been in danger is that the sports calendar is complied with and venues due to the late start of construction and adaptation of some of the stages.
Last January the danger was imminent, because the calendar was not being met, but today there is a certain calm, although we must not rest on our laurels, as there is a lot of work ahead.
This is how the construction of the BMX track in Armenia is going.
Ministry of Sport
The investment of the Ministry of Sport will be $146,000 million which, through agreements, will be executed by the territorial entities for the construction of two stages and adaptation of 9 sports venues. The territorial entities of Caldas, Manizales, Risaralda, Pereira, Quindío, Armenia and Valle del Cauca will make an investment of $154,181 million, for a total of $300,181 million.
Recently, the Minister of Sport, Astrid Rodriguez, and the director of the Games, Balthazar Medinamet with the general comptroller (e), Carlos Mario Zuluaga, in order to review the report on the real state of the sports infrastructure works that are being carried out in the Coffee axis.
During the meeting, the commitment to the country was ratified so that on November 11, Caldas, Quindío, Risaralda and the Valle del Cauca sub-site will receive athletes from the 32 departments, the Capital District and the Military Sports Federation, in which It will be the edition with the most participants in history.
The meeting confirmed the realization of the multi-sports event as it has been proposed since its inception.
“We confirm that the headquarters of the Games is the Coffee Region, we have a plan B for the infrastructure that is not going to be carried out. We are making progress in remaining united with the Comptroller’s Office so that the works are completed,” he said. Astrid Rodríguez, Minister of Sport.
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Stage of the National Games.
Ministry of Sport
“The works are progressing. The issue that most attracts attention is the infrastructure, the stages, it is the one that causes noise, but there are others such as the athletes, the preparation, the hotel capacity, the leagues and others that must be touched on, ”he assured. the minister to EL TIEMPO.
And he added: “The key has been that the Colombian Olympic Committee (COC) has joined the work. They already have part of the advanced hotel work. I am also satisfied with the issue of the implementation of the scenarios, which has already been confirmed and is expected to arrive at the venues in the coming days”.
Mindeporte assured that there are 23 scenarios that will be built and adapted, of which 10 are co-financed by the entity. These works, which will benefit one million people, will also generate more than 9,000 direct jobs and more than 32,000 indirect ones, another legacy of the jousts.
“We trust the word of the Ministry of Sport in the sense that they have planned the shock plan, that they are clear that there are some works that are late and that there is a commitment to maintain and sustain the date of these celebrations, “said the Comptroller in charge, after the meeting.
For Mindeporte, there are three key elements that are being worked on for the Games and that are important in their progress.
Key points
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Astris Rodríguez, new Minister of Sports.
The first is that everything that has to do with the preparation of uniforms and equipment is wanted to be done with companies or people from the region to support the theme of the popular economy.
“The second is that we are working on the issue of sustainability. We are concerned about the idea of making the Games green and from Quindío, as in the other departments, they are working on an ecological kit”, Rodríguez said.
And point three is very important. Mindeporte wants the theme of physical education, sustainability and sports performance to be implemented in Armenia, Manizales, Pereira and nearby municipalities during the competitions.
Mindeporte confirmed that some of the mayors have requested a budget addition to try to speed up the construction of some stages.
“We are committed to look with technical justifications and shield ourselves from comptroller issues. The municipalities will send technical elements for us to see if the addition is possible”, specified the minister.
word of the director
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Baltazar Medina, Director of the Games and Astrid Rodríguez, Minister of Sport.
Baltazar Medina was appointed at the end of last January as director of the National Games and has been in charge of streamlining the processes.
“There is where to be calm, but we cannot wait until November 11 for the inauguration, we must push hard. There is a commitment from the parties and there is progress in the works”, Medina told EL TIEMPO.
Former president of the Colombian Olympic Committee (COC), Medina is clear in warning that not all scenarios will be finished for the jousts.
“There are few works that will be delivered, but I want to make it clear that the plan is that they can be used and guarantee the safety of athletes and the public,” he specified. The ones that have been worked on the fastest and the ones that will be almost one hundred percent ready for use in the Games will be the settings that are suitable and not those that are built as new.
“There is an example, like the Coliseo del Café, which is in the remodeling stage and will be ready for the competition,” he said.
For several months, the organization of the Games drew up plan B so as not to run at the last minute with the changes of venues for some sports.
Medina pointed out that there were problems with the Boccia stage, of the Paranationals, so that sport was moved to Cali. Similarly, in Calima-Darién the sailing and canoeing competitions will be held and it was ratified that the capital of the Valley will do baseball, softball and track cycling, as planned.
The artistic swimming will take place in Pereira, we decided that a few weeks ago, because although the stage may be ready, we did not want any surprises”
“Artistic swimming will take place in Pereira, we decided a few weeks ago, because although the stage may be ready, we did not want surprises and we decided to do this sport in that city,” Medina said.
In Manizales there are problems with the major coliseum where futsal will be played, but the organization has another plan, a coliseum for a school in the city.
“The scenarios will be completed, there will be no unfinished works or money at risk. The controller in charge has the guarantee that the National Games will take place as plannedas of November 11 and all sports, as scheduled, will be held in the Coffee Region, except for those that were previously located in other venues”, concluded the director of the fairs.
Baltazar Medina confirmed that 19,000 participating athletes were registered on the long list, but he considers that when each department makes the nominal registration, the number of athletes will be between 10,000 and 10,500, unless some sports are dropped because the minimum number of sports regulations are not met. athletes.
Rodríguez and Medina confirmed that the scenarios for the Paranational Games, from December 2 to 10, also in Efe, are advancing and their realization is guaranteed.
LISANDRO RENGIFO
Editor of EL TIEMPO
@LisandroAbel
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