The Minister of Sports, Diego Galeano Harrison, spoke about his 7 months in office at the head of the National Sports Secretariat, and all the sporting events that marked the year, positioning Paraguay as the epicenter of sport, already with projections for other events of scale in the years to come.
Galeano Harrison was interviewed on the Tribuna program broadcast by Paraguay TV and spoke about the most important actions that were promoted by the sports portfolio, as well as the projection for the first half of 2023.
One of the first achievements of the present administration was the Paraguayan participation in the Bolivarian Games in Valledupar, in preparation for Asunción 2022. In Colombia, Paraguay achieved a record in medals (35) surpassing the previous Games in Santa Marta (30). Valledupar meant the preparation for a large part of the athletes who later played in the ODESUR Games.
The head of the SND referred to the resounding success of the Asunción 2022 South American Games, held in October, with a record number of 48 medals obtained by Team Paraguay, plus 7 from invited sports. It was also highlighted that for the first time the state was able to provide an economic incentive to those who left medals for Paraguay.
“Added to all this, the support of all the people is something we didn’t expect, but it turned out to be a real sports festival, where entire families could go to enjoy a variety of sports. Seeing the lines to enter to see their athletes and the stadiums full is something that continues to excite us,” said the Minister.
Galeano also highlighted that after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the National Sports Secretariat promoted the development of the largest school and student tournament in the country, the JEEN 2022 where more than 57,000 students from 183 educational institutions from all over the country disputed their places in the 2022 South American School Games.
To culminate the sports year, the South American School Games were held in Asunción. The Complex of the National Secretariat of Sports and the National Aquatic Center received more than 1,300 school athletes from 10 countries of the continent who were present to compete in 10 sports disciplines. In the school event, Paraguay achieved a record in medals, adding a total of 30 medals.
Odesur Legacy
“The main legacy of Odesur is what it leaves at a social level, I mean the enthusiasm that one day is able to participate in Team Paraguay in those competitions, also the legacy as well as the public was enthusiastic and today we are talking about a Pan American Games that probably in 2025 people are excited asking when it starts and that they want to be a part. So that is the legacy that the Games leave us, the enthusiasm for sporting events in the country, which is the first time that there was and will be for a long time,” said the Minister.
He asserted that for the success of all these events, the most important thing was to have committed human resources added to the infrastructure that already existed with the Odesur Games.
upcoming challenges
Likewise, the head of the SND highlighted that one of the most important events of the World Padel will be based in Paraguay. The World Padel Tour will have a stop on its circuit in our country, bringing together the best players in the discipline in the heart of America. The competition will have its epicenter at the SND Complex and the Central Court will be at the SND Arena.
He also spoke of the great work carried out by the institutions involved in the presentation of Paraguay as the venue for the Latin American Games of Special Olympics in 2024 and the Pan American Youth Games 2025. Both candidacies were made official weeks ago, so Asunción will remain as an important pole of regional sports development.
“Three years of having top-level sporting events in our country are coming, not to mention that there are going to be some South American and Pan-American events, including different specific sports, such as the Pan-American Cycling Championship that we are going to have in May 2023 as well,” said the Minister.
He indicated that the work to face these new challenges will begin in the first semester of 2023, forming the work teams. He also presented the actions to be developed by the sports portfolio in the coming months and what is projected in terms of international events that will be held in our country.
Galeano Harrison commented that he held a series of summits with the Sports Ministers of Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, which concluded in the formalization of the Juntos 2030 Corporation, which will work on the presentation of the joint candidacy for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, seeking to achieve the headquarters for the member countries of the corporation.
“We achieved the important step of signing the Juntos 2030 Corporation, which will nominate us, along with Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, to be officially candidates for the 2030 World Cup. This will mean that the development of these countries will expand much more quickly,” he said.
Important infrastructure works
The Minister of Sports stated that in a few more days the works will begin for the construction of a High Performance Gym that will be exclusive for athletes of the Sports Elite and National Teams, which will be located on the premises of the Paraguayan Tennis Association, in the SND Complex.
The work will have a capacity to receive 60 athletes simultaneously, with several areas of use such as: warm-up and injury prevention; Strength and Power; Speed, Agility and Reaction; Fitness; Cardio and Recovery. Likewise, it will have state-of-the-art equipment, of high quality and duration.
The Minister reported that the National Sports Secretariat will bet on the construction of a smaller sports center that will allow having an alternative space to the SND Arena, and in this way provide a place for Sports Entities that do not have their own spaces. Likewise, the new stage will become a training space for national teams.
The “Arenita” will have a capacity for 2,000 people seated in seats, press booths, sexed bathrooms and will also meet all the conditions to become an inclusive infrastructure, already projected for what will be the Special Olympics Games in our country.
Another great bet of the National Government will be the construction of a Sports Center in the premises of the Paraguayan Olympic Park. The COP Arena will have a dimension of 7,000 m2 with multidisciplinary equipment and a capacity for 3,300 people. The work that is added to those carried out in the ODESUR Games, contributes to the conversion of the Olympic Park into a great Sports City.
Data of interest:
National School and Student Games 2022
5000 Educational Institutions
57,137 Athletes
183 Municipalities
VALLEDUPAR 2022
1,597,804,179 Gs. investment
22 Sports
37 Medals
165 athletes
ASU2022
USD. 78,718,680 investment
USD 263,000,000 estimated income
71,439 incoming tourists
400,000 people who entered the sports venues
34 Sports
48 Medals
576 Team Paraguay athletes
South American School Games
10 sports
10 Countries
1500 Athletes
