The President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, participated in the act of beginning construction of the Mariano Rivera Baseball Stadium and the High Performance Baseball Center, a work that will have the specifications required by Major League Baseball (MLB), with an investment of B/.41,737,893.24.
The new sports facilities will be on land located behind the Nicolás Solano Hospital, in the town of Playa Leona, district of La Chorrera.
The contract includes the study, design, construction, equipment, and financing of the baseball stadium and the high-performance center, which will make it possible to prepare young baseball players and thus achieve the largest number of professionals in major league baseball in the United States.
Cortizo Cohen specified that the stadium will be first class, with capacity for 10,000 people, and will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology for the comfort of baseball players and fans.
“The High Performance Center, the first in the country dedicated to the preparation of our baseball players, will contribute with that innate talent of Panamanians that has given us international renown,” said the president.
This project is one of the largest investments in sports facilities made by the National Government and was awarded by the Panamanian Sports Institute (Pandeportes) to the company Constructora Riga Services, SA, which will be advised by MLB experts. The work must be delivered in 2025 and will generate more than 300 jobs.
During the ceremony, the “Mariano Rivera” sports award was presented to Mr. Plinio Castillo, director of the Panamanian Little League Baseball Commission.
The stadium will bear the name of the best closer of all time in Major League Baseball, Mariano Rivera, a native of Puerto Caimito, La Chorrera district, the only player to be inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame by unanimous vote.
“This stadium that will bear my name and the High Performance Center will be special and key, because they are going to have something special where you can have the best instructors who are going to help us develop national baseball at a different level and that is what we want to promote our youth,” Rivera said.
The Chief Executive was pleased to name this sports center in honor of a humble Panamanian, who became the best closer of all time in the best baseball in the world. “Our administration recognizes the value and contribution to the sport of Panamanians like Mariano and Plinio. To them, our gratitude and appreciation. Mariano, this is for you,” said Cortizo Cohen.
The president highlighted the professional rise of Plinio Castillo by coming from below, climbing positions and giving many children an opportunity in little league baseball. In addition, he urged the players, children and youth, to have discipline, respect, perseverance and faith.
For his part, the deputy director of Pandeportes, Luis Denis Arce, stated that the start of this work is part of the economic reactivation and that it generates many jobs for the province of Panama West.
“We will have a world-class ballpark and a high-performance baseball center that will be the reference for many in the region,” he said.
The facility will have all the facilities of an MLB stadium, with capacity for 10,000 fans, circulation corridors, access for people with disabilities, VIP boxes, a museum and 2 club houses for each team with direct access to the dogout. ”. The playing field will be made of natural grass, with storm drainage, LED lighting, perimeter fences and a sound and video system, among other facilities.
Meanwhile, the High Performance Center will be next to the baseball stadium in an area of 1,100 square meters and will have a training gym, rooms for athletes and coaches, maintenance areas, and administrative offices.
Athletes will have a batting cage, bullpen area, agility field, children’s field area and baseball midfield area. The facilities will have a bus stop and parking lots.
The president Cortizo Cohen made the first shovel to start the works and walked through the land where the sports infrastructure will be built.
President Cortizo Cohen was accompanied by the ministers María Inés Castillo (Social Development) and Rogelio Paredes (Housing and Territorial Planning); the deputy director of Pandeportes, Luis Denis Arce; the governor of West Panama, Sindy Smith; former professional baseball player Mariano Rivera; MLB Senior Vice President Jean Small; vice ministers, directors of public entities and youth and children’s baseball players from Panama West.
