A massive boost to the construction of sports facilities and a novel self-sustainable management model are two of the fundamental axes on which the Ministry of Sports and Recreation (Miderec), which directs Kelvin Cruz.
The second aspect is motivated by the applied model in it Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium with a view to the Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026.
The plan includes the construction, from scratch, of several multipurpose in it Greater Santo Domingo and a hundred at the national level “in a period of two years“, reported Cruz, who along with Jose Monegropresident of the Organizing Committee of the Central American Games Santo Domingo 2026participated as a guest in Diálogo Libre.
“Right now they are building 32 multipurpose“said Cruz. “We have already inaugurated about three and the others are being built, simultaneously.”
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Days remain until July 24, the opening date of the Santo Domingo 2026 Games.
Municipalities and multipurpose
The ambitious project to build 100 multipurpose in of two years includes 25 in the same number of municipalities that currently lack this type of facilities.
Once that plan is executed, first time In their history, the 158 municipalities of the country will have a indoor.
“A remaining gap is being closed, in terms of sport, that of the 158 municipalities There were at least 25 of the country without multi-purpose roofing,” Cruz said.
The country, according to data obtained from Miderechas some 4,088 installations sports. Of these, 813 correspond to basketballalthough 320 are mixed basketball and volleyball.
Among the benefited municipalitiesthey meet Dagger (Santiago province); Sabana Iglesias (Santiago); San Victor (Espaillat); Villa Hermosa (La Romana); El Pino (Dajabón); Foundation, Laguna Salada and El Peñón, in Barahona; Tábara Arriba, Padres Las Casas and Pueblo Viejo, in Azua.
In general sense, they will be five in Azua, three in Barahona and two in several provinces.
Corruption funds
As a result of different cases of corruption in which past authorities were involved, the Dominican government has recovered resources through return of funds.
On January 27, at the National Palace, the president of the Republic, Luis Abinaderdesignated a Oversight Commission responsible for monitoring and supervising the contracting process of sports works financed with RD$2,000 million recovered for acts of corruption.
Among these works are interventions in the sports complex of San Pedro de Macorisas well as the construction of a stadium in San Juan de la Maguana. The La Vega Olympic Center will also be rebuilt, including a swimming pool, baseball stadium, athletics track, handball pavilion and tennis courts.
a new Fernando Teruel Palace
The main installation of basketball in La Vega, the Fernando Teruel Sports Palacealso falls within the program remodeling of works of Miderec.
Adjacent to the current installation, a work will be built with greater capacity of seats. “We have a very aggressive work agenda,” Cruz said.
Teruel is a former leader of basketballa native of this province and earned his induction into the Hall of Fame for his sporting career spanning more than five decades.
Protect the works
He Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium It is, without a doubt, the best example of the functioning of a patronage for the protection of a sporting work, a manifest wish of the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader.
He Juan Pablo Duarte Aquatic Center It also has its patronagealthough not with the level of structuring by Felix Sanchez.
“I must say that what has been done now with Félix Sánchez is simply a perfect model of what should happen here with each of the sports facilities“Cruz said.
What previously cost between 100 thousand and 200 thousand pesos, now amounts to “125 thousand dollars for a day” by the right of use of the park, in case it is fully rented. “And that is invested in the Stadium,” he points out. Jose Monegrowho in addition to being president of the games committee is a member of the patronage.
The care of sports works has historically been one of the great weaknesses of public sports administration.
“What has been done now with Félix Sánchez is simply a perfect model of what should happen here with each of the sports facilities”Minister of Sports
The user of the Olympic Stadium, Monegro continued, must now pay “a baila sure and a deposit“.
Apart from the renthe explained, a deposit “of 30 thousand dollarsapart from the 125 thousand”.
He deposit is refundable, unless detected imperfections once the stadium was handed over, as damage on chairs, keys or other areas. If nothing happens, that sum is returned.
To protect yourself from damage older, the patronage It also has coverage. “For big damage there is a sure of 50 million pesos. If greater damage occurs to the stadium, the sure“he explained.
José Monegro remains firm in his principle of organizing economic Games. And he explains it like this: “Austerity is investing what needs to be invested in what needs to be invested.”
But it must be taken into account, he specifies, that the staging of the Games (July 24; August 8) includes a series of items in which, inevitably, a lot of money is spent, such as food and transportation, just to mention two. That “there is no way to reduce it.”
For this year, the budget allocated for the Games is “three billion pesos”; Last year it was one billion and they were given “925 million, which was what we needed at that time.”
Miderec’s budget is 8 billion pesos, but that figure includes the three billion allocated to the 2026 Games, which is where the Organizing Committee draws.
The Games will leave a legacy, among other things, in sports facilities. This includes surveillance cameras and surveillance screens, which will remain in various works once they are completed. This event will function as the main engine to rescue infrastructure that was more than 20 years old without adequate interventions.
It’s not the only thing. There is also tourism, which the Organizing Committee considers will be another contribution. When Games of this level are held, he points out, “you show the world that we are a country with political, economic and social stability.” And, indeed, “those are things that attract tourists to us.”
With that point as a basis, he questions: “Where do tourists go? Where there is political, economic and social stability.”
