On April 6th, with the celebration of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, the Santiago 2023 Corporation fulfilled a new milestone on the road to the XIX Pan American Games and VII Parapan American Games by presenting the Education Program at the Carmela Silva Donoso School, located in the Ñuñoa district.
The Sport Minister, Alexandra Benado, the Education Subsecretary, Nicolás Cataldo, the Ñuñoa Mayor, Emilia Ríos, and the CEO of Santiago 2023, Gianna Cunazza participated in this activity, joined by prominent athletes and Para athletes.
The State Secretary stated that “strong bets have been made not only for a physical legacy, which are the infrastructure works being carried out mainly at National Stadium Park, but also towards an intangible legacy, that will leave a feeling that we can create a sport culture in our country... There’s happiness with the fact this educational program is starting. Education and Sports go hand-in-hand, so there are expectations about the Games to become a great festival for all Chileans.
On his part, Subsecretary Cataldo assured that “physical activity helps everyone improve the school environment, it boosts learning, helps people carry out a healthier life, or in other words, there are several benefits that go beyond having fun, enjoying, etc. It has an active role in education and there is a desire to strengthen it, understanding the importance of sport.”
The Ñuñoa Mayor highlighted that “Sport is for everyone, it is massive. But with this massive activity, it is also inclusive, and no one should be left out, and this is why there’s satisfaction in the minister’s words, the subsecretary’s, and also the Santiago 2023 Corporation’s, because everyone will work to make sport and physical activity a part of everyone’s lives, from childhood to elder age.”
On her part, the top authority in the Santiago 2023 Corporation stated that she “believes firmly in the social role that sport has within communities. These Games are a unique opportunity to strengthen this role, and for the Corporation it is very important to have an Education Program that focuses on the inclusive formation of teachers and children, which will allow the program to have a positive impact throughout the Games. The program seeks to educate about sport as a tool for sustainable, inclusive and wide development of educational communities, that includes parents, caretakers, students, etc. The objective is to reach them all in the different regions of Chile so schools may count on this new educational material that gives them tools for a renewed focus on sport.”
Athletes participated and shared with the school’s students, talking about sports and their disciplines. María Fernanda Valdés (weightlifter), Yasmani Acosta (wrestling), Carol de la Paz (karate), Adolfo Almarza (Para cycling), Jaime Aránguiz (Para badminton), Constancio Cancino (Para badminton) and Patrício Echeverría (Para badminton) participated in the activity.
Valdés stated that he “agrees with the authorities when they stated the importance of the social role that education and sports fulfil as the central axis for human and sports development in the country. The Games will leave a legacy that goes beyond the competition and that will always be a positive and valued action all over Chile.”
Apart from giving details about the program, the registry of volunteering teachers for this education program was carried out, and a sport activity was developed in which students from the school participated.
One of the axes of the activity was the execution of a Conversation round about “The social role of sport as a tool for children and/or teenagers’ empowerment”, in which several key parties participated, such as the municipality, the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Education and athletes.
The objective was to generate a conversation space around three key questions that ranged from a perspective focused on deepening the social role of sports, going through questions that allow to dream of the sports we want for the future of Chile and how to achieve these dreams thinking of children and teenagers of the country.
The Santiago 2023 XIX Pan American Games will be held from October 20th through November 5th, and the VII Parapan American Games will be held from November 17th through the 26th, gathering between both events close to 9,000 athletes from 41 countries.
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