New Heroes Needed, Says Peru NOC President

(ATR) Jose Quinones tells Around the Rings the 15th IOC World Conference on Sport for All represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Peru to make some sorely needed improvements.

"It’s the reason we asked for this," says the Peruvian Olympic Committee President.

A recent study of nearly 100 countries found Peru to have one of the least physically active populations in the world.

Sport for All is one of the ways Quinones and his colleagues are hoping to increase participation in Peru. He says the conference has a chance to be a watershed moment for the country, stressing that never again will Peru’s teachers and government officials have the opportunity to hear from the rest of the world how to implement grassroots sport programs.

"We need to produce new heroes. They need to be sports heroes," Quinones tells ATR.

"Having 500 people for four days, discussing and sharing [their] experiences, we need it. We need them to see and be convinced of the importance of practicing sports in all levels of our society."

Since learning that only 28 percent of Peruvians were getting at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity, Quinones claims there have been some changes. He points out the sports ministry is launching a new "philosophy" to encourage fitness. The plan – created in partnership with the Peruvian Olympic Committee, education ministry and sports institute – will channel more resources to sports and hopefully create private/public partnerships to promote participation.

Additionally, Peru will host the 2014 Bolivarian Beach Games. Quinones says the event is designed to appeal to people who may not have access to top-of-the-line sport facilities. It’s important that all Peruvians feel they can access sport anywhere, he tells ATR, and with more than 3,000 kilometers of coastline, "it’s almost crazy that no one practices these sports," he says.

Under the leadership of Quinones, the Peruvian Olympic Committee has also inaugurated programs in traditional canoeing and archery to promote sport among native Peruvians in the rainforest.

Quinones says one key difference from the 2011 conference in Beijing is that this week in Lima will feature more roundtable discussions. Speeches will still happen, he says, but now only in the morning. In the afternoon, delegates will split into groups to dive more in-depth on key topics.

"This will help to get to what are the problems and how to solve them," he tells ATR. "I think it will be a pilot plan for how the next events have to be developed."

Physical activity will also be a key part of the conference. Prior to each day’s sessions, participants will enjoy a range of group events, including going on walks. As part of the official program, site visits are planned to multi-sport centers throughout Lima as well.

"It’s important to see not only in speeches but also in the field how you can develop sport," says Quinones.

More than 500 delegates are expected to attend the conference, including 200 Peruvians. Quinones says the sports minister is the key Peruvian figure to attend, and he will be joined by several other ministers and parliamentary officials.

Local culture will be on display with visits to key ruins in Miraflores, a traditional Peruvian dining experience and an optional three-day trip to Machu Picchu, the Incan supercity.

Around 50 professional staff members and 100 volunteers are working on the conference.

Quinones says the level of success of the event could help springboard Lima to host more and bigger events. The city is bidding for the 2019 Pan American Games. Following an evaluation of the Sport for All Conference, he explains, the Peruvian Olympic Committee will decide whether to bid again for an IOC Session after falling short for 2015.

His advice to cities considering bidding for the Sport for All Conference is simple.

"Try to do it," says Quinones.

"Sports leaders have the responsibility to strive for a bigger and better future for their country."

Written by Ed Hula III

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.