MinDeporte warns delays in works of the Bolivarian Games in Valledupar

Less than 100 days before the start of the 2022 Bolivarian Games in Valledupar, the Minister of Sport, Guillermo Herrera, raised the alarm about delays in some sports venues, which present considerable delays in the delivery of the facilities. The dispute of these competitions is considered to be the beginning of the Olympic Cycle that after the South American and Pan American Games ends at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The Bolivarian Sports Games were created to honor the Venezuelan hero Simon Bolivar, liberator of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela and its first edition was held in 1938, during the fourth centenary of the founding of Bogotá.

In an interview with Antena 2, the head of the sports portfolio pointed out that, “if between now and the beginning of April we see that the course is not corrected, some disciplines such as swimming, baseball and BMX, we would have to take them to other cities in the country to operate as sub-venues of the Bolivarian Games,” he added.

And apparently, Plan B is already in operation: “The president of the Colombian Olympic Committee has the authorization to find out at other venues where these competitions can be held which could be Barranquilla, or Cali, or any other city that guarantees us the quality of the infrastructure needed for a competition international, where ten countries will come in addition to Colombia”, were the words of the minister.

“From the ministry we are constantly monitoring the organization of the Bolivarian Games that begin this June 24. We are 98 days away from the start of the games and since last year I have been warning about the delays that some infrastructure works have,” said Guillermo Herrera on the radio station's Centro Deportivo program.

But the alerts from the Ministry of Sport have not been the only ones regarding delays. Last Wednesday, March 16, the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation, after taking a tour of the works, found inconsistencies in the execution of infrastructure contracts and asked the municipal authorities to strictly monitor the contracted schedules.

The Public Prosecutor's Office also requested information on the percentage of progress in the works and the documentary support on the constructions that are already in progress. This time, the entity was present and was able to verify that there are only three scenarios with a percentage of progress greater than 50%, and the BMX track contract has not been awarded.

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The decision of the Attorney General's Office instructs the governor of Cesar, the mayor of Valledupar and the director of the Municipal Institute of Sport and Recreation, to strictly monitor the execution schedules, so that the works will be delivered before the fair. “Due to the situation, the supervisory body hopes that these works will be delivered in advance so that the Bolivarian Games will be fully held,” the public statement concludes.

Herrera, at the microphones of the sports program, made clear how the Ministry is operating, regarding investments in the face of sports events: “Out of 36 scenarios we are only going to invest resources in 17, of those 17 scenarios nine would be new constructions and eight would be resources to adapt and make improvements in infrastructure that already exists”.

The main concerns of the national government are focused on the BMX track, basketball stadiums, baseball and the Olympic pool. From June 24 to July 5, the competitions will bring together more than 3,000 athletes from 11 countries in the region.

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