In Bariloche, the highest sports authorities of Patagonia, Argentina and Chile met this week to present the thirtieth edition of the binational youth sports competition that will host the province at the end of next year.
With the presence of the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Martha Velez; the director of National Sports Competitions, Emiliano Gordini and the coordinator of the National Sports Institute of Chile, Maria Jose Maldonadotogether with the president of the General Committee of Araucanía, Ceferino Almudevar and the president of the Patagonian Sports Entity, Diego Rosatithe details of the sporting event that Río Negro will host in 2023 were announced.
The minister Velez assured that “Río Negro is very proud to be the organizers of this important competition for the young people of Patagonia” and added that “this event produces a synergy between sports and the tourist movement, since there are many families that accompany and generate benefits to local economies.
In this regard, Rosati affirmed that “these Games are synonymous with brotherhood, of camaraderie, they emerged in 1992 with the aim of avoiding an armed conflict between our countries and it was sport that helped us overcome many differences” and added that “having the opportunity to host every 13 years puts us in a commitment not only at a competitive level, but to show the capacity we have to be hosts”.
Finally Ceferino Almudevar said that “almost 30,000 athletes have participated in the Games since its creation and around 80 of them were later Olympians” and concluded that “this is not only a sporting event, but also a cultural and social exchange between these two countries, which has to sport as a motor”.
The meeting continues throughout the week with a work table of the sports authorities of Argentine Patagonia and southern Chile, in order to finalize details for what will be this year’s edition of the Games (Los Lagos 2022), as well as as with a tour of the gaming venues of the lake city.
It should be noted that this will be the third time that the province hosts the event, after doing so for the first time in 1999 and then in 2009. It is also important to mention that the locality of Rio Negro in the Games was agreed for 2021, but due to the pandemic by COVID-19 this had to be rescheduled.
The Argentine provinces and Chilean regions that will give the present in the tournament are represented at the meeting. These are: Río Negro, Tierra del Fuego, Chubut, Neuquén, Santa Cruz and La Pampa on the Argentine side, and Ñuble, Aysén, Los Lagos, Los Ríos, Magallanes, La Araucanía and Bío Bío on the Chilean side.
The competition scenarios
To give greater relevance to the tournament on Rio Negro soil, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports intends to distribute the different disciplines throughout the territory, contrary to the concentration of activities in a single location as occurred in past organizations in the province.
In this sense, the secretary of Sports, Diego Rosati, stated that “we want these Games, the most important in southern Argentina and Chile, to have the impact they deserve in our province” and added that “for this it seems pertinent that the actions are distributed throughout the territory, in localities where each of the disciplines that are disputed have a great development”.
The disciplines that are disputed within the games are: soccer, basketball, judo, cycling, swimming, volleyball and athletics, in both branches.
Playing between the Cordillera and the lakes
Bariloche is positioned as one of the main stages for the contest; and it is that the lake city is par excellence one of the most chosen tourist and sports spots at the national level and for international events within the country.
With hundreds of proposals from January to December and an infinity of impressive and majestic landscapes that go from the hills to the forests and lakes, Bariloche is among the destinations where the Araucanía Games will have a guaranteed place.
For the 2023 edition, the Sports Secretariat, after dialogue with clubs, associations, federations and the Municipality, decided that the people of Bariloche will host the volleyball and judo competitions in both branches.
In Viedma “the orange” and speed will be the protagonists
The capital of Rio Negro, thanks to the great development of basketball within it, was chosen as the venue for all the games of both branches within the Games. In addition, cycling will also compete within the city, as happened in the first Araucanía National Games of 2021.
Viedma is characterized by being a friendly city, with wide spaces and a natural environment that makes those who visit it fall in love. From a beautiful coastal walk that extends for almost 5km to the proximity of the sea just 30km away, the town imposes for the landscapes that its nature offers.
It is also important to highlight the historical value of the capital of Rio Negro, also being the first town in Patagonia after its foundation in 1779.
It should be noted that regarding athletics, details are being finalized to contain this discipline in a space that meets all the technical requirements needed by the participating athletes.
In the Middle Valley the competition will be in the water
Choele Choel and particularly the Sportsman club were chosen to receive the swimmers from the thirteen delegations that are part of the Games.
The town and the Middle Valley in general have many picturesque and pleasantly beautiful places to visit. In recent years, an activity that has become very notable in this region is agrotourism, through which the surrounding rural establishments have opened their doors and offer visitors the possibility of spending a day there or even staying to get to know in depth the country life.
In addition, Choele Choel is the provincial capital of folklore, since it is the headquarters of the annual festival that takes place in Río Negro, and the Provincial Calf Festival is also celebrated, due to the incidence of its livestock production.
The ball will roll in the Alto Valle
Finally, soccer will have Cipolletti as the game stage, given that in the city discipline is one of the main sports activities that are practiced, being reflected in the structure to have the development of all the matches of both branches.
As for the tourist attractions offered by this region of the province, one of the most outstanding is undoubtedly “Los Caminos del Vino”.
It is an unmissable visit that allows you to appreciate the wonderful postcard offered by the fruit trees dyed gold during the autumn and taste quality wines, in many cases accompanied by the most surprising regional cuisine.
In this way, with the Games divided into three of the four regions of the provincial territory, Río Negro will seek to revalidate its organizational capacity, which is reflected year after year with the arrival of very important sporting events that arrive in the province at the same time as will try to maintain its leading role in the contest.
To date, the record from Rio Negro is the largest of the participants in the Araucanía Binational Games, after winning the Champions Cup thirteen times. He is also the current two-time champion after climbing to the top of the podium in Magallanes 2018 and La Pampa 2019.
