Established national athletes and coaches highlighted this Tuesday in the capital city the importance of the First Congress “Santa Fe en Movimiento”, organized by the Provincial Government, as an instance of training, debate and reflection with a view to the XIII South American Games Odesur 2026 that will be held in Santa Fe, Rosario and Rafaela. The activity takes place this Tuesday and Wednesday at the Physical Education Center (CEF) No. 29, Espora corner Las Heras.
On the occasion, the Provincial Government called on national athletes and coaches, who had outstanding participation in different editions of the Olympic Games, to participate in the congress with the aim of strengthening the integration of sport in education as a transformative tool that impacts development. comprehensive for children, adolescents and adults; promote inclusive policies that promote comprehensive well-being through sport; train and update teachers, coaches and other sports actors; and promote the discussion and formulation of a new Sports Law in the Province.
Sports and education
At a press conference, the Olympic athlete from Santa Fe, Germán Chiaraviglio, celebrated the possibility of “talking about sport and education – in this congress – because they go hand in hand. That the 2026 South American Games are held in Santa Fe means putting sport back on the agenda, not only the federated one but also the one that comes further down, with all the benefits that this type of event provides to the community in values, at a cultural level. , educational and in improving infrastructure.”
For her part, Olympic athlete Paula Paretto (judo) expressed that “I always trained because of the passion I have for the sport. We are very happy to be here so that the little ones, who are going to be the Olympic level representatives of the future, have the possibility during the Odesur South American Games to have their starting point. From the quantity -of participants- comes the quality; and with quality, we are going to better represent our country before the world,” he assured.
The Argentine “miracle”
Previously, Daniel Castellani, coach and Olympic volleyball athlete, pointed out that “our national budget is one of the lowest in the region, it is not compared to those of Europe, the United States or Canada. Even so, we continue to train top-level athletes, obtaining medals in all sports -individual and team-, which is a miracle,” he said, although he also clarified that “Enard (National High Performance Sports Entity) has done a lot. “Sport is not an expense but an investment because, every time, there are more boys and girls who come to practice sports disciplines.”
Along the same lines, journalist Gonzalo Bonadeo indicated that “despite the low budget allocated, sport in Argentina is a miracle. The phrase ‘it’s possible’ has been heard for many decades, but the issue is ‘how far we could go if everything weren’t so precarious’. There is a lack of infrastructure and decentralization so that athletes from the interior do not have to go to Buenos Aires to prepare. It is essential that most of the things done in Santa Fe for the 2026 South American Games serve for the future. There has to be money for sports, supporting the clubs, giving them tax exemptions and subsidies to pay for services. And for this you have to have a broad vision,” he said.
Also participating in the First Congress “Santa Fe en Movimiento” are Olympic athletes Ayelén Stepnik (hockey), Maximiliano Espinillo (paralympic, adapted 5-a-side soccer), Cecilia Carranza (sailing); and the president of the Argentine Olympic Committee, Mario Moccia, as well as provincial authorities in the educational and sports areas.
During Tuesday’s day, Gonzalo Bonadeo conducted an outstanding interview with the basketball coach, Julio Lamas, about Teamwork and Leadership in High Performance.
