- The governor of Cundinamarca, Jorge Emilio Rey, presented the Department’s flag to the delegation that will participate in more than 30 sports disciplines.
- The flag bearers of the delegation at the National Youth Games will be the athletes Daniela Abella and Dylan Carrasco.
(Cundinamarca, November 6, 2024). The Governor of Cundinamarca, Jorge Emilio Rey, officially handed over the department’s flag to the delegation of more than 340 athletes who will participate in the First National Youth Games 2024, an event that will bring together young athletes and para-athletes in the Coffee Region between the 9th and the November 28.
The department’s flag was received by Daniela Abella, an outstanding athlete in archery, and by Dylan Carrasco, in conventional athletics. They will lead the Cundinamarca delegation in this important sports event. “You have chosen sport as part of your life project. We are in charge of men and women who in the future will have great opportunities to represent not only Cundinamarca, but the country. So, you are going to be part of the honor roll of Colombian sports. What they set as a goal in the past now has the fruit of their dedication and care. It is quite flattering to give them the flag of Cundinamarca,” said Governor Jorge Emilio Rey.
Cundinamarca will participate with a delegation of 544 people, made up of 313 athletes in 35 modalities of the Olympic system and 29 para-athletes in eight modalities of the Paralympic system. The delegation also has coaches, physiotherapists, delegates and the Indeportes Cundinamarca mission team.
Presence of Cundinamarca in multiple sports disciplines
In Olympic sports, Cundinamarca will be represented in disciplines such as athletics, women’s 3×3 basketball, men’s 3×3 basketball, bowling, BMX freestyle, BMX racing, road cycling, sport climbing, artistic gymnastics, trampoline gymnastics, golf, weightlifting, squash, archery, badminton, boxing, women’s soccer, judo, wrestling, swimming, skateboarding, field tennis, beach volleyball, women’s 5×5 basketball, MTB cycling, fencing, karate-do, figure skating, speed skating, taekwondo, table tennis, triathlon, track cycling, canoeing, sailing, equestrian, water skiing and shooting sports.
Meanwhile, in the Paralympic system, the department will compete in para-athletics, para-swimming, para-archery, visual judo, para-badminton, boccia, table para-tennis, road paracycling and track paracycling.
The competitions will take place in Armenia, Pereira, Manizales and Cali, and events will also be held in Nilo, Cundinamarca; Calima, Valle del Cauca, and Bogotá.
Daniela Abella, flag bearer of the delegation, expressed her satisfaction with participating in the event: “The games are an excellent opportunity, because they will open many doors for me to be a great athlete in the future, which is my goal. For me it is an immense pride to be the flag bearer of Cundinamarca. It is also for my dad, who has been my support.”
For her part, Luz Marina Chuquen, general manager of Indeportes Cundinamarca, highlighted the importance of this participation: “This great fair that we started in seven cities will be the reflection of what we have prepared as a sport in Cundinamarca. These athletes are our first base and sporting reserve.”
A springboard for the sporting future of Cundinamarca
The First National Youth Games represent a unique platform for young athletes and para-athletes, giving them the opportunity to excel and prepare for competitions such as the Pan American and Parapan American Games.
The opening ceremony will take place next Saturday, November 9 at the Hernán Ramírez Villegas stadium, in Pereira, where more than 5,000 athletes and para-athletes from all over Colombia will meet to start the national sports cycle and strengthen the spirit of competition and unity through the sport.
