With the presence of 370 educational institutions from 11 countries and almost 1,200 athletes, the curtain was officially raised on the FISU America Games, a Pan American sporting event that will conclude on the 26th of this month, organized by the Autonomous University of Yucatán (UADY) and whose opening ceremony was held at the Yucatán Siglo XXI Convention Center.
The meeting could not come at a better time for the UADY to commemorate the first centenary of its founding, the Autonomous State University of Yucatan, the most important.
The event was announced in 2019 and should have been officially held one calendar year later, but had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
However, after two years of work, the organizing committee was able to see all its efforts crystallized.
Delegations from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, United States, Haiti, Peru, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Mexico attended the competition.
The festival will include chess, athletics, soccer, indoor soccer, basketball, tae kwon do, volleyball, archery, weightlifting and judo, in both genders.
It is worth mentioning that in some disciplines tickets to the University World Championship will be awarded.
The competitions will take place in venues such as the “Salvador Alvarado” stadium, the Zamná Polyforum, the “Kukulcan” Sports Complex, the “Socorro Cerón Herrera” Multi-Gymnasium, the “Francisco de Montejo” Unit, and the “Siglo XXI” Convention Center.
The opening ceremony included the presentation of the participating delegations, honors to the flag and the national anthem.
Likewise, Alim Maluf Neto, head of FISU America, was in charge of the official opening ceremony, accompanied by Carlos Saenz Castillo, director of the State Sports Institute (IDEY), as well as the Rector of the UADY, Jose de Jesus Williams.
Also in attendance were the presidents of the Mexican Student Sports Council (Condde), Manuel Merodio Reza, and the International University Sports Federation (FISU), Leonz Eder; local chess player, Magdalena Matú Carballo; as well as UADY coaches, David Carrillo Baranda and Ileana Paredes González.
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