In Ambato they organize a championship to rescue the traditional game of 15

Ambato

Luis Vasco, president of the Panteras club, recalled that in high school student days he played the traditional 15, which consists of hitting a small ball against a wall with his hand.

The ball, about the size of a tennis ball, is made mainly of yarn or wool. In this game it is done one against one, but also in a doubles version.

However, Vasco stated that Ambato does not have a field designated for the game of 15. Therefore, for the championship that will take place between Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 as part of the Sol de Noviembre program, they had to ask borrowed the squash courts, located in the Izamba parish.

He commented that the objective of the championship is for the new generations to practice this sport. For this activity, to be held next weekend, the youth, master and guaytambos strain categories were established, in doubles and singles.

In Tungurahua indigenous peoples promote the maintenance of ancestral knowledge and traditions

The councilor of Ambato, Álex Valladares, said that there has been a positive response from Mayor Javier Altamirano, to the requests to build spaces to play this game.

The mayor explained that in some projects such as the Sports Park there will be two appropriate fields for this game and another space will be enabled in the old Santa Clara square.

Valladares commented that sport is important for the economic and tourist reactivation. For this reason, he said, it is being analyzed to execute projects on this game with the Ambato brand. Another plan is to group the artisans who make the balls for the game.

The councilor stated that the game of 15 was born in the 1940s and is played in schools such as Bolívar, San Alfonso, Luis A. Martínez, among others. He stressed that this sport is part of the cultural identity of Ambato that he wants to rescue.

For the contest, the registration per player will be $ 5, which will be used for the campaign to fight suicide in the canton. (I)