In the 68 years I have been in sports, in various aspects, I have never witnessed such enthusiasm for holding an international tournament as shown by the Minister of Sports and the President of the Guayas Sports Federation. We would once have applauded so fiercely if it were not for the economic, technical, infrastructural and precarious circumstances in which Guayaquil is located, chosen as the venue for the Bolivarian Games in 2025. None of these factors have been analyzed in depth by them that must govern the issue.

In November 2022, Minister Sebastián Palacios and the President of Fedeguayas met to prepare a budget for the Bolivarians. It was set at 24 million dollars. The Ecuadorian Olympic Committee (COE), which was responsible for searching for the seat of the Bolivarian Sports Organization (Odebo), in accordance with the statute of this international entity, and preparing the documentary file, was not invited for this job. Any official or leader with a basic knowledge of the costs of a multi-sport event would warn that such a budget is presented as non-technical and insufficient.

The COE, already chaired by Jorge Delgado Panchana, was involved in the problem due to the decision of Odeb to assign the seat to Guayaquil, which is governed by Fedeguayas, an entity outside the Olympic movement, and not the COE, which represents our country. The dossier presented to Odeb was deficient in many respects, including a written authorization taken by the Head of State that submitted the request, and another issued by the highest authority of the city where the Games are planned to be held, committing to compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements of Odeb. Letters from the President of the Republic and the Mayor were presented in which they expressed their understanding for holding the Games in Guayaquil.

The sports included in the Games must be fifteen, of which two must be joint. Guayaquil must accommodate a maximum of 500 people for each of the seven countries in the Bolivarian area. The program must also include art exhibitions and cultural competitions.

Faced with this reality, the COE, concerned about the budget for the Games, decided to go to international experts, who concluded that the stages were insufficient, as they did not exist or did not meet regulatory requirements, so new ones would have to be built. After analyzing all items and a modest calculation, experts concluded that the Games in Guayaquil will cost as much as 51 million dollars. Faced with this reality, which was supported by the president of Odeb himself, the Colombian Baltazar Medina, the minister replied that the government will deliver the 24 million dollars that was initially indicated. And the rest? According to the official, this will be solved with the contribution of the municipality of Guayaquil, the prefecture of Guayas and with the sponsorship of a private company.

Regarding the distribution of municipal and provincial funds, it is necessary to highlight the forecast of expert economic analyst Walter Spurrier Baqueriz in the text ‘Financial Tsunami’ (EL UNIVERSO, previous March 29) about the consequences of the drop in oil prices: “The main consequence for Ecuador is the drop in the price of oil below values ​​provided in the state budget. It is too early to know whether the authorities of the central countries will be able to contain this emerging crisis. Budget revenues for January and February are already 13% below those in the same months of 2022, both due to lower oil revenues and lower tax collection (…) The government will eventually not be able to honor its budget obligations and you will create backlogs . Transfers to prefectures and municipalities will be reduced. The mayors and prefects will angrily claim that the Government does not respect them, and Finance will have to remind them that the transfers are a percentage of the collection, not the reference value that is in the budget. Where did the minister’s optimism about the millions of dollars that the Municipality and County will give come from?

There is another factor just as serious as the one we mentioned. Guayaquil is the city that has seen the biggest drop in sports influence in the last 20 years. From the status of the sports capital of the country; the door through which all modern sports arrived; as a pioneer of international connectivity; From promoting feats, exploits and great victories, today its parent entity, Fedeguayas, is a third-tier force on the national scene. The senior sports championships have disappeared. Basketball, baseball, boxing, Olympic wrestling, cycling, swimming, weightlifting and all sports in general have long since died as powers.

The alliance scenes are gone or are freshly painted ruins. The provincial tournaments that used to fill the Modelo (now Alberto Spencer) and Ramón Unamuno (demolished) stadiums are no longer held. There were no emotional basketball competitions in Huancavilca or Voltaire Paladines, where boxing was also held; and baseball championship in Yeyo Úraga. How many decades has it not been played? hockey on ice skates or are athletic championships often held? If this is an undeniable reality, how can you justify spending over $50 million to make games that are the obsession of vanity-hungry characters?

Finally, we must address the issue of security. The last Bolivarians, in Valledupar, were attended by more than 4,000 people — among athletes, technical staff, leaders, etc. This is the amount that would have reached Guayaquil. Can they all be granted 24 hour protection for 20 days? The state’s investment in security with the participation of public forces must be added to the organization’s budget. In November 2022, the Ecuadorian Football Association withdrew from organizing Copa América 2024. “Today, our country must concentrate its resources on dealing with a difficult problem that worries us all and is a priority. There are more important things than football,” the FEF president said, referring to the climate of insecurity affecting Ecuador, which the authorities blame on organized crime and drug trafficking.

A reasonable position in the face of the drama our city is going through. Faced with this withdrawal, Palacios said nothing, but as far as the Bolivarians were concerned, he went so far as to ask Odebo if he, as Minister of Sports, could take over the organization of this multi-sport event. The rejection was extreme. At the meeting between President Odeb, the head of the COE and Minister Palacios, this official did not present the presidential confirmation or the proposed allocation of $24 million.

What is the circumstance that encourages the obsession with gaming? What will be the benefit for the sport of Guayaquil, which was buried in the cemetery for so many years? (OR)