A good part of Daniel Noboa’s political strategy was to show him doing intense physical exercises. Those who know him closely say that it was not just a maneuver Marketing; that the young newly elected president is a constant lover of various sports and that his concepts about the social and hygienic value of sports are very solid.

As for the latter, we have to refer to the testimony of third parties, because we did not hear any expressions related to sports in the campaign. It is not so important, we will be told by political advisers who believe that the talk about competitive sport, or sport for all, has no relevance in the light of pressing problems such as insecurity, foreign debt, unemployment, drug trafficking, drug policy, corruption, etc., impunity and other scourges. .. OK, but at least accept that a large segment of the community is aware of what’s going on inside.

One of the sources of moral recovery of our nation, of our society which is gradually deprived of any sense of civility, is properly understood sport, which must be used to re-instill in youth the love for the motherland, for its symbols; respecting the rules, opponents and judges’ decisions, accepting defeat and chivalry in the moment of triumph; and in general many more virtues that tend to turn sport into a school of civic health.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the restorer of Olympism, summed it up like this in 1908: “The important thing in life is not triumph, but struggle. It is important not to win, but to fight well. “To expand these ideas is to prepare a braver, stronger humanity, and therefore more scrupulous and self-sacrificing.” These words are worth as much as a lesson in civic education that we need so much.

I’m not sure if Daniel (pardon the confidence, Mr. President-elect) is reading this column, overwhelmed by the issue of transition, proposed alliances and political pacts and the inevitable influences, but I hope someone close to him (he has several family members connected to sports) at least sends it to him a few lines.

The last fifteen years have been fatal for our sport. Since 2007, the ruling group adopted as one of its goals the takeover of all organizations for the use of sports as an instrument of political propaganda. Such behavior was inspired by Nazi-fascism from 1930. The capture of sports for political purposes began in February 2007 with the creation of the Ministry of Sports.

The dictatorial project that destroyed the Republic has not yet taken off its mask. Many of us believed that after opaque years, a useful step had been taken for the national sports movement. That experience, Daniel appreciates, was as painful as a tsunami. The error was in thinking that the only and essential condition for the direction and guidance of a competitive sports movement, sports for all, recreation, student, university, military and adapted sports is once playing sports. That reductionist and elemental concept marked the beginning of all evils. In order to consolidate the appropriations of the entities of the national sports system, in 2010 the current Law on Sports was passed, which nationalized sports activities and established the supremacy of public officials in all decision-making bodies, which mainly consist of representatives of the ministry.

The current law was modeled after a similar one from Venezuela, with advisers from that country taking on the task of drafting in accordance with official interests. Any healthy intention of the newly elected president on a more modern and efficient direction of sports will collide with the iceberg of the Law on Sports and officials rooted in sports entities who continue to respond to the interests of the political caste. And you will feel the same as the captain of the Titanic: a sense of frustration and helplessness in the face of the inevitable.

In my humble opinion, the first thing the new Government should undertake, with the speed dictated by its passing, is to prepare a bill to replace the disastrous monstrosity called the Sports Act. The noose of political subservience to which leaders and athletes were subjected, the requirement to carry a ruling party card to occupy leadership positions is a shame that continues to this day.

A cultured man like the newly elected president, with a rich political education and extensive business experience, will certainly not make a mistake with his predecessors when choosing the Minister of Sports. If Noboa wants to leave a mark that will serve to consolidate his political future, it will be very useful for him to choose a person with a great knowledge of sports, international structures, the principles of governance and management of sports entities, the role and scope of each of them, the competition calendars, the needs athletes, technicians and managers, about the condition and requirements in terms of infrastructure and many other levels.

This does not in the least guarantee that the ambitious minister of sports has kicked a ball, held a club or ridden a bicycle. A close and tangible example of failure is that of the current minister, Sebastián Palacios, a former athlete, who from the beginning of his administration was committed to an unbridled campaign to build his own political pedestal, while the alliances suffered neglect, abandonment and persecution, with the exception of one that was his favorite .

In 2013, Correismo created a High Performance Plan intended to protect the best athletes and subsidize their preparation, equipment acquisition, medical care and travel to competitions. There was talk of a budget of 60 million dollars. It seemed like a magnificent idea, but everything rotted when money was thrown into building, without any technical advice, five High Performance centers that were not and never served anything. Then came the brutal attack on the COE and the Ecuadorian federations, which led to the complete appropriation of sports entities.

In 2022, the sports minister announced, with grotesque fanfare, a new High Performance Plan that perfected the stripping of autonomy from Ecuador’s sports federations and forced President Guillermo Lasso to sign a decree declaring sports “state policy.” It is the most open joke in history. It would be enough to ask the leaders if they use the presidential decree.

National sports await the decisions of the newly elected president and believe in his correct and sound judgement. A group of experts could work on the draft of the new Law on Sports and its regulations (the current one is unconstitutional) and the new High Performance Plan. There are many more topics to cover, but we will talk about them later. (OR)