High Performance Plan raises new categories and incentives for national athletes | Other Sports | sports

Ecuador will launch a new High Performance Plan (PAR) in 2022 to try to promote highly competitive sport at a time when some of the country’s disciplines have taken off thanks to the last Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The plan, financed by the state with slightly more than $ 70 million by 2025, includes a new Vision around two axes: the one offer better salary, sports and human conditions to athletes, and the other involve the private sector in financing all kinds of projects.

Prepared in recent months by the Minister of Sports, Sebastián Palacios, in coordination with sports associations and experts from various branches, the new plan replaces the one launched eight ago for two Olympic cycles, and whose achievements were seen in the achievement of three medals in the Tokyo Games and several diplomas.

According to the Minister of Sports, Sebastián Palacios, the objective is that “Ecuador is a sports power in the region and worldwide”, a goal that at the end of 2021 seems more possible than ever.

In Tokyo 2020, Ecuador took over gold from the hand of Richard Carapaz in cycling and Neisi Dajomes in weightlifting, the first Ecuadorian woman to obtain an Olympic medal. He also got one of silver the weightlifter Tamara Salazar.

Until the last games, the country only had the gold and silver medals achieved by the legendary marcher Jefferson Pérez in Atlanta 1996 and Beijing 2008.

What if in the Olympics, the Andean country was ranked 38 in the medal tableIn the Paralympics he reached 55 with one gold and two bronze, and six diplomas.

The new plan now seeks a “Generational renewal”, with emphasis on “the human part” of the athlete, and taking into account that many of those who went to Tokyo -where Ecuador took the largest delegation in its history, more than 45 athletes-, continue within the next cycles.

An important part of the new plan is the salary and living conditions part.

According to a presentation by the Ministry of Sports, the current plan includes new steps in the sports pyramid, At the top of which will be the medalists of the Olympics, world, or that remain in the first five places of the world ranking at the end of the season.

They will become part of the new category “Podium” and will be remunerated with $ 3,187 per month.

The second category, “elite”, paid 2,656 dollars per month, corresponds to Olympic and Paralympic diplomas, fourth or fifth place in world championships, and golds in regional games such as the Pan American Games.

Beyond the professional categories, the plan also emphasizes three lower categories destined to the “sports reserve”, that is, to encourage the youngest to be able to bet on pursuing their career, without being blocked by economic or professional issues.

Among the new guidelines are also the virtual health care, including mental health, a leadership training program and the coordination of other grants with companies from the private sector, academia and international cooperation.

With an eye on Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028, the High Performance Plan 2022-2025 will try to establish a “country project” with “a solid and comprehensive organizational structure,” according to the Ministry, with “robust governance that involves all stakeholders, both public and private, in an orderly fashion. through efficient interrelation mechanisms, as well as sustainable planning and strategy ”. (D)