The Listin Diario focuses today on the scant use of the mega installations built for the 2003 Pan American Sports Games at the Mirador del Este Sports Park.
Then president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, Dr Jose Joaquin Puello insisted, when convincing the Mejia government to host the games, that the celebration of the games and the construction of the installations was the boost sports needed in the DR.
But the Listin Diario looks into what Dominicans have gotten for the mega budget invested in the mega constructions. The newspaper mentions that the RD$171 million gymnasium pavilion only serves 40 athletes. “The federation has projects, but is implementing none of these at the present time,” said Sarah Alarcon, director of the National Gymnastics School. She described the present use of the pavilion as “sub sub sub sub mega sub utilized.”
The weight lifting pavilion cost taxpayers RD$46 million. Those attending the Pan Am Games said that it was the best in the continent and among the best in the world. But coach Angel Perez says that only 25 youths train there. The national team continues to train at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center gymnasium.
The table tennis pavilion cost RD$72.6 million and serves the 40-strong members of the Mario Alvarez Soto ping pong school.
The archery installation cost RD$18.4 million, but even very few use the installations. Edgar Allan Vargas, spokesman for the sport, says this is a very expensive sport.
The RD$36.6-million hockey on grass installation is used by 72 athletes. There is another league of 64 youths that train there on Saturday and Sunday.
Despite the underutilization of the sports installations, the Fernandez government has announced the construction of more sports installations on occasion of going ahead with the Monte Plata Sports games north of Santo Domingo.