President Luis Abinader launched the “Indómita RD” program to find the next great Dominican athletes in public school sports. The President said the ministries of Education and Sports are collaborating. The program seeks to emulate experiences with sports in schools from the United States, Europe and other countries.
Abinader said that initially, the plan is to foster baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, chess, table tennis, athletics and martial arts in public schools.
The agreement was signed by Roberto Fulcar, for the Ministry of Education and Francisco Camacho, for the Ministry of Sports.
The Presidency announced that 150-meter athletic tracks will be built in all schools with sufficient area to do so. Abinader said that the schools will open for sports practice on Saturdays. Likewise, sports programs will be improved and added to school afternoon scheduling.
“Our country has enormous potential. The government, your president believes in you,” said the President.
As Camacho had told Diario Libre in an interview last week, two-time Olympic champion Félix Sánchez will play a fundamental role in the project. Sánchez is married to Maria Dimitrova, the Dominican taekwondo champion who has also been very active in training others in her sport.
“I feel proud that we are getting to this level and that I am allowed to be part of it. It’s a dream we’ve had for a long time, to see sport and education come together in the country,” said Sánchez when speaking during the launch. Olympic medalists Gabriel Mercedes and Luisito Pié.
Education Minister Roberto Fulcar promised that public schools would become athlete development centers. “Physical education will no longer be a simple subject but a training and implementation of sports, not only at school but also in the community,” he said. “Schools will become the great producers of athletes. This project will boost school sports,” he said.
The announcement of the new program at public schools is made at a time when the Education Minister has been under much criticism for the recent public school teachers contest and the contracting of e-devices, among other Ministry of Education irregularities covered by the media.
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Diario Libre
7 December 2021