One day prior to an official presentation of The World Games 2013 to the local community, the director of the Organizing Committee sat down for an interview with 'El País,' the Cauca Valley newspaper, to answer questions regarding the multi-sport games taking place there in less than four years.
El País: Where are you at with the organization of The World Games 2013 as of today?
Luis Echeverry: We are wrapping up the financial planning together with COLDEPORTES (Colombian sports authority). In December we will have another Coordination Commission meeting together with the International World Games Association (IWGA) to evaluate logistics, venues and other things. And we start the preparations for the nine World Games Pre-Events with sports featuring on the program in 2013.
El País: Is that required of you by the IWGA?
Luis Echeverry: Yes, it is a requirement that helps to ensure that The World Games and their sports are well known in Colombia by 2013.
El País: You are also required to create national federations for some sports which are not yet organized in this country …
Luis Echeverry: Yes, in all we have 30+ sports in the games, for seven of them we will start up federations. The one for DanceSport is well advanced already, because we have a league here in the Cauca Valley. The Federation for Flying Disc – Ultimate is also taking shape. Additionally, we start one for korfball – that is what they call the “European” basketball – for fistball, a sport similar to volleyball but played on grass, and for Tug of War, where two opposing teams pull the rope to their sides in a match of strength.
El País: How will you be able to create the necessary infrastructure between now and 2013: sports federations, leagues, officials and athletes for sports which we hardly know at this point?
Luis Echeverry: That is the work which awaits us now. Fortunately, we already have people interested in helping us. I recently met with the manager of the Roller Sports League, Yhoiner Peláez. He wants to work with a new sport, Sepak Takraw, which is not known yet in Colombia. But the acrobatic football is highly spectacular.
El País: In fact, we are talking about people who have absolutely no experience in these sports. Doesn’t that sound like improvisation?
Luis Echeverry: The sports for which we have to start up federations are few, and in some sports Colombia will not be able to participate, but in 25 we have excellent organisation already. The goal is to make the new sports popular here: kids get the chance to know things from other countries. We will bring Flying Disc – Ultimate to Aguablanca and the Cauca Valley.
El País: What will The World Games 2013 cost?
Luis Echeverry: They cost 208 billion Pesos (105 million US$). 104 billion Pesos come out of COLDEPORTES. The Valley contributes 25 billion Pesos, add 30 billion Pesos from the municipal coffers, and the rest is stipulated as an investment into public works, which has been pledged and included in future state budgets (Vigencia Futura).
El País: Have there been any pledges (Vigencias Futuras) made for The World Games 2013 directly?
Luis Echeverry: An amount of 52 billion Pesos is pledged for investments into sporting venues in the Cauca Valley. 15 billion Pesos correspond to Cali and are used for The World Games.
El País: What will be the benefit for Cali, taking into consideration such a high investment?
Luis Echeverry: All benefit! This is a great opportunity for Cali, it serves to improve all aspects of urban development: the modernization of the Cali airport for instance. The only weakness of The World Games is that they are not yet sufficiently known in our country. Our work consists in publicizing them well.
