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Haiti - Sports : Inauguration of the Olympic Park 16/07/2014 10:29:26
Achieved at a cost of $18 million, with the financial support of the International Olympic Committee, of its partners and the Haitian government, the sports infrastructure aims the development of young talents in multidisciplinary sports fields. The Head of State has sent heartfelt thanks to the International Olympic Committee for its valuable support in the construction of the park and asked the President of the International Olympic Committee to be the interpreter of the Haitian gratitude to this body.  The President of the International Olympic Committee, congratulated the Haitian Olympic Committee for its dynamism. He thanked the government for having made available the land that saw the birth of the sports center called "Sport for Hope Centre, Haiti".  Thomas Bach declared "The Sport for Hope Centre is open to all Haitians – from the young to the old, and from professional athletes to beginners. It offers open access to a variety of sports thanks to the generosity and commitment of a number of our stakeholders; but just as importantly, it offers access to cultural, educational and social development programmes and the Olympic values." The multipurpose complex is located on land donated by the Government of Haiti. It features two large indoor practice halls, an indoor competition hall with a spectator capacity of 2,500, and a number of outdoor courts and pitches. In all, 14 Olympic sports will be practised at the Centre: football, rugby, athletics, volleyball, basketball, handball, tennis, judo, taekwondo, boxing, karate, badminton, table tennis and weightlifting.  The complex also has three classrooms, offices, a fitness centre, a medical centre, changing rooms, a gazebo. A building for accommodation was constructed thanks to the financial support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The medical centre is being set up in cooperation with the Red Cross Movement on land set aside for the Sport for Hope Centre. It will offer an emergency medical unit and ambulance base and be operated by the American Red Cross and the Red Cross of Haiti. The Sport for Hope Centre will provide elite athletes in Haiti and the entire region with state-of-the-art training conditions, and the country’s national sports federations with office space and facilities to improve the level of elite sport in the country. The principal beneficiaries, however, will be the young people, families and schools in the surrounding communities. In his speech, Secretary General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon has reaffirmed the commitment of the UN to strengthen cooperation with the IOC to continue to promote key changes in the lives of young people. "It will provide athletes with high-level training conditions, and enable National Federations to improve the level of elite sport in the country. But above all, the key beneficiaries will be the young people of Haiti, as well as schools and communities. Youth will have a place to acquire skills and self-confidence that will benefit themselves and their communities. People on the margins will have a place to belong again. This Centre will also be an arena for promoting teamwork, fair play and mutual understanding – values that are important far beyond the playing field." The President Martelly reiterated his commitment to expanding sports facilities in the country, and also conducted the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of an athletic village, which must accommodate 146 athletes. The President Martelly is convinced that every young Haitian, where he is in Haiti and whatever their status, must properly benefit of these sports facilities. Learn more : "The opening of the Centre would not have been possible without the generous support of the Government of Haiti, the International Federations and the wider Olympic Movement, which provided expertise, sports equipment and gear, and the playing surfaces. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and Mondo, for example, financed the athletics track; the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) financed three multi-purpose volleyball courts and donated volleyball and beach volleyball equipment; the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) donated sportswear and the equipment for the gym, and has offered athletics equipment at cost price; the International Federations that govern the sports of rugby, basketball, table tennis, judo, and boxing provided all the necessary equipment for their sports; and in addition to its financial contribution, the IOC also provided tables, chairs and 50 computers to outfit the classrooms and conference rooms. Worldwide TOP Partner GE supported the initiative by contributing lighting and electrical infrastructure solutions at the Centre. Other members of the Olympic Movement have also voiced their interest in lending their support to the Centre in the future." HL/ HaitiLibre
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