Wednesday 27 August
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Rains In Panama Leave
800 Homeless
Nicaraguan Army to
Support Food Crops
Leaders From Latin
America, Caribbean Vow To Boost Sports Development
Cuban VP Ends Visit
to Honduras
Venezuela: No
Expropriation of Gas Stations
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Leaders From Latin
America, Caribbean Vow
To Boost Sports
Development
MEXICO CITY - Leaders
from Latin America and
the Caribbean have vowed
to provide favorable
conditions for sports
development so that
athletes of the region
can make better
achievements at the
London Olympics
scheduled for 2012.
Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez ordered
state oil company PDVSA
to open an office to
finance high-level
sportsmen, saying a new
sports era will begin in
Venezuela with a
revolution in the field.
Venezuela won only one
bronze medal in Beijing,
while in Athens four
years ago it got two
bronze medals. The
country has won a total
of 11 medals in the
Olympic history.
Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva
said the country will
encourage bigger
contributions from the
private sector and
governments of all
levels to sports.
Noting he was happy
about the 15 medals
Brazil won at the
Beijing Olympics as most
of them came from events
that Brazilians were not
frequent winners, the
president cited the case
of long jumper Maurren
Higa Maggi and swimmer
Cesar Cielo Filho, both
of whom won gold medals
in Beijing.
He regretted that the
Brazilian soccer team
only brought a bronze
one back home.
In Mexico, director of
the National Commission
of Sports and Physical
Culture Carlos
Hermosillo hailed
Mexican contenders'
performance at the
Beijing Olympics as "a
significant change."
Hermosillo said that he
had begun negotiations,
as instructed by Mexican
President Felipe
Calderon, on inviting
high-level sports
training staff to the
country.
President of the
Dominican Republic
Leonel Fernandez said
that the government will
strength the policy to
provide favorable
conditions for athletes
so they can make better
achievements at the next
Olympic Games.
As Cuban athletes won
only two gold medals in
Beijing, much fewer than
the nine golds they got
in Athens, former Cuban
leader Fidel Castro
called for a thorough
review and introduction
of new ideas, concepts
and knowledge to boost
the country's sports
level. |
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