In the final stretch towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will start on July 26, You can see the seams in Argentine sport everywhere. In LA NACION’s recent interview with Diógenes de Urquiza, head of ENARD (National High Performance Sports Entity), the leader spoke about the building status of Cenard, traditionally the main home of athletes in our country, and gave a blunt diagnosis: “How are you doing? Destroyed. Destroyed. Totally abandoned, unfortunately. The skating track and athletics track are useless; Neither does the hockey field and they go to train somewhere else… There is no hot water. Now with the cold the logical complaints are going to come. The Soldati headquarters is good, those who said it would be the future of sport were right. Athletics is already going there, as are swimming, handball and volleyball…”
In the last hours, the Undersecretary of Sports Julio Garro released a video showing the deterioration of the Cenard sports facilities, several of its offices and its perimeter in the Núñez neighborhood. “In four years they broke everything. The sport is in work! We are going to do our utmost to turn the story around,” promises the lawyer, appointed as second in Daniel Scioli’s portfolio on March 14.
This Thursday, Garro spoke with LA NACION and expanded on the complex’s maintenance problems: “The Cenard situation is a bit like what you see in the video and I think it is worse. To give you an idea, there is mainly no hot water. The locker rooms are without hot water tanks and only one boiler in the Olympic pool works, as well as the filtration motors… That is to say: a high-performance center without hot water is something unheard of. Then there are abandoned works, like the skating rink. The athletics track has cracks, the hockey field has a deformed base, the lighting is still with sodium lamps and it works when it wants…”
-And the security service?
-It has eleven positions and there are only people in two, in addition to the offices that are rained… it is a catastrophe. What happens is that when you enter the facility, you see the hockey field, you see all the facilities from afar and you think it’s good. But honestly it is a very important abandonment.
-What happens to the hotel that houses athletes there?
-It is very dilapidated, with lack of maintenance of the air conditioners and in regards to cleaning. In addition to all the broken, fallen and abandoned fences on the perimeter. There are doors that do not close and where anyone can enter.
-What do you plan to do during your administration?
-It is taking responsibility for solving things with an order of priorities. First and foremost, the hot water thing. Then, the motors of the Olympic pool: if the last remaining motor breaks, that pool rots and has to be drained, which floods half the neighborhood of Núñez, if not the entire neighborhood. The idea is to bring a minimum of well-being to athletes heading into what is to come, nothing less than the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It is also a commitment of Daniel Scioli, secretary of the area, and of the presidency.
-When and how specifically will they begin to solve all these infrastructure issues?
-We are starting the corresponding tenders to begin to solve the problems little by little, with that order of priorities.
-How much money would it take to fix all or most of the damage to the Cenard?
-We are evaluating that with Infrastructure. There are profound things and others that marked disinterest and apathy, such as hot water tanks, which for a State I don’t think I know much about, right?
-Why did this level of deterioration occur?
-For years of apathy from the previous administration, filling their mouths with talk or hiding behind sports to engage in politics. And at the same time, forgetting about the athletes.
-How is this state of situation related to the layoffs of 30 Cenard workers last week?
-First, responsibilities go from top to bottom, those who had to manage and did not do so. Next, the degree of commitment to sport and athletes is also important. Everything has to do with everything.
-Why is this video shown now and not on the same day that your administration began?
-We had sent it to be done about 25 days ago, no more. We had it and we disseminated it not before my designation came out in the official bulletin, which was the most coherent and appropriate.
-Many sports were moved to Villa Soldati due to the poor conditions of the Cenard. Have you already done an evaluation of that property?
-We have not yet revealed it, as soon as the report is available we will make it known.
Who is Julio Garro
The former mayor of La Plata Julio Garro He joined the ranks of the libertarian government. Months after losing reelection in the district that he commanded for eight years, the Pro leader landed in the area of Tourism, Environment and Sportsunder the orbit of Daniel Scioliwho has been in charge of that secretariat since mid-February.
The position was vacant after the departure of Ricardo Schlieperanother Macrismo man, who stepped aside just one day after the noisy arrival of former ambassador Scioli to the Secretariat, under the auspices of the Minister of the Interior, became known, Guillermo Francos.
Garro, who since March 14 has formally held the position of undersecretary, had two terms at the head of the municipality of the capital of Buenos Aires. As part of Cambiemos, and after prevailing in the internal party, he defeated Pablo Bruera, of the Front for Victory, in 2015, and became mayor, just when Scioli handed over the baton of command of the province of Buenos Aires to María Eugenia Vidal. Eight years later and after a close contest, July Wine He replaced him as community leader last December.
Good relationship with the former president Mauricio MacriIn addition to being linked to football and rugby, Garro’s arrival in the area run by the former motonaut occurred within the framework of the ongoing political syncretism that, outside of Congress, is woven between La Libertad Avanza and Pro. Garro was appointed of the party in the province of Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires deputy between 2009 and 2013. In addition, some time ago he was president of the Boca Juniors fan club in his hometown and played rugby as a second line for San Luis.
After his experience as a legislator he would reach the mayor of La Plata. In the last elections, in a vote-by-vote bid, and after two terms as head of the Buenos Aires capital, Garro was defeated by Alak. The brand new Undersecretary of Sports requested that the polls be opened to recount the votes, a request that was rejected by the Justice, which proclaimed Alak as the new mayor of La Plata.