(ANS – Cumbayá) – Yesterday morning, 7 November, the 1st National sports group meet opened. The groups are from Don Bosco, La Tola, Don Bosco, La Kennedy, the Spellman centre and the Salesian Polytechnic University. The meet will conclude on Sunday 10 November.

The aim of this first gathering is to strengthen Salesian youth groups, provide opportunity for sport through tournaments, and also a formation opportunity in the entire event. Hopefully the athletes will come to a better understanding of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM).

On Tuesday 6th a technical congress of sports groups was held at  Cardinal Spellman in San Patricio, Cumbaya. This brought together the technical dimension, lay and Salesian, of Salesian sports activities from 16 Salesian houses in various parts of the country.

Fr Marcelo Farfán, the Provincial, welcomed the technical teams from the various delegations and pointed out that the aim of the congress was to reinforced cooperation and see that young people understand their groups as somewhere they can grow. “It is not enough just to have a sports team; you also need to form good people, good Christians through sport.”

In each of the places established for the meeting competitions were planned: at the Polytechnic El Girón campus, the under 14 football and table tennis for male teams; at Don Bosco centre La Kennedy, girls' football; at Don Bosco,i La Tola, basketball for both female and male under 14s and the male under 16s.

Tomorrow evening 9.00 PM, Saturday, 9 Novemebr, there will be a “Salesian night” art and culture which will fill the courtyards at La Tola with colourful events. The aim is to help all the groups to mix from the schools around the country.

Sunday 10 November, at El Itchimbia Park, there will be a final 5 km race; then later in the morning at La Tola, the prize-giving, and closing ceremony.

Published 08/11/2013