Guadalajara – World Capital of Sport 2020
Guadalajara (Mexico) has been officially declared as the World Capital of Sport 2020. The decision of ACES Europe was announced following the presentation of the city’s candidacy on Wednesday November 13.
The presentation was held in the City hall of the city, with the presence of the Municipal President of Guadalajara, Ismael Del Toro Castro; the Secretary General of ACES Europe, Hugo Alonso Castañón; the Director of COMUDE Guadalajara, Tomás Gallo Padilla; the Director of Code Jalisco, Fernando Ortega Ramos, as well as the representatives of the business sector, Xavier Orendain de Obeso, President of the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce, and Mauro Garza Marín, President of COPARMEX.
The Municipal President Ismael Del Toro ensured that Guadalajara had all the possibilities of winning this recognition and said its importance would be reflected in the tourist and economic development of the city.
“We are running for our candidacy and we are sure that we meet these standards set by Aces Europe”, he said adding: “This distinction will have positive impact on the tourist and economic development of the city and the well-being of its inhabitants”.
After his visit to Guadalajara, the Secretary General of ACES Europe, Hugo Alonso, highlighted that all the sports infrastructure that was made and renovated for the 2011 Pan American Games was still used, not only from professional sports athletes, but from the whole population. He also commented that the Vía Recreactiva project is a unique and quality model, which could be transferred to Europe. Finally, he said there has been an excellent collaboration between the municipal government and the state government of Jalisco, to form a city of great events and a city of sport for all.
“I am absolutely convinced that Guadalajara leads by example and has quality standards for the practice of physical activity,” ACES Europe General said.
He also explained what were the criteria to be evaluated (Sports facilities, percentage of population’s participation in physical activity, accessibility to facilities, communication campaign), which are in total 100 points, and a minimum of 80 is needed to be recognized as World Sports Capital.
For his part, the Director of COMUDE Guadalajara, Tomás Gallo Padilla, stressed that in Guadalajara not only large sporting events are held, but also daily activities in sports units.
“Why can we aspire to be the World Capital of Sport? Because we find a series of projects and actions that have Guadalajara in the permanent view of sports projects, and not only professional projects and projects with high levels of exposure media, but also projects that have a high social significance as the same Recreational Way and all the work that is done on a daily basis in the units of Guadalajara, “concluded Gallo Padilla.
The Director of the Jalisco Code, Fernando Ortega Ramos, commented that the Tapatian and Jalisco society must feel proud since they do have the possibilities of obtaining this distinction.
“Above all, I am grateful that they give us the possibility as a country, as a state, and as a city to be able to contain and equate ourselves, as we have been doing with large projects, with the main capitals of the world,” Ortega Ramos said.
The prize will be presented on December 10 in the European Parliament, in Brussels, if Guadalajara is confirmed as the World Capital of Sport 2020.