The sports club for people with disabilities formed by a well-known athlete, is now open Registration will be at the offices of COMUDE Chapala
In blue, CODE Jalisco representative, next to her Tito López and his wife, a team volunteer. On the right, Francisco Gutiérrez, director of COMUDE (Municipal Sports Council) Chapala and a member of the ‘Chapala Inclusive Team’.
Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).- Well-known athlete Ernesto López González fulfilled a promise with the formation of the first «inclusive sports team» for people with disabilities in the municipality of Chapala.
Ernesto, or “Tito” as he is better known by his friends, announced at a press conference on January 24 in the La Cristianía Park auditorium, the creation of his long-awaited sports club for people with disabilities, endorsed by the State Council for the Promotion of Sports (CODE) Jalisco.
The purpose of this club is to motivate people with disabilities to «be encouraged to get out of their homes and join us,» said Tito Lopez. Organizers will knock on doors in each neighborhood to invite those who qualify. Open registration will be at the offices of COMUDE Chapala, Plaza de Toros, at Privada Francisco I. Madero 507, Chapala.
«People with disabilities tend to enter a state of comfort when other people limit them, in addition to the lack of adapted recreational spaces in the municipality,» explained López González.
The Municipality of Chapala pledged to provide transportation for the athletes to get to future competitions, as well as provide needed items. Another promise is to replace the current athletic track in La Cristianía Park with a professional one with accommodations for people with disabilities.
At present, there is a team of approximately 15 people who will compete in athletics for the blind, soccer for amputees, and cyclists with hand pedals and manual propulsion chairs. Swimming will be added once the pools of the Parque de La Cristianía are rehabilitated.
Since the athletes are still beginners and need to be trained, the club will start with purely recreational activities, such as internal and inter-municipal competitions. Once the athletes are ready, they will look for ways to promote their sporting careers through CODE Jalisco programs. Resources for the team are expected to be obtained through private donations or foundations.
Tito assured that he wanted to «help teach them to fish, …we want them to be self-sufficient. But, for that, we need them not to hide», said the athletics coach who wants to see his disciples at the highest levels of Mexican sport.
Translated by Nita Rudy
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