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The discussion raised around Guatemalan sports does not focus on the presence or absence of practical skills, but on the historical material conditions that allowed these skills to develop and strengthen. These lead to some (a few) people being lucky enough to become professionals in a certain field, while others (many) simply and clearly do not. This is not because they lack skills or abilities, but because they grew up in adverse environments that cannot be overcome overnight through pure individual will, as the capitalist system would have us see or believe.
Talking about sports is not an easy thing; we grow up in a society that still educates the younger generation with the idea that you can’t talk about politics, religion and/or football because these “issues” are “uncontroversial”. The Olympic Games have been influenced by the global political and economic situation and background since their birth; history proves this. Now you can’t talk about the Olympics without talking about capitalism, which is also political.
The complexity of all this is that sports fulfill a balanced social function, which is not based solely on the ideas of competition, nationalism or commercialization, but is directly and primarily related to the health (physical and psychological) of society, with its cohesive, entertaining and developmental qualities. It is for this reason that the State has a direct relationship with the management and development of policies that encourage, promote and guarantee their access and support; this is their duty under the Political Constitution of the Republic.
(frasepzp1)
Unfortunately, instead of democratizing sports over time, thus facilitating its practice, there has been a tendency towards privatization, a direct effect of the colonial state model, which used its institutionality to exhaust the public and then justify its “necessary” privatization. The relationship between the state and sports remains rife with scarcity, corruption and lack of political will.
In urban spaces, parks or green areas have been replaced by shopping malls, while authorities at all levels in most parts of the country lack interest in planning and creating adequate recreational and sports conditions. Due to the lack of such public spaces, we see a proliferation of gyms, sports complexes and other private sports venues, accessible only to those who can afford them. This applies not only to the field of competition, but also to health.
On July 26, Futeca announced its latest project, called “Futeca District”, which will be built on land owned by the Military Preventive Institute (IPM), which has leased the space to them for 50 years, and will include a five-star hotel, shops, gyms, supermarkets, restaurants, parking lots, swimming pools, running tracks and large event areas. Futeca is a company whose foundation is linked to the Arzú family; the company’s current director is Javier Arzú, nephew of former president Álvaro Arzú, who is well-known in the history of our country for privatizing different state services during his time in office, and his son Roberto Arzú, who is also one of the founders of the company.
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