24 July 2003

Pan American Updates
US$52.5 million for new venues
Listín Diario reports that the Mejía government invested US$52.5 million (about RD$1.8 billion) in the construction of the venues for the Pan Am Games. According to the Ministry of Public Works, the government invested RD$935 million to build the new venues in Parque de Este (where 25% of the events will be staged), RD$450 million to renovate and build facilities in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center (40% of the events) and RD$343 million for facilities located in other areas. Complementary works, including the athletes’ village, cost RD$110 million.
In a CBC news story, Bobby McMahon, coordinator of the 1999 Games, comments on how the Dominican government and organizing committee did not heed advice to only build three or four new venues and instead went ahead to build 23. See http://www.cbc.ca/

Good work! - Vasquez Raña
Pan American Sporting Organization president Mario Vásquez Raña said yesterday that he was pleased with the progress of preparations for the Games, but that there was still work to be done. As reported in Hoy newspaper, Vásquez Raña mentioned that the government-built installations surpass the requirements for the Pan Am Games.
The Mexican official congratulated President Hipólito Mejía and Roque Napoleon Muñoz for their work and was welcomed by Dominican organizing committee head José Joaquín Puello, who said they had “left their differences behind” – a reference to the pointed concerns about delays in preparations of the Games’ installations, voiced by Vasquez Raña in the run-up to the event.
The Pan American village was inaugurated by President Hipólito Mejía yesterday, in a ceremony attended by Vasquez Raña, who praised the quality of the accommodation facilities as going beyond the Pan Am Games standards. The government says that the village has been built at a cost of US$57 million, US$12 million of which came from government funds and the rest from the private sector.
In his speech, the President referred to unnamed “local and external forces” bent on destabilizing the Games in order to discredit the country.
The Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodriguez has called for a “truce” during the Games, asking that people refrain from engaging in protests so that the event may be celebrated in a peaceful atmosphere.
The Pan American Games open in Santo Domingo on Friday, 1 August.

Sanchez & Arrendel finals
Go early to buy tickets for the Friday, 8 August finals with Felix Sanchez running the 400 meters hurdles at the Olympic Stadium. This is the Dominican Republic’s best chance at a gold medal.
On that same afternoon, Juana Arrendel gets her chance to revenge the removal of her gold medal in high jumping during the 1999 Winnipeg Pan Am Games for doping charges. She has maintained her innocence of the charges. Priceless moments. Tickets are RD$200.
http://www.panamgames2003.com/buying_event_tickets.html

Source: http://dr1.com

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