Get behind the Games, urges Ruiz-Tagle

Sports minister Gabriel Ruiz-Tagle has urged the Chilean public to get right behind the South American Games.

Santiago – The continental competition takes place in the capital from March 7 to 18, though there have been complaints that there hasn´t been a big enough publicity campaign to make people aware of it.

The prospect of half-empty stadiums isn´t one the Games organisers want to think about as it would be an embarrassment for Chile and potentially harm its chances of attracting other major sporting events in the future.

Ruiz-Tagle, for one, has made his plea for the Chileans to support the championships as much as they possibly can and has described it as a ‘unique opportunity’ to support the country´s sports stars on home soil.

He said: “We´re making an invitation to the public to come and support our sportsmen and women. There are going to be many different sports, some that are little known in this country.

“The people who want to assure themselves of a ticket can do so at very reasonable prices, but there will also be plenty of free tickets so that the Games are open to the maximum amount of people possible.

“I hope there isn´t going to be any empty arena or a venue where there isn´t big support for our sportsmen and women.”

Ruiz-Tagle is hoping for a bumper medal haul for Chile, but believes there will be wider benefits to come in the years ahead.

“This competition will be a significant step forward for us as a country,” he added. “We´ve put a lot of work into the facilities and we´ve made a big effort with the athletes.

“We hope there will be a legacy from this, and we want to encourage our young people and make them enthusiastic about sport.”