It may not be the most current topic in cycling that awaits us, but it seemed interesting to us rereading the Vuelta a San Juan through the words of the Governor Sergio Unac, whose vision is transforming the province into a destination for major sporting events. The construction of the velodrome. The adjacent stadium. The sports city. The cycling race. The roller hockey world championships. The Pan American championships in June. The 2025 Track Cycling World Championships. And before that, San Juan's candidacy for American Capital of Sport 2024. Everything that is happening around us has set in motion a mechanism that will perhaps soon be defined as virtuous, but which is notin the space of a few years it has changed the economy of the province.
It remains to be seen whether sport is enough to bring prosperity in a territory afflicted, like the rest of the country, by a frightening devaluationThe people questioned on the streets are in line with Unac's work. There are detractors, but on more than one occasion they have admitted that Social reforms have also led to improvements.
Intrigued by a politician who puts sport at the centre of the system, We asked Governor Uñac a few questions..
You said that sport isn't a path to development, but rather the path itself. Did everyone here understand that?
It was difficult at first. San Juan has always had an important base for sporting development, more linked to social issues than to high performance.. When we decided to add this new strategy, there was a social discussion about whether we would invest money in sports facilitiesBut over time, I believe this phase of uncertainty has been overcome with complete calm and normality. Society is appreciating what we're doing. People are living better, because we are incorporating new economic activities related to sport..
Do people live well in San Juan?
We have an unemployment rate at 3 percentBut devaluation is a fact and so to help families who do not have sufficient income, we have launched a series of support measures on the nutrition and education frontFor example, to support young mothers, the provincial government supplements food supplies based on pediatricians' prescriptions. We want to provide all children in the province with the same starting point, so that we can then move forward with meritocracy.
Are there tangible results?
It is not possible to have quick results in this area, but when we get there, everyone will have an equal chance.
Construction of the velodrome began shortly before the pandemic. How did you experience it in San Juan?
It was hard, like everywhere. But I think we've found the right balance. Obviously the health sector and the police sectors tried to order the normal activities of the sanjuaninos (the inhabitants of San Juan, ed.). The economy suffered, but we came out of it well.I think we can now say that the pandemic is over globally. San Juan has had rapid growth. Furthermore, the activities we organized on the sports front, such as the World Hockey Championships, allowed us to recover.
Journalists already present at the 2020 Vuelta a San Juan noticed big differences.
We continued to build the necessary hotels. For example, in the province of San Juan in two months there will be the inauguration of a 5-star hotel, while others are springing up in more remote places, but linked to the development of spa tourism.
How long will it take to complete the sports city?
There is enough to do, because it's a very ambitious projectAlthough we already have a football stadium and a velodrome, we still need to build the water facilities and the field hockey development facilities, and we're already starting construction on a multi-purpose stadium for children with disabilities. The Ministry of Sport is strongly committed, and it extends to this area as well. I think it will take another five yearsOur challenge is to get the job done and pick up another. Since all of this is tied to high performance, The idea is for the club to begin using the shared spaces it will have in the Sports City. It's necessary to connect these large infrastructures with the club..
In Italy, we have the problem that sports and schools struggle to communicate. How does it work here?
We are working to create a connection between schools and sports clubsAnd since we had doubts that the leaders of the future could interrupt this process, we made a law that requires us to continueSchool and sports go hand in hand. We have 270 thousand children under 18 years oldWhen we started, only 11 percent of them played sports. Thanks to our program, Now 28 percent are dedicated to federal sport, while over 60 percent of the kids still practice a sportBut we have a problem.
What?
The guys They no longer grow up on the streets with a ball or a bike, they more often have a cell phone in their hand. For this reason we have created a program because high-level athletes like us Tivani they go to schools to explain the beauty of sport.
Does the Governor play sports?
I'm a I'm a big cycling fan and I go almost always on weekends.That is, when I'm not working and it's not too hot. Thanks to this passion we are making the Vuelta a San Juan growWe organize it taking inspiration from the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España. We listen to everyone's advice. A few days ago, for example, the photographer Roberto Bettini and his motorcyclist Vito Mulazzani explained to us the correct way for the trail staff to signal a dangerIt's all in progress and we really believe in it.
