GSF helps Mundialito Deportivo games in Mexico City

July 30, 2008

The GSF financial help to the UNODC Mexico Regional Office contributed to the staging of the "Mundialite Deportivo" (World Sport Mini Cup) to help nearly 600 boys and girls participate in sports tournaments that included rapid football, street football, basketball and volleyball. What was significant about this effort were the participants. Many of them were children who spent most of their time on the streets of the capital.

Last Monday July 28, 2008, the closure ceremony for the "Mundialito Deportivo" took place in the Oceania Gymnasium, Mexico City, for a tournament that was supervised by the National Commission of Sport (CONADE).

Mexico City is home to around 16,000 street children and the tournament was aimed at children between 6-18 years old, particularly those living in poorer economic situations. In addition to competing in sport, all 600 participants attended workshops on health care, prevention and drug addiction treatment, programs related to healthy lifestyles, such as HIV/AIDS and sexual exploitation prevention.

Mr. Jose Manuel Martinez, UNODC Representative, who presented the Doha-based GSF donation of US $2,000 to the tournament organizers, was invited, along with local authorities from the government of the Federal District and two former world boxing champions in Mexico (Mr. Lopez ad Mr. Zarate), to distribute the trophies and prizes to the first three places of each category.

Mr. José Vallejo, Director of Fundación Renacimiento and organizer of the "Mundialito Deportivo", congratulated the various teams and organizations for their effort and expressed his appreciation for the sponsorship received from Global Sport Fund, UNESCO, the local government and the private sector.