Sport for Hope Centre Opens as Part of IOC Commitment to help re-build Haiti
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach officially opened a Sport for Hope Centre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Just four years after an earthquake which killed between 100,000 and 160,000 people in the Caribbean country of Haiti the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach officially opened a Sport for Hope Centre in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
Bach opened the Centre alongside Republic of Haiti President Michel Martelly and United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon. The development of the center comes as part of the IOC’s commitment to rebuild Haiti’s sporting infrastructure as a form of aid. This commitment is part of the reconstruction of the nation following the disaster.
The second Sport for Hope Centre, which follows a pilot Olympic Youth Development Centre that opened in the Zambian capital Lusaka four years ago, aims in a more general sense to provide athletes, young people and communities in developing countries with opportunities to practise sport and be educated in the values of Olympism.
The Centre, built at a cost of USD 18 million, was a joint initiative between the IOC and the Haitian Government. It comes just weeks after the signing of a historic agreement between the IOC and UN aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two organisations in projects designed to contribute to a better and more peaceful world through sport.
The multipurpose complex is located on land donated by the Government of Haiti. It features two large indoor practice halls, an indoor competition hall with a spectator capacity of 2,500, and a number of outdoor courts and pitches. In all, 14 Olympic sports will be practised at the Centre: football, rugby, athletics, volleyball, basketball, handball, tennis, judo, taekwondo, boxing, karate, badminton, table tennis and weightlifting.
The complex also has three classrooms, offices, a fitness centre, a medical centre, changing rooms, a gazebo. A building for accommodation was constructed thanks to the financial support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
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