Ariel Sainz: “Beach Volleyball at San Salvador 2023, challenge overcome”

COSTA DEL SOL, El Salvador, June 24, 2023.- Beach Volleyball was the first sport in action at the 2023 San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games; that required a series of challenges that were overcome with the efforts of many.  

The International Technical Director for Volleyball, Cuban Ariel Sainz, NORCECA first-vice president, oversees ensuring the running of the tournament and said it has been a challenging task, but they have managed to overcome every obstacle.

“This event originally was set to be held in 2002 in Panama but given the impossibility of their National Committee to organize the Games, El Salvador came out to organize them with great quality” said Sainz.

“We’ve had long working days, there have been many obstacles along the way, but in the end, it was achieved. I consider that beach volleyball has a great competition venue, adapted, because we all know that it’s the National Beach Soccer Stadium and it was at the last minute, because we had already made inspection visits in a different venue, but the organizing committee announced they weren’t going to be ready on time”.

“I first want to thank the confidence from Centro Caribe Sports, as that of the Organizing Committee (COSSAN) and the multidisciplinary working group that were involved in the task; we have the event running, without setbacks, 100 percent satisfaction of the athletes, coaches, delegates, and that fills us with satisfaction because we can evaluate the response capacity to overcome difficulties”, added Sainz.  

It's important, said Sainz, “to give recognition to the National Volleyball Federation of El Salvador (FESAVOL), to everyone involved in setting up the courts, Roberto García, Guillermo Polanco, Eduardo Paiz, Pedro Rivas, who one way or another have been collaborating for this event to be possible”.

NORCECA first vice-president added “we had the challenge to open the Games as one of the first sports in competition; NORCECA President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, had the confidence and vision in us all, the experienced members of the Control Committee with

José Luis Jiménez Lao, Salvador Bautista, Amos Anglade, Claudia Rivera, Bertha Cuadra, Jacqueline Cowan, Julio Martínez, Martin Swasey, Donibal Alvarez, Emir Alfaro, Ernesto Beltré, all involved in the success of the event, responding and solving every inconvenience and the director of competition Ed Drakich, who has conducted the event effectively”.

“We are working, but we are enjoying the twenty fourth Central American and Caribbean Games and that for the third occasion have been held in El Salvador” he expressed.

In addition, Sainz Rodriguez said “we have also taken up the challenge of indoors, we have made two inspections to the competition and training halls during these days. The official venue is the National Sports Palace Carlos El Famoso Hernández, which we inspected this past Friday, and the construction will be finished today and the court will be installed for a successful competition at the Games”.