More than two thousand participants are expected to participate in the “Summer Stadium Experience,” a summer initiative by Codelco División El Teniente, which aims to provide children, young people, seniors and the community with the opportunity to get to know the El Teniente Stadium, experience professional sports and enjoy its outdoor pool.
During the sessions, participants will enjoy a tour of the mural that tells the history of the venue, as well as its facilities and courts. On this occasion, and for the first time since the start of the pandemic, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy a recreational space in the outdoor pool of the main sports venue in the O'Higgins Region.
Cristián Sanhueza, director of Community Development at El Teniente, explained that “we are inviting communities organized through sports clubs, neighborhood associations, senior citizen associations, and social organizations to come to El Teniente Stadium, where there will be recreational training through sports such as soccer and basketball, and a swimming pool will be available.”
An unforgettable experience
Members of the Santa Ana de Totihue Senior Citizens Club, in the commune of Requínoa, began this series of visits. “For us, it is very important that the seniors learn more. Some of them knew the stadium, but they had not had access to the pool area,” celebrated Javiera Lozano, social worker of the Requínoa Senior Citizens Program.
The participants emphasized the importance of offering spaces like this to the region's seniors. "It's a new experience for us, because we've never been invited to things like this. They always take us to the beach, but we've never been to a pool like this, never," said Carmen Gloria Sánchez, a member of the Santa Ana Club in Totihue.
Luis Sánchez, a member of the group, said that “this experience is good for many people who don't know or don't know what a sports complex is and that it's so close to the commune. I didn't know about the pool because I always entered through the other side.”
Luz Martínez, a member of the club, added that “for me, it is important that they take into account the elderly, because sometimes they are left out a little. For us it is very important that they have made us this invitation and we 100% recommend it for any adult. They have fun, they refresh themselves.”
This plan is part of the divisional program that was established as a pilot at the end of 2022 and that brought together 660 students from 22 municipal schools in the region in educational sports days. In 2023, more than 13 thousand people from educational establishments, sports clubs and social organizations were part of its activities.