Athletes and members of delegations in town for the South American Games are pleasantly surprised by the resources Medellin has provided them with in order to communicate with their families and friends back home. The Villa has a media room with nearly 30 computers all with free internet access; visitors are also able to make free phone calls to their countries.

La Vianda, the company responsible for providing the meals to athletes and delegations in Medellin for the South American Games, runs quite a marathon everyday to fill the tall order. More than 3.000 people need breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, meaning this Barranquilla-based company must prepare a total of 10.500 meals a day in three shifts. For each day of the games 100 tons of meat, including beef, chicken, pork and fish, are used. In addition, the athletes consume 30.000 pounds of rice, 30.000 bags of milk and 300.000 yoghurt.

The residents of the neighborhoods Vallejuelos, La Divisa and Las Flores decided they needed to do something different to welcome the thousands of athletes visiting the city for the South American Games, and they figured color would be the ideal tool.

A mural that’s visible from the Metro Aerial Tramway is what they chose to send a message of support from the young artists of the communities. The murals “represent the unity among neighborhoods that have suffered greatly from violence”, said community leader Pedro Ramos, adding that his favorite part of making the murals was that neighborhoods’ youth came up with the idea and carried it out.

The South American Games are the perfect opportunity for Medellin to showcase its many attractions; among them Botero Park, Explora Park, the Botanical Gardens, the Palace and the Metro.

In an attempt to contribute to Medellin’s social development, Haceb Industries announced a significant donation to the South American Games that will benefit not just athletes, but also the community of the Pajarito sector, where the athletic villa is located.

A donation of 621 water heaters will provide hot water to all the apartments in the villa, a feature that will remain in the apartments for future residents. In addition, 29 washer/dryers will generate employment for 26 heads of household who will be providing laundry service to visitors.

“Haceb is taking on what we consider to be a social sponsorship offering comfortable spaces for the athletes during their stay”, said president of the Games, Alicia Vargas.

Haceb’s investment is estimated at 500 million pesos but according to company president, Dario Valencia Echeverri, it’s meant to be more than a monetary contribution. The goal is to carry out projects geared towards facilitating the development and social transformation of Medellin in light of events like this one which show the city’s positive side.

The South American Games’ Opening Ceremony is March 14th in Medellín’s Atanasio Girardot Stadium.

The head of Culture Fit, Genari Magrands, put an end to speculation and explained in detail what will happen to the grass from the soccer field of the Atanasio Girardot Stadium, where the opening ceremony of the South American Games will take place. Five days are needed to lift the grass which will then be taken to Marte Field and Cincuentenario Stadium where it will undergo maintenance until reinstalled.

During a tour of the supporting sites for the South American Games, Antioquia’s Governor Luis Alfredo Ramos cleared the way for the construction of a modern bicycling track in Rionegro, with all the technical specifications that will allow it to serve as a venue for important national and even world championships.

Indeportes engineers and architects from Indeportes will proceed to study the land and design the track so the project may be completed in as little time possible.

The department’s investment will be 10.000 million pesos, while Mayor of Rionegro, Alcides Tobon, said the municipality will contribute the land located in the village of Barro Blanco, three kilometers from the city centre; he said this will give the city ownership of one of the best modern sports complexes in the world.

The heads of each participating country’s delegation have been gathered in Medellín for the past few days getting essential information about the South American Games in March. Will there be enough bottled water provided for the athletes? (Yes, Coca Cola will be providing the water); How will transportation be arranged from venues to the Villa after late night games? (Metro will provide special transportation for athletes competing until late at night); Will the athletes competing in those late games be able to eat when they return? (Yes, they will be fed the same meal the other athletes got)…were just some of the questions asked by the team leaders.

Organizers were there to put their minds at ease and iron out details; the general consensus is that the level of preparation and organization are admirable. After the question and answer session, the group headed for the East where they were scheduled to visit the sporting venues and complexes where the competition will be taking place.

“The first athletes to arrive will be the Argentinians on March 2nd; they’ll be staying in Eastern Antioquia”,  their organizer María Julia Garisoani said.

Sporting venues aren’t the only structures Bello will be showing off for the IX South American Games, happening between March 19th and 30th this year.  The entire city is going through a transformation process which will improve the quality of life for local residents as well as impress visitors in town for the Games.

A number of physical improvements have been made; “we’ve patched up more than 3.000 potholes. That’s 270 Km of road improved significantly”, said interim Mayor Nicolas Rave. The expressway is also decorated with colorful and creative images related to the sporting event.

The Odesur (South American Sports Organization) Evaluation and Technical Committees visited Medellin to check on the status of construction projects in the sports venues that will host the South American Games in 2010. The committee was pleased with the progress and said they “saw no red lights and instead found a totally committed city”.

“You will end up with one of the best sporting complexes in South America”, said president of Chile’s Olympic Committee Negven Illic during a press conference. “What we saw on Monday is spectacular. There are some yellow lights and I know there are Plan B’s in case the sub-sites aren’t ready in time”, Illic said.

Sub-site director William Moncada said “We have 52.000 million pesos and strong commitment from the mayors of the eight municipalities. Bello, Itagui and Copacabana received 17.000 million from the Metropolitan Area which guarantees what’s planned. (…) labor will be intense between May and December of this year”.  Final results are expected in December