Sports in Colombia, at its best moment?

The Externado de Colombia University Finance, Government and International Relations Faculty, in keeping with its multidisciplinary character, offers a “Certification in Sports Management” program.

“Colombia, a factory of champions.” With this catchphrase, Coldeportes presents the progress of sports management in the last eight years. The results seem compelling. Not only did the budget quadruple, but more athletes participated in more sports competitions and achieved better results. Thus, sports finally made the agenda as an issue that must be attended to and understood to maximize its impact.

In fact, two months before the end of his term, President Juan Manuel Santos devoted some of his efforts to the creation of a Ministry of Sports.  A measure that can also be considered “anachronistic and as a political movement.

Therefore, it is evident that sports in Colombia are experiencing one of its best moments; we can, today, state there is a sports boom in Colombia, even beyond the professional area, as gyms and sporting activities have multiplied throughout the country. However, despite the amount of money circulating in the media, the political interest in sports, and the business opportunities generated, there is a huge gap in the Colombian sector. It sounds incredible, but today, many schools, clubs, leagues, federations and even the athletes themselves live under critical conditions, risking their competitive potential.

The financial, administrative, and even political difficulties seem to be hindering sports management. For this reason, mayors, departmental entities, and other State organizations need to optimize the planning of their public policies on leisure, sports, and physical activity. Specifically, they have the responsibility of organizing activities and sporting events in public spaces responding to population expectations in the areas of health, education, well-being, safety, proper use the environment, and high-performance, among others.

As expressed by recognized sports journalist, Rafael Villegas at an event held at the Externado University to reflect, precisely, on this boom, “The sports industry in Colombia must be reinvented.”

In this particular scenario, the challenge posed by the sports boom in Colombia, in the light of national and international experiences, can only be put to good use by reinventing the sports industry chain in an interdisciplinary fashion. The “Certification in Sports Management” aims to stimulate new ideas and practices and, thus, form a new generation of sports administrators.

The 100-hour program combines theoretical approaches with a broad practical focus. Students, individuals with experience in the sector, or sports enthusiasts interested in becoming sports professionals,  will have the support of experts and scholars from  various disciplines, all applied to sports, such as Public Administration, Communication, and Law, who will assist in designing  a professional project taking advantage of the “sports boom ” in Colombia.