By Juan Pablo Sebastián
Francisco Xavier Carrasco Beltrán, director of IMDER, highlighted achievements in the rehabilitation and maintenance of sports fields and facilities, sports promotion, youth sports initiation, and medal-winning performances during his presentation to the Pro-Municipality Committee.
During his talk, the high-performance physical training expert shared his work plan for the year he has led the department, focusing particularly on professional sports initiation and fostering competitive athletics, while continuing to support community sports programs and other special initiatives and pilot plans.
He noted that the 2025 budget for sports promotion was 13 million pesos, with a planned increase of 3% for 2026 to meet the growing needs of supporting athletes.
Carrasco explained that the sports promotion program is divided into five subprograms: Popular Sports, School Sports, Associated Sports, Adaptive Sports, and Rosarito Activo. Each program serves different sectors, skill levels, and sporting disciplines, forming part of a comprehensive plan to strengthen athletic development across the city.
As part of school sports promotion, he announced a pilot program in five evening schools that invites students to participate in morning sports sessions on days they do not have classes due to technical school council meetings. The pilot includes four sports: soccer, basketball, volleyball, and handball.
Regarding the Popular Sports program, Carrasco reported that approximately 1,200 participants are engaged monthly in beginner-level disciplines, including BMX, soccer, aquaerobics, basketball, volleyball, swimming, traditional games, cachibol, shot put, and tennis.
For Associated Sports, IMDER’s top priority, he highlighted that strengthened collaboration with leagues, clubs, sports associations, coaches, and athletes enabled 115 athletes to participate in the National Popular Games and 32 in the National Olympics this year, achieving six gold medals, six silver, and six bronze.
Additionally, four athletes competed in the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay, earning one silver and two bronze medals.
Carrasco also discussed progress in the maintenance and rehabilitation of 23 municipal sports units and facilities, some managed under concession agreements or partnerships with associations. He praised the maintenance team for advancing the work with available resources, noting that many of these facilities were in very poor condition when he assumed leadership.
When asked about the large number of young athletes fundraising through raffles or selling drinks at intersections to cover competition expenses, Carrasco said it is a commendable effort by athletes to achieve their goals.
He clarified that IMDER provides scholarships to athletes, with plans to increase them next year; however, public funding is never enough to cover all competition needs.
For this reason, he reiterated that IMDER’s priority is to support the professional development of athletes and official competitions. “Owning a baseball bat, a ball, or a field is meaningless without a program to support competitive training,” he emphasized.