Panama inaugurates major sports complex in Bocas del Toro

President José Raúl Mulino officially opened the Bocas del Toro Sports City, a significant new sports complex in the Finca 8 sector of Changuinola. The inauguration marks the completion of a project that had been promised for years, finally bringing a multi-sport arena, a High-Performance Center (CAR), and an Olympic-sized swimming pool to the province.

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We were finishing eternal works that were started, announced, and never delivered.

The B/.20,066,901.96 project, executed by Pandeportes, is hailed as the most substantial sports infrastructure development in Bocas del Toro's history and is expected to benefit around 150,000 inhabitants. During the ceremony, President Mulino directly addressed past administrations, stating, "We were finishing eternal works that were started, announced, and never delivered." He stressed that his focus is on the beneficiaries, asserting, "It is for you that we are finishing this Sports City."

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It is for you that we are finishing this Sports City.

Accompanied by First Lady Maricel Cohen de Mulino and local athletes, Mulino unveiled a commemorative plaque for the CAR before touring the Arena Multipropósito, which can seat 2,000 spectators, and the Olympic pool. He described the facility not as an expense but as an investment in the physical and mental development of the province's youth through sports. The event was attended by various government officials, including the Minister of the Presidency and the Governor of Bocas del Toro, alongside Pandeportes Director Miguel Ordóñez, who reiterated the administration's commitment to modern sports facilities as a tool for social development.

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This is not an expense, it is an investment.

The first phase includes the multi-sport arena, the CAR building (equipped for combat sports, gymnastics, and weightlifting), and the covered Olympic pool. Future plans for the complex are ambitious, envisioning a 3,000-seat football stadium, a little league baseball field, an auditorium, public plazas, recreational areas, and bike paths. Construction, managed by Riga Services S.A., began in May 2023 and achieved 100% physical and financial completion, creating 225 jobs in the process.

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The commitment of the institution to the construction of modern sports venues, in line with this administration's focus on sports as a tool for social development and opportunities for youth.