Rugby, Culture, and Diplomacy: Fulbright Attends the Inauguration of Sports Academies in La Guajira
On March 24, the Federico Serrano Soto Rugby Stadium in La Guajira was the setting for more than just a game: it marked the beginning of a commitment to peace, protection, and the future of hundreds of Colombian children and adolescents.
In this context, the Directorate of Cultural Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially inaugurated the 60 sports centers of the Cultural and Sports Diplomacy Initiative, a program that uses sports as a tool for social transformation and to prevent forced recruitment in vulnerable communities across the country.
The event took place within the La Guajira Women’s Rugby League, an organization with 18 years of history that, on that day, received sports equipment for its athletes and news that puts them on the global stage: standout players from the League will travel to New Zealand to train with the All Blacks, as part of the international exchanges that are a key component of the program’s development initiatives.
The event featured remarks by Bartolo Gómez, Director of the La Guajira Departmental Sports Institute; Heiner Daza, Director of UNdeportes Riohacha; Acting Mayor Jaime Brugés; Jairo Jiménez, academic coordinator at the Almirante Padilla Educational Institution; and Jasiel Pimienta, a young athlete from the youth program, whose words served as a reminder of why initiatives like this matter.
The closing remarks were delivered by the Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs, who reaffirmed Colombia’s commitment—as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council—to peacebuilding through culture and sports.
But creativity in La Guajira doesn’t stop on the field. The League is promoting a project in which students transform discarded soccer balls into handicrafts, turning recycling into a source of community identity and pride. It’s a perfect metaphor for what this program aims to achieve: taking what already exists and turning it into something new and valuable.
Fulbright Colombia will support this initiative through its English Teaching Assistants (ETAs), who will work to strengthen bilingualism in communities like this one, bringing with them something just as powerful: inspiring life stories that broaden these young people’s horizons and show them that the world is within their reach through hard work.
The day ended on a high note: with a demonstration on the field, where the rugby spoke for itself.
From left to right: Ricardo Saavedra, Outreach Officer, Fulbright Colombia; Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Simeón González, national rugby star; Nicci Stilwell, New Zealand Ambassador to Colombia; Maribel Velez Riaño, Director, Fundación Gente-Ecopetrol; Saide Nur Alp, Third Secretary, Embassy of Turkey; Daniela Sierra, Programs Director, Fulbright Colombia; Silvia Camila Prias, Project Coordinator, Fundación Gente-Ecopetrol; María Angélica Garcia, Board Member, Fulbright Colombia, alongside athletes representing the youth program.