“Sports is the best way of engaging every human being. It’s a way of integrating our people.” Bolivia President Evo Morales lives by this testament and yesterday urged his 33 Heads of Government counterparts at the Fifth Summit of the Americas that sports and youth were the catalyst that integrated the world, when all else had failed.
His admission came at a news press conference yesterday at the International Financial Centre, Port-of-Spain, after he was asked by a foreign journalist what message he had for the Summit and for the youth.
A fan of football star Diego Maradonna and a player himself, Morales admitted that sports was the driving force behind the integration of many countries and this is what was needed in the Summit. “I am a soccer fan...I love sports,” he said, his face sparkling as he spoke. “I have a history. I come from a group of youth who love soccer.” He also drew reference to Barack Obama, who was elected as America’s 44th President, stating that the people who voted for him have formed a new integration. “It’s a new forum of integration,” he pointed out. Morales said sports was the best way of engaging every human being across the globe and some countries were testament of this, especially those that were loved for its football skills.
