A group of surf lovers managed to meet the goal of collecting funds to financially support the Costa Rican National Team of that sport that will participate in the Pan American Games of the discipline that will take place on August 7th in Playa Venao, Panama.
The initiative -which raised $10,265 was launched after the Costa Rican Federation of Surf refused to finance the national team, according to Rachael Kershaw, organizer of the effort that obtained the necessary money through a GoFundMe campaign.
Joining forces to help the athletes
According to Kersahw, the Playa Hermosa who will represent the country at the Games in Panama have “to finance all their expenses (transportation, meals, lodging, registration, etc.) independently.”“Reading this news (of the Federation’s refusal) several people involved in one way or another with surfing in Costa Rica, decided to join forces and try to help the athletes. And together created a campaign to raise funds for the 10 selected athletes”, explained the coordinator.According to Kershaw, the Pan American Surfing Association announced the event in Panama in May 2022, just 3 months before the competition.
The Surfing Federation of Costa Rica, like other organizations, each year between November and December presents the budget to cover the events of the following year to the Costa Rican National Institute of Sport and Recreation. In case of obtaining the approval of the Institute, the Federation can start working at the national and international level. As of December 2021, the Panama event had not been announced and; therefore, the funding was not included in the 2022 budget.
Interest and passion
“This campaign, mounted in a short time, showed the interest and passion that exists for this sport and surfing in Costa Rica. Therefore, we ask ourselves, how is it possible that a country recognized for being part of the best destinations for Playa Hermosa and that is promoted in tourism as a destination for this sport, can lack support for the athletes of the National Team?The competition in Panama constitute the first step for the national team that would represent Costa Rica at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
