Cover photo: Rodrigo Farias Moreno

The Punta de Lobos Foundation, responsible for the complete care of the Punta de Lobos Park, the venue for surfing in Santiago 2023, publicly expressed its concern for the preservation of the world surfing reserve that is the wave and its coastal strip.

In a statement published on their Instagram, they state: “We are completely concerned about the care of the coastline.” They explain that they understand the “valuable contribution that this event generates” in the commune, with the intention of contributing to the execution of the games, knowing that the event was requested by their community, and they wish that their principles are not lost sight of “as a project for the conservation and protection of the coastline, seeking solutions that enhance and do not affect the work carried out for years.”

As the organization and planning is in charge of Santiago 2023, they request:

-Delimitation of protected ecological restoration zones and cliffs.
-Avoid single-use plastics, environmental impact measurement and general waste management.
-Consideration of the local community in planning.
-Road management and mitigation plans for traffic congestion.
-Restoration of potential damages (Warranty).

The statement clarifies that “the determination of the number of people allowed has been defined exclusively by Santiago 2023.” The event, which will be free of charge, did not define with the foundation the number of people who will be allowed to enter the park.

They report that, as in other sports there were contributions for improvements in their natural stadiums, the foundation did the same. “100% of the contributions received are being allocated to infrastructure improvements at the level of maintenance of the trails, enabling of viewing points, improvement of access to the sea (down to Los Morros) and installation of security elements of the park. In other words, the contributions are used for the benefit of all those who enjoy the park. No funds will be used for operational or administrative expenses of the Punta de Lobos Park Corporation.”

In a full chapter entitled “Current Concerns” they detail: “Our concern for the care of the coastal edge is complete, that is, not only the land that is now the park, but we are also concerned about what will happen on the beach, in the other sectors of Punta de Lobos and in the commune in general. We express our special concern about what will happen outside the “Headquarters” or “Venue” as the closed space of the Pan American Games is referred to. Regrettably, the production of the event does not consider care strategies for what happens in the adjacent spaces (beach, disputed land, accesses, etc.).”

They conclude: “We believe that the Pan American Games are a positive contribution to the commune of Pichilemu. We want them to take care of our natural spaces as well as its inhabitants and community. We hope that this type of experience will make us grow and learn as cohabitants of this space and show the beauty and authenticity of our beloved Pichilemu, our O'Higgins region and our Chile.”

“There are coming weeks where many things will happen in our beloved Pichilemu, we call for collaboration and work so that this unites us as a community and we hope that it will be a nice sporting celebration,” they conclude.

Below is the full statement:

 

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