Juan Ulises García Saleta Foundation delivers Olympic Plaza that immortalizes the legacy of Dominican Olympism

Santo Domingo.- In an emotional act loaded with historical and sporting symbolism, the Juan Ulises García Saleta Foundation formally inaugurated the Juan Ulises García Saleta (Wiche) Olympic Plaza, a renovated space in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center conceived to pay permanent tribute to the man who laid the foundations of the Olympic movement in the Dominican Republic, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth.

The ceremony brought together the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kelvin Cruz, along with prominent authorities from the national sports field, leaders, athletes, the honoree’s family, and representatives of the media, who agreed in highlighting the visionary and human dimension of Juan Ulises García Saleta. The act began with the blessing of the space by Monsignor Benito Ángeles. Subsequently, Rosa Bernardita García shared a personal reflection that allowed the audience to get closer to Wiche’s thoughts and character, highlighting his ability to convert great ideals into concrete actions, always supported by family, constant learning, and daily discipline.

During his intervention, Luisín Mejía, former president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, defined García Saleta as a transcendental figure in national sports history, pointing out that his legacy goes beyond physical works and is expressed in a philosophy of values, commitment and unity that still guides Dominican Olympism. Minister Kelvin Cruz highlighted that the creation of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center was the result of a persevering struggle led by a man with a deep patriotic sense and a vocation for serving the youth. He affirmed that this plaza represents a just recognition to the one who opened paths and strengthened sports as a tool for social development. The conceptual explanation of the work was given by Juan Antonio García Smester, president of the Foundation and son of the honoree, who detailed the elements that make up the space, conceived as a journey through the history of Dominican Olympism. The Olympic Plaza integrates the Olympic Rings held by three metallic structures that symbolize Juan Ulises García Saleta, Enrique Ripley Marín and Virgilio Travieso Soto, protagonists of the recognition of the Dominican Olympic Committee by the International Olympic Committee in 1963. Likewise, the original brazier of the XII Central American and Caribbean Games is exhibited, along with a monumental arch that recalls the collective effort that gave rise to the old Metropolitan Park.

As the central axis of the complex, a full-body statue of Juan Ulises García Saleta is erected, recreated at the moment of the inauguration of the XII Central American and Caribbean Games, an episode that marked a before and after for national sport. The space is completed with the official emblem of said games and the national and institutional flags. With this delivery, the Juan Ulises García Saleta Foundation reaffirms its mission to safeguard the historical memory of Dominican sports and to project to new generations the example of a leader who conceived Olympism as a school of values, discipline and hope for the country.