Guanajuato, Gto., August 9, 2016. Starting today, Forum UG has officially has opened its doors, a complex building with two courts and a five-story gym tower with a capacity for 500 users to practice sports simultaneously.

Inaugurating the facilities, the General Rector of the University of Guanajuato, Dr. Luis Felipe Guerrero Agripino, highlighted that the institution must set the example and take sports as part of a comprehensive education, since it promotes disciplines, strength and perseverance.

He compared the Forum project with a "resistance race, not speed," because he remembered the background since 2011, when it was proposed to the Council of Social Participation of Campus Guanajuato, the need to solve the lack of sports spaces for students.

He thanked who is involved in the project, and recognized in a special way the support from the ex-congress woman Maria Elena Cano, UG grad, who negotiated an amount of 24 million pesos from federal funds, through the program of Regional Development, as well as the municipal government of Guanajuato, for her support to get a hold of these resources and execute the construction.

It was the turn for the Director of Student Development, M.A. José Osvaldo Chávez Rodríguez, to describe the characteristics of the Forum, a space that essentially is for sports, will also be used as a stage for artistic and cultural activities.

Such enclosure has two courts, where they can practice sports such as basketball, volleyball, room soccer and gymnastics. There is also a gym tower distributed in five levels, equipped for spinning, TRX, stretching, rhythm, basic step, yoga, pole dance, tae-box, bars, Pilates, boxing and belly dance, among other activities.

The magnitude of this project, an initiative of Dr. Guerrero Agripino during his period as Rector of Campus Guanajuato, implied an investment close to 38 million pesos, from which a little bit more than 5 million pesos were destined for equipment.

The construction was held from 2013 to 2016, and implied funds from four budget exercises, explained the Secretary of Management and Development from UG, M.A. Jorge Alberto Romero Hidalgo.

Growing project

As an answer to a request from Dr. Guerrero Agripino, the State Governor, Lic. Miguel Márquez Márquez, announced that this year will destine resources to install electronic score boards in the basketball court and a dome at Forum UG; and guaranteed that they will rehabilitate the access to the venue Marfil of UG.

He recognized that to concrete the construction of this enclosure it was necessary to joint efforts from diverse actors, but emphasized that it was fundamental to have a leader in the project, hence, he celebrated the Dr. Guerrero's perseverance to finish this construction that benefits more than 11,000 students and members of the university community.

In the welcome message at the opening ceremony, the Rector of Campus Guanajuato, Dr. Javier Corona Fernández, said that it is a priority for the institution to promote a sport and self-care culture, and invited the students to make responsible use of the facilities that are a result of a long path of negotiations.

To the event attended functionaries from the House of Studies, representatives from the collegiate organs of the institution and members of the university community; state and federal legislators, as well as representatives from the public powers of the three government levels.

After revealing a commemorative plaque and presenting and exhibition of the artistic and sport talent from UG students, the committee made a tour by the facilities, which are already functioning.

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