INEFI celebrates mass in commemoration of its 28th anniversary

The CEO, Alberto Rodríguez Mella, thanked the collaborators for their contribution to the strengthening of physical education in the country Santo Domingo.– The National Institute of Physical Education (INEFI) celebrated this Friday a mass in commemoration of its 28th anniversary, as part of the institutional activities that the entity carries out each year. The ceremony was led by its executive director, Alberto Rodríguez Mella, who expressed his gratitude to God and the collaborators for the achievements made during the three years of his management. The Eucharist was officiated by Father Andrés Tapia de la Rosa, in the Cristo Salvador parish, in the Honduras sector. During his intervention, Rodríguez Mella highlighted that the work carried out by INEFI is part of the government's vision of President Luis Abinader, who has prioritized education, youth, and the integral development of the Dominican population.

"The institutional effort is framed within the government's vision of President Luis Abinader, who has placed education, youth, and the integral development of our people as national priorities," said the official.

He added that the INEFI continues to work with dedication and commitment to support that vision, while acknowledging the physical and moral effort of the institution's technicians, teachers and collaborators, as well as the entire physical education family nationwide.

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"Today we gather in this space of faith to thank God for another year of institutional life of INEFI, and we do so with a heart full of gratitude, reflection and renewed commitment," said Rodríguez Mella to those present.

In the presence of civil and military authorities, the executive director highlighted that INEFI has taken on with responsibility and a vocation for service the challenge of strengthening physical education and school sports as tools for social transformation. "We firmly believe that sport not only shapes athletes, but better citizens: young people with values, discipline, respect and a sense of belonging," he pointed out. Rodríguez Mella also acknowledged that the progress made in this period reflects a management that is committed to teamwork, planning, and public service with a human touch. "We remain focused on consolidating projects that strengthen school sports throughout the country, convinced that investing in our students is investing in the future of the Dominican Republic," he affirmed. The mass was attended by the INEFI's Deputy General Director, Elvis Duarte; the financial and administrative advisor of the institution, César Ruiz; the president of Centro Caribe Sports and member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Luisín Mejía Oviedo; the Director of Sports of the National Police, General Jacobo Mateo Moquete, and Colonel Pilot Osvaldo Pérez Félix, of the Dominican Republic Air Force (FARD). Also present were the technical director of INEFI, Eddy González; the former director of INEFI, Esteban Pérez Polanco; Professor Nelson Ramírez; the president of the Dominican Federation of Professional Baseball Players and former Major League player, Napoleón Calzado, as well as federation leaders, athletes and immortals of Dominican sport.

History of the institution

The National Institute of Physical Education (INEFI) was created by Law No. 33-98, of January 16, 1998, as a decentralized body of the Dominican Education System, attached to the then Secretariat of State for Education (SEE), replacing the former General Directorate of School Physical Education. The history of INEFI dates back to 1912, when the first Physical Education teachers were appointed. In 1929, the Dominican government appointed the first general director of Physical Education and Sports. In 1959, through Law No. 5133, the General Directorate of School Physical Education was created, dependent on the Secretariat of State for Education and Fine Arts, now the Ministry of Education (MINERD). This entity's main objective was to promote, organize, and supervise the practice of physical education in the country's schools, as well as the construction and maintenance of school sports facilities. In January 1975, with the application of Law No. 97 of 1974, which created the Secretariat of State for Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (now the Ministry of Sports), the General Directorate of School Physical Education became part of said institution. However, in January 1978, through Decree No. 3235, it was again integrated into the Secretariat of State for Education, Fine Arts and Cults.