SPORTS AND RECREATION IN HONDURAS

Regulated sport in Honduras has its foundation with the creation of the National
Extracurricular Sports Federation of Honduras, a fact that occurred by Decree No. 51
from March 8, 1951 to September 1994. Since its inception, this organization had the
responsibility of managing and directing several sports disciplines, which did not
manage to reach the levels of development, due to the limited knowledge that their
managers had about the new trends in sports at that time, being: sport for all, school,
recreational and competitive sports or high-performance sports. Given these
circumstances of the performance of the National Extracurricular Sports Federation of
Honduras, there was always the concern of leaders, athletes and society in general to
have a sports organization that responded to the expectations and demands of the
group for each of the sports disciplines. For this reason, at the beginning of the 80s of
the 20th century, several sports federations broke away from the National
Extracurricular Sports Federation of Honduras, a fact that gave rise to the National
Congress of the Republic to issue a decree to grant them their legal status as
independent sports disciplines. . Difficulties persisted in national sports even when the
National Congress of the Republic granted legal status to all sports disciplines that
existed at that time.
Due to the absence of an organization that would respond to the demands to manage
sport in Honduras, it was proposed to create the Sports Confederation of Honduras
(CONDEPAH) in 1994 as an alternative for national sports development; However, due
to the government's public policies, the Vice Ministry of Sports was created in 2002, an
organization that was attached to the Ministry of Culture and Arts, which was assigned
the same functions and objectives as CONDEPAH. that during the existence of the
Vice Ministry of Sports there were many debates that did not contribute to the growth
and development of national sports, losing valuable internal and external economic aid,
as well as the preparation of human resources in different areas. It was a difficult time,
in the end this organization did not meet the objectives for which it was created, there
were twelve years of sporting obscurantism; It finally disappeared during the
government of Juan Orlando Hernández and was restructured in 2014, creating a
Secretariat attached to the Executive Branch of the Republic, to coordinate different
sports activities.
Another organization that arises in the light and shadow of sport is the National
Commission for Sports Facilities (CONAPID), which was founded in 1963 by the then
Head of State Oswaldo López Arellano, who gave it a political tinge since since its
creation it has been chaired by the Executive Branch. Among the objectives assigned
to this Commission is the construction and improvements of sports facilities, however, it
carries out activities that conflict with the functions that other sports organizations in the
country have by definition. More than 200 employees work at this institution to manage
three sports facilities: National Stadium, José Simón Azcona sports complex and the
Lempira Reina baseball field.
In the development of national sport, a fact is observed that has to do with the
backwardness that Honduran sport has been dragging on, I am referring to the
emergence of the Honduran Olympic Committee (COH) in 1956, 74 years after the
creation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). ). The COH has its origin in the
philosophy of the international movement that aims to contribute to the construction of
a better and more peaceful world by educating youth through sport, practiced without
discrimination of any kind and within the Olympic spirit that requires mutual
understanding. , spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The COH has the mission of
nominating athletes so that they can participate in the games of the Olympic Cycle; It is
the only organization that endorses the participation of Honduran athletes, hence the
responsibility of this organization is to ensure decent participation of athletes in the
different disciplines that they participate.
Like other sports organizations, the Olympic Committee since its founding has not
achieved the expected results. Its reason for being is the Olympic sports federations;
Observing the results obtained at the medal table level in the Olympic Cycle, it denotes
the poor results obtained, we only managed to place ourselves in sixth place in the
Central American medal table in history.
The problem of Honduran sport is complex, since it lacks the most basic elements,
which are adequate organization, relevant regulation and regulations, suitable people
for management, appropriate spaces, necessary resources, among others. That is to
say, sport in Honduras suffers from a latent need which I call “its institutionalization.”
Understood as a factor for the growth and development of sport, athletes, competitions,
activities and therefore the development of healthy human beings as an essential
element for sustainable human development. Observing the functioning of the different
institutions that govern Honduran sport, a lack of coherence and relevance of the
plans, objectives, goals and strategies among the existing institutions is reflected .

Some of the functions attributed to sport in contemporary society studied by Minar

(1992), as a recapitulation and interpretation of José Cajigal's text titled OH SPORT!
Anatomy of a giant in which he analyzes the main theses that have been expressed
about the relationships between sport and society and which we state below.
1. Sport contributes to human development.
This way of understanding sport is frequently used by pedagogues and physical
educators who assume a conception of a human ideal or human canon based on
physical performance. This way of understanding sport has its maximum expression in
bodybuilding and high-performance sports. The disciplined mastery of the body will be
transformed into affirmation and perfection of the entire personality. The desire to
surpass previous performance through one's own continuous effort will have its effects
on the formation of character.

2. Sport is an indispensable compensating element for the tensions of

modern life.
Sport is understood as an indispensable compensating element for the tensions and
imbalances of modern life. This thesis has begun to be promoted from the industrial
revolution in the face of the broken balance of a changing and disorienting society,
which in the face of the partialization and mechanization of the productive process has
caused dehumanization in the face of the deforming influence of specialization and
automation in all sectors. areas of life. It seeks to satisfy through sport and compensate
for motor, emotional and social needs of the vital order.
 3. Sport allows the individual to free himself from everyday life and discover
his own identity.
The restrictions of daily life, whether in work spaces, in the community or in solitude,
restrict and cloister the individual, sport can break with the behavior of daily obligation,
encouraging man to break the fence that it imposes on him. society and dedicate
yourself to something that allows you to expose and live your own reality.

4. Sport facilitates and encourages adaptation to life in society.

This is one of the interpretations given to sport, on the one hand, it is considered that
sport is another form of social control through repression, but on the other it is
considered an excellent role rehearsal, in which that the discipline, self-control and
constant effort required by sports practice, the individual becomes a citizen responsible
for dedication and willing to make an effort. The game is considered a social school,
where you learn to “play fair” and accept the established rules, to respect both your
opponent and your partner, where group coexistence becomes a reality and where you
learn to appreciate loyalty and leadership qualities.
In this sense and in coincidence with what was stated by Minar (1992), the UN through
UNICEF (2003), consider sport as “all forms of physical activity that contribute to good
physical condition, mental well-being and social intersection. ”. These forms of physical
activity include play, recreation, organized, informal or competitive sport, indigenous
sports or games. Sport is related to many factors today considered indicators of well-
being and social development: peace, health and comfort, among others, seen in this
way, sport can be conceived for its relationships with well-being as a human right, in
this sense and returning to what was stated in article No. 1 of the International Charter
of Physical Education and Sports adopted by UNESCO in 1978.