Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Muñoz, joined President Michelle Bachelet in her meeting at La Moneda with the Indigenous Selection Team of Chile that will participate in the first Indigenous Peoples Championship Cup of the Americas. The tournament, to be held from July 16th to the 25th in Arica and Santiago, will feature selections from Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay and Peru.
"Soccer has always been a valuable space for integration among peoples. I'm sure it will be seen again [in this championship]. I'm sure these kids on the National Team will also give us great victories and great joy," said the President during the meeting.
For his part, Foreign Minister Muñoz said that this championship is a great opportunity to strengthen the inclusion among the peoples of Latin America. "Indigenous peoples are part of our identity and we believe that this Cup can underline this diverse identity that forms the national identities of all Latin American countries," he said.
The Indigenous Selection of Chile is directed by Danilo Quinlan and Germán Castro is the captain. The team is composed of members of the Mapuche Selection that won the 3rd Indigenous Peoples National Football Championship in 2015, and has reinforcements from the Aymara and Rapa Nui selections.
The championship is organized by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Sports, Social Development, the Council of Culture, and is executed by Elias Figueroa's corporation, Gol Iluminado.