CATIE Hosts Participants from the Independence Tournament

• Famed Turrialba soccer championship begins on September 1st with 32 teams.

August 29, 2023. On Monday, CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) welcomed the Independence congress, the first event of the Independence Soccer Tournament, which this year is dedicated to the institution as part of its 50th-anniversary celebration. 

The congress is the event where team registrations are received, and then the drawing for match distribution takes place.

"For this 2023 edition, we had the pleasant surprise of having 17 institutions and 14 guilds participating, as for some time we had not seen more institutions than guilds, which is very positive. Additionally, we had 3 female teams, 5 basketball teams, and 3 school teams registered," said Moisés Jameson Castillo, from the organizing committee.

"The activity was very enjoyable, full of good energy, and the participants were very pleased to have visited the former directors' hall of the main CATIE building. A truly pleasant reception from the Director-General, who offered us some gifts for the awards," said Jameson.

The Director-General of CATIE, Muhammad Ibrahim, welcomed the participants of the Independence tournament and highlighted the importance of promoting sports. "It's an honor for CATIE to host you. This year has been filled with activities due to our 50th anniversary. We are very grateful to be considered for this tribute, which indicates that CATIE continues to have a presence in Turrialba," he said.

Among the participating institutions are CATIE itself, the night school Enrique Menzel, the Rawlings company with 3 registered teams, CAETOSO or Omar Salazar School, RECOPE, the police force, the Professional Technical College of Suiza, CINDEA, the University of Costa Rica, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, and also the Ministry of Public Education and the Municipality, among others.

Among the guilds are Varelas Boys, Agüillas, Multi Fitness Gym, Deportivo Claros Boys, Flexographic Cruz, Hang Over Football Club, Jorsa Furniture, Farándulas, Sugar Workers, and others.

The championship, now in its 51st year in the Turrialba canton, starts on September 1st and will continue until September 13th, when the grand final will take place.

The matches will be held, as tradition dictates, in the Public Square, and the organization, as well as the financial benefits, are managed by Enrique Menzel School. The championship has the collaboration of the Cantonal Sports Committee and the Municipality, who joined forces to provide a reliable electricity service that can extend the match schedule.