Closing ceremony held at the Universidad Metropolitana campus in Caracas

At the end of October, thirty-three students celebrated the award of their diplomas from the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management at the Universidad Metropolitana campus in Caracas.

They were welcomed by Ricardo Da Silva, Dean of ‘Extensión’ at UNIMET; Luis Vicente Garcia, Director of ‘Extensión’; Pily Modroño, Coordinatora of the UNIMET/FIFA/CIES International Programme; Vincent Monnier, CIES representative; and Victor Ledezma, CIES Coordinator in Venezuela.

The authorities at the Universidad Metropolitana (UNIMET) praised the students’ work in the classroom, despite their various professional and family commitments, and expressed their hope that they would soon become fully involved in the development of Venezuelan sport. They were also delighted that, for several years now, the students have been organising a sporting event – the Copa UNIMET – as part of the programme, thereby putting the lessons learnt in the classroom into practice. The aim is for this event to become a key fixture in the university’s calendar from now on.

For his part, speaking on behalf of the students, Luis Alberto Sucre Cabré listed the many positive aspects of the course offered by UNIMET in cooperation with CIES. It is not just about the quality of the teaching, but also the bonds forged in the classroom, which are set to last beyond graduation.

In a spirit of good humour and light-heartedness, the speakers also mentioned the power cut, caused by the torrential rain that had fallen on Caracas, which forced the organisers to make last-minute changes to the arrangements for the graduation ceremony. “This incident gave us the opportunity to put the principles of crisis management into practice with you this evening and to demonstrate our resilience – two essential aspects of management”,

Our warmest congratulations to the thirty-three students who received their diplomas before joining a drinks reception with their families and friends: Roxann, Miguel Ángel, Andrés Leonardo, Josué Alejandro, María Elena, Crismarys Nazareth, Marcello Vicente, Horacio José, Víctor Manuel, Emil Amenenhad, Gabriel Arturo, Henry José, Félix Tomás, Ana Mercedes, Jesús Eduardo, Roderick José, Yerlis del Carmen, Diego Alejandro, Nicolás Eduardo, Samuel David, Luis Gonzalo, Elias José, Miriam Cristela, Adrián Alberto, Pablo Alejandro, Luis Alberto, Leonardo José, David José, Kairo Enrique, Francisco, Naomy Ludivi, Leonardo Enrique and José Gregorio

We would also like to thank UNIMET, our partner since 2010, and in particular Pily, Ricardo, Luis and Víctor. We appreciate their motivation and unwavering commitment.