Bolivia to Apply to Host a Youth World Cup in 2025

Date: 02 April 2016 - 20:54

News ID: ۲۵۰۹۸

LA PAZ (Xinhua) -- In the coming days, Bolivia will formalize its application to organize a youth World Cup in 2025, announced President Evo Morales on Friday.
The Bolivian president said he will send an official letter to before the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) with solid arguments in favor of organizing a World Cup. The event would serve as commemoration act to be included in the activities planned for the bicentenary of Bolivia’s independence.
"Next week we will send a letter to FIFA. We are going to formalize this request of organizing a world cup in Bolivia to mark the occasion of the bicentenary,” said Morales in Cochabamba during an event where he gave resources for projects as part of the "Bolivia changes, Evo complies” program.
Morales said he took advantage of FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s visit to Bolivia on Thursday to ask for a youth World Cup, for men or women.
Infantino, during his visit to Bolivia, seemed open to the idea of granting the South American country a youth World Cup when asked informally by Morales.
Morales asked all sectors, including the opposition, to get on board with this project, taking into account that a world tournament is very prestigious and very few countries have been able to organize such an event.
"I am hoping our wish will be granted. For the first time we will have a World Cup. It is historic and unprecedented,” said Morales while ensuring that with an event of this scale, Bolivia will be put into the global spotlight.
Bolivia has shown it can be a "good host and organizer” for important world events such as the G77+China Summit 2014 which took place in the eastern city of Santa Cruz and the two world summits on the environment in the central city of Cochabamba, according to Morales.
The Bolivian president added that he has various projects in mind to improve the country’s sports infrastructure. An international event of this scale merits that visitors are welcomed in the best way, according to Morales.