Jorge Perez Vento shares his Olympic experience with Baja California young talent in Mexico

TIJUANA, Mexico, September 24, 2014.- Former volleyball player and coach Jorge Perez Vento is at the Baja California High Performance Center, sharing his experiences with the Sports Talent Program young athletes.

Perez Vento Machado competed at the Olympic Games of Montreal in 1976, in Canada, as member of the Cuban Team, that captured the Bronze Medal, four years after the representative of the Caribbean island finished tenth in Munich.

His experience as player has been key for the teams and athletes that train hard at the Olympic Center located in Northern, Mexico, and also his work as head coach in different circuits and leagues has a great value for the new generations.

He coached at the Puerto Rican League where he received de distinction as Coach of the Year 2008, with the Guaynabo Mets. His work also was fundamental in the big steps taken by the Dominican Women’s Volleyball Project that achieved a big success after winning medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games, as well as Pan American titles, like the one conquered in Santo Domingo 2003.

A great Dinasty

Jorge Perez Vento is not the only one surrounded by volleyball in his family. His brother Jose Ramon is in charge of the referees coordination at the North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) and is also member of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).

Also his nephew Josmer (son of Jose Ramon Peres Vento) has a very close relationship with volleyball. He has participated as international referee in many competitions such as continental, Pan American and World Championships.

Josmer has been nominated as officer for the Age Group World Championships celebrated in 2013 in Baja California, Mexico, and is now at the FIVB Women’s Senior World Championship in Italy as a Norceca referee.

Good contributions

The Baja California sports program has grown a lot and received many benefits after international exchanges. Along with volleyball, some other disciplines have experienced a very important evolution with the contribution of Olympic caliber mentors.

Just like Perez Vento, a few years ago, another Olympian and medalist of the 1976 Games worked with the Baja California Project. Victor Garcia Campos, who played along with Perez Vento, helped the young girls of Baja and Mexico to increase their performance level with their state and national teams.

Many of the girls coached and instructed by Garcia, became part of the U18 National Team that claimed a Silver Medal at the Pan American Age Group Cup in 2011.

Some of those girls also have been part of the Junior and Senior national teams, like the ones that are competing now at the FIVB Women’s World Championship in Italy.

Another part of the minor categories has worked under the direction of another Olympian, like Evelyn Carreras Pichardo, who played at the Games of Athens 2004 with the Dominican National Team, that a year earlier won the Pan American Games title in Santo Domingo.

A few years before, Cuban star Norka Latamblet, who played with the Morenas of the Caribbean, also shared her knowledge with the program, after playing for the legendary Eugenio George, who passed away recently.

Olympic legends at the Sports Institute

When talking about Olympic Wrestling, Wilbert Sanchez, also set a blueprint while he stayed in Mexico. The Cuban-born World champion in 1992 in France and Bronze Medalist at the Olympic Games of Barcelona in that same year, contributed to the detection and preparation of young wrestlers.

Sanchez, who has been considered as one of the Best 100 athletes of the XX Century in Cuba, received in 2012 the Gold Button by the International Wrestling Federation along with Filiberto Azcuy. He actually is part of the State Sport Administration in his homeland, Cuba.

Some other olympic medal athletes and participants that have helped the grassroots program was Juan Roberto Hernández Sierra, winner of four Boxing World Titles and two Olympic Silver Medals. He won second olympic place twice, at the Games of Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996