Miguel Camacho proposes academic scholarships for Dominican athletes

Miguel Camacho, president of the Dominican Taekwondo Federation (FEDOTAE) and executive member of the Dominican Olympic Committee (COD), has called on authorities to facilitate access to higher education for high-performance athletes.

Camacho emphasized that because professional athletic careers are often short, academic preparation is essential for athletes to reintegrate into society productively. He proposed the urgent creation of a commission involving the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCyT) and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation (MIDEREC) to operationalize existing scholarship agreements for undergraduate and postgraduate studies, both nationally and internationally.

He noted that the intensive training schedules of athletes, which can last between 6 and 10 hours daily, make it difficult to meet traditional academic excellence standards. Consequently, he suggested that scholarship programs should weigh sporting excellence alongside necessary academic performance to ensure a dignified professional career following their athletic tenure.