SOCCER-COPA/CHILE-PREPS Chile makes final preparations ahead of Copa America championship

Record ID: 150482

  • Title: SOCCER-COPA/CHILE-PREPS Chile makes final preparations ahead of Copa America championship
  • Date: 8th June 2015
  • Summary: SANTIAGO, CHILE (JUNE 08, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CITY OF SANTIAGO VARIOUS OF NATIONAL STADIUM WITH ADVERTISEMENTS FOR COPA AMERICA VARIOUS OF WORKERS CLEANING EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR OF STADIUM EXTERIOR OF STADIUM WITH COPA AMERICA LOGO VARIOUS OF INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTRE IN CHILEAN NATIONAL TELEVISION [TVN] FACILITIES VARIOUS OF COPA AMERICA PREPARATIONS FROM DIFFEREN
  • Embargoed: 23rd June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Chile
  • Country: Chile
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAAJHOI7YTA43UQUO7TM0AMVDCW
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: With the Copa America just days away, final preparations were underway in Chile on Monday (June 6) as the country gets ready to host the 44th edition of the tournament.
    Employees were hard at work to have the national stadium in Santiago shipshape for the debut match where host Chile will face Ecuador on June 11.
    Media and television channels were also busy with preparations ahead of the fast-approaching championship.
    Chile's National Television [TVN] will host international media and has created a high tech press centre for the sporting event.
    "This is the first time a project like this is happening in Chile, National Television [TVN] took the challenge because we think that we have both the equipment and the experience in big events that we have participated in in order to be the hosts of an event like Copa America," said TVN's technical manager, Gonzalo Jara.
    Estanislao Franco, from T Y C Sports, praised the technical facilities, saying they were comparable to those of Pan American and Olympic games.
    "I have been in two events, a Pan American games and Olympics and what TVN has done in regard to technical facilities for us is very similar and the truth is that it's very appreciable that they have been able to reach this high quality standard," said Franco.
    On the bustling main streets of the country capital, vendors selling Copa America paraphernalia were bracing for an influx of customers.
    "The Copa America is days away and Tuesday, Wednesday everything for sale goes up and also next week. The foreign fans are already arriving. But this is going to go well for all of us that work in the Paseo Ahumada [main shopping street]," said local vendor, Hector.
    As excited fans purchased Copa America items such as flags and banners, a pedestrian, Luis, said he hoped the games would run smoothly and without violence.
    "People are really excited about this [Copa America], I hope that it's a nice event, that there aren't any excesses or problems [of violence] and that people are received well and looked after well," he said.
    Chile, in Group A with Ecuador, Mexico and Bolivia, is looking to win the world's oldest active international tournament for the first time.
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