KINE 1000 - SPORTS, HUMAN RIGHTS AND TRANSFORMATION LECTURE / READINGS

When was CHILES DICTATORSHIP period?

Lasted from 1973-1981

Officially ended in 1989

What were the SPORTS like in Chile?

• Soccer was the most populat

• GENDER DISCRIMINATION, sports seen as an activity for boys

• WORKING CLASS kids privileged to have access to sports

What was the Professors experience in the CHILEAN ARMY?

• Chilean Army mandatory for all boys

• Was apart of the army for 2 years (15-16 years old)

• Learned the modus operandi

• Training was combination of abuse, punishment, poor eating, etc

  • “Do not think or question, simply follow orders”

What SPORTS did the Professor participate in?

• 1970, played BASKETBALL

  • Won national Juvenile Championships

  • Small working class team beating bigger higher class teams

• End of 1970s, played VOLLEYBALL

• Once graduated… called upon the national team for both sports

  • Choose to play VOLLEYBALL

Who was Dr. SALVADOR ALLENDE

Democratically elected President for Chile (1970)

• A socialist and communist

Why did the U.S try to stop ALLENDE from being elected?

• Elections occurred during the COLD WAR

  • Time of rivalry between U.S vs. Soviet Union

• ALLENDE was a communist, which aligned with Soviet ideologies

• U.S wanted to protect their economic / political influence in latin regions

  • Nixon and Kissinger

When did the COUP D’ETAT occur?

September 11, 1973

What was the COUP D’ETAT?

• The military overthrow of democratically elected president, ALLENDE

• Ended civilian rule and established a RIGHT-WING dictatorship

• Many killed and tortured

• National stadiums turned into concentration camps

What was COSTA GAVTAS movie MISSING about?

• The American Journalist, JACK LEMMON, that went missing

• Wanted to know what was happening in Chile during the Coup D’etat

• Killed because he knew too much

Who was FERNANDO KRUASS?

• President of Professors High School Student Council

• Executed in Valdivia

• “No matter who you are, if your against the regime… you are in trouble”

Who was SERGIO TORMEN?

• National CYCLING champion

• Detained and disappeared

• 2023, PanAm Games in Santiago Chile, the VELODROME was renamed Sergio Tormen

Who were JORGE MULLER and CARMEN BUENO?

• Famous cameramen and actress

• Disappeared after the premier of their movie

What were the roles of DOCTORS during the dictatorship?

• Some doctors involved in torture…made sure the person being tortured didn’t die to gain information

What was the significance of SCIENTIFIC FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY AWARD?

• American Association for the Advancement of Science gave the Chilean Medical Association them this award

• Recognized the efforts of the association to end torture and promote ethical responsibility

WHY did the Professor get a PENALTY? And WHAT was his penalty?

• For “UNPROVEN” political activities and PROVEN support for democratic government

• 2 years suspension from University

Who was VICTOR JARA?

• Folks singer, actor, and theatre director

• Tortured because of his affiliation with Unity Government

• September 16, 1973, he was executed

• Remembered internationally as a martyr for human rights and democracy

• Only recently his killers have been brought to justice

Who was AUGUSTO PINOCHET?

• Chilean dictator

• Took power on September 11, 1973 and left government in 1989

• Nominated himself senator for life

• Created a new constitution to maintain the dictatorship regimen intact

• Died 2006, before he could be declared a criminal by Chilean courts

Who was GUSTAVI VEUGA?

• Argentinean journalist

• Wrote a book called, “sports, disappeared and dictatorship”

• More than 200 athletes were killed / disappeared during Argentinas dictatorship years

Impact of DICTATORSHIP on CHILEAN ATHELETES

• 19 elite athletes were torured, killed, and / or disappeared

• 25 athletes were forced into exile / escaped (15 were volleyball players)

• First athlete victim was presiden Salvador Allende himself

What were the 3 main athletes KILLED?

• (1) Sergio Tormen

• (2) Luis Guajardo

• (3) Cecilia Castro Salvadores

Who was LUIS GUAJARDO?

• Engineering student and CYCLIST

• Involved in organizing resistance against regime

Who was CECILIA CASTRO SALVADORES?

• Law student and junior VOLLEYBALL national team member

• Organized and distributed information to fight dictatorship regime

• Secret police to her parents to a detention centre

  • Offered to release Cecilias daughter for her whereabouts

  • Cecilia and her husband tortured and disappeared

• Their daughter Paula alive and lives in Spain

What were the 2 main athleted TORTURED?

• (1) Olga Garrido (Famous soccer players mother)

• (2) Hernan Low Gomez

Who was OLGA GARRIDO?

• Mother of most famous SOCCER player in Chile, Carlos Caszely

  • Since Carlos was very outspoken about fighting the dictatorship

  • His mother was tortured in response

Who was HERNAN LOW GOMEZ?

• BASKETBALL player and engineering student

• Was a very vocal opponent of the dictatorship

• Encouraged peers to challenge military authority

• Captured and tortured by secret police

• His son, Diego Low, member of the Chilean National team

What were the 4 main LIVES DISRUPTED?

• (1) Patricia Jiron

• (2) Isabel Farga

• (3) Andres Moraga Gutierrez

• (4) Germain Sanchez

Who were PATRICIA JIRON and ISABELL FARGA?

• Members of the VOLLEYBALL national team

• Both of their fathers were imprisoned in concentration camps

• All players and parents survived and moved out of the country

• Stadiums cheered for them… recognizing how difficult it was to represent Chile while their fathers were being tortured

Who was ANDRES MORAGA GUITERREZ?

• CYCLIST COACH

• Arrested and taken to a detention centre, endured torture

• Was released after 2 days

Who was GERMAIN SANCHEZ?

• PHYS. ED TEACHER and SWIMMING COACH

• Led Chilean delegation to 1973 World University Games in Moscow

• Sought refuge at Mexican embassy, applied for political asylum

• Resettled in Toronto

What is the significance of ESTADIO NACIONAL?

The National Stadium was the LARGEST and FIRST concentration camp in Chile following the Coup D’etat

What is the significance of GATE 8?

• Preserved memorial sector that commemorated the people detained / tortured during the dictatorship

• “A people without a memory are a people without a future”

• MELISSA HUMANA, participated in 2023 PanAmerica games

  • Carried Canadian flag into the stadium though Gate 8

What was the UNITED NATIONS (UN) resolution on torture?

• November 12, 2025 the UN prohibits torture under all circumstances

• Establishes states OBLIGATION to prevent / punish it

• 3 countries voted against this resolution: United States, Israel and Argentina

What was the AMNESTY LAW (1978)?

Pardoned perpetrators and accomplices of offences committed between during the dictatorship rule