Identified as PANDEPORTES, this institute, as established in its official page, became Panama Government's maximum entity responsible for promoting, fostering, managing, guiding and coordinating nationwide amateur sports activities in order to contribute to a full and harmonic physical, spiritual and moral development of Panamanians and make them fit for the exercise of their rights and the fulfillment of their duties as members of society and Panamanian citizens.
PANDEPORTES' goals are many, but the most important one is to contribute to the physical, spiritual and moral development of Panamanian children, men and women through sports and recreation, thus helping them become more complete human beings in body and soul. In addition, it plays a significant part in improving the Panamanian sports reputation, on a national and international scale.
PANDEPORTES hopes to become an entity with national and international recognition by 2009 due to its leadership and excellence in the comprehensive and sustainable development of sports and recreation in Panama.
It is Panama Sports Institute's responsibility, as the maximum body in the field of sports and recreation, to guide, encourage, lead and coordinate activities within its competence, in order to contribute to improving the quality of life of the population in Panama.
Panama Sports Institute (PANDEPORTES), a State's decentralized entity, was established through Decree Law No. 144 of 2 June 1970. At the beginning, it was created as the Cultural and Sports Institute (INCUDE, Spanish initials), but in 1974, sports were separated from culture.
Later on, INAC was created through Law No. 63 that year, as the institute responsible for culture.
Finally, Panama Sports Institute was reorganized through Law No. 16 of 3 May 1995, as an autonomous and public legal entity with the right to own property.
Panama Sports Institute (PANDEPORTES) has the following organization chart: Board of Directors, General Management, Deputy General Management, General Secretariat, Administrative Division, Technical Sports Division and the Architecture and Engineering Division, as well as their respective departments and sections.
It's a regulation that competitive and top sports practice shall be governed by sports organizations in the following hierarchical order: National Federations, City Halls' Leagues and Sports Clubs.
To be considered a sport as a National Federation, it needs to be made up of at least five Provincial Leagues recognized by PANDEPORTES.
Panama Sports Institute shall recognize those sports entities which, due to specific characteristics, do not meet the requirements to be incorporated as a Sports Federation, provided that their boards of directors are freely elected by their own members.
