During their 10-day stay in Switzerland, 20 young Colombian people will get to know popular sports such as ice hockey, tennis and football with the help of sportspersons and coaches from different parts of the country. The programme also includes introductions to other sports, such as badminton, climbing, gymnastics, Swiss wrestling, floorball and volleyball. The ten girls and ten boys aged 13 to 17 come from the department of Nariño, a region in the south-west of Colombia that has been particularly shaken by over forty years of constant armed conflict.

Press release, 14 October 2014

This is the second time that Switzerland has participated in the programme as a host country. In December 2013, it hosted 26 other young people from the same region, who returned home after ten days filled with sporting experience and adventure.

Visit of young Colombian sportspeople, 2013

Switzerland has long been committed to improving the living conditions of the Colombian population, and in particular of those affected by the armed conflict, as well as to the country's sustainable economic development.

SDC involvement in Colombia 
Economic Cooperation and Development(seco)
Bilateral relations Switzerland–Colombia

The visit is organised by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in cooperation with the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federal Office of Sport (FOSPO), Prsence Switzerland and a variety of sports-related organisations. By inviting young Colombians, Switzerland is underlining its determination to work even harder in future to protect children in armed conflicts, and to combat the use of child soldiers.

FDFA – Children and armed conflicts