Playa del Carmen Launches First Permanent Sports Scholarships for Athletes

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Municipal President Estefanía Mercado has awarded the first 57 scholarships under the new “Ayell Israel Vivas Morales” sports scholarship program, marking the launch of Playa del Carmen’s first permanent financial support initiative for high-performance athletes.

The ceremony, held in the Salón Leona Vicario at the new Municipal Palace, recognized athletes who represented the municipality at the CONADE National Olympiad and Paralympiad. “You are the ones who carry the flag of the happy moments of our municipality,” Mercado said.

The mayor thanked parents, coaches and the staff of the Municipal Sports Institute, led by Alberto López Castro, for their ongoing support of athletes. She urged the recipients to maintain discipline, perseverance and mental strength to represent not only Playa del Carmen and Quintana Roo but also Mexico in international competitions.

Jacobo Arzate, president of the Quintana Roo Sports Commission (CODEQ), attended on behalf of Governor Mara Lezama and praised Playa del Carmen as the municipality with the most medal contributions to the state. He also welcomed the creation of the municipal scholarship program.

Alberto López Castro, director of the Municipal Sports Institute, said the scholarships fulfill a long-standing demand from the sports community and pay tribute to Ayell Israel Vivas Morales, a pioneer of para-athletics in Quintana Roo.

The 57 beneficiaries are medalists from the 2025 CONADE National Olympiad and Paralympiad. They will receive monthly payments of 1,500 pesos at Level 1 and 1,000 pesos at Level 2 to help cover training and development expenses.

Also present at the ceremony were Saúl Barbosa Heredia, president of the municipal Education, Culture and Sports Commission, and skating champion Mía Aguillón Cruz.