Members of the Colombian women's national team send a message to President Gustavo Petro regarding budget cuts for sports.

President Gustavo Petro's cuts to the Colombian sports budget prompted Colombian women's national team players to send a message to the president.

Congressman Mauricio Parod indicated that the total reduction in this Government for athletes reaches one billion pesos.

"The budget cuts for the Ministry of Sport are insane. For 2024 , the budget was 1.36 trillion pesos, and now for 2026, they're allocating only 310 billion pesos," the sports leader stated. "It's more than 1 trillion pesos," Parodi said.

He added: "Colombian athletes will forever remember President Petro as the leader who destroyed Colombian sports and who disregarded athletes, ignoring the fact that they are Colombia's best ambassadors to the world and deserve the full support of the government, the state, private enterprise, and society as a whole."

Rigoberto Urán and Ángel Barajas have raised their voices before the government on behalf of athletes, "just as several congressmen, including John Édgar Pérez from Quindío and Cristian Avendaño from Santander, have expressed themselves in the same sense, that the government reconsider this decision and that the budget be adjusted to the current reality and the illustrious history of national sport2," the congressman's statement states.

Colombia will play the Copa América final against Brazil this Saturday, but the key players took the time to send these messages to Petro.

“You can't build a nation without sport,” said Colombian forward and Real Madrid star Linda Caicedo.

"Every medal is an effort on the part of the athletes. Sport isn't an expense, it's hope," said midfielder Catalina Usme.

"When our athletes shine, an entire country rises. Cutting back on sports is extinguishing that pride," said archer Katherine Tapia.