Donovan Carrillo arrives in the Live With No Addictions

Mexican Olympic figure skater participated in the 2024 International Congress Live With No Addictions at Poliforum Leon

Leon/Gto News

The Mexican Olympic figure skater Donovan Carrillo participated in the 2024 Live With No Addictions International Congress at the Poliforum in Leon.

This Congress, led by Governor Libia Dennise Garcia Munoz Ledo and the Secretary of Health, Dr. Gabriel Cortes Alcala, aims to prevent young Guanajuatenses from falling into addictions.

It is based in 2020 where the purpose is the prevention of addictions in Guanajuatenses, creating healthy environments and protective factors.

Donovan noted the importance of practicing a sport to avoid addictions at any stage of life.

Carrillo said that since he was a child, sport was his “babysitter”, he said that this factor was decisive in avoiding addictions, but not only addictions, but he also said that it is a great protective factor for mental health.  

“I started playing sports when I was 3 years old, because my parents were physical education teachers and both worked double shifts, so I got into sports from a young age. I started skating when I was 8 years old, because I wanted to seduce a girl. I asked my parents to enroll me in these classes,” said the Mexican skater.

“It took 14 years of practicing and practicing and working constantly with many people behind me, like my parents, my coaches and with the support of government agencies that believed in me to be able to represent Mexico in the Olympic Games,” said Donovan.

Carrillo is the first Mexican figure skater to land a quadruple jump and is the first Mexican figure skater to qualify Mexico to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in his category after 30 years.

“I want to share with young people a phrase that has helped me trust in myself. ‘We ourselves know what we are and what we are worth’, don’t let yourself be overcome by social pressures. Drinking doesn’t make you more of a man or look cool. You have to ask yourself, Is this that I am doing going to add something positive to my life?”, said the skater.

Donovan advised participants to live their lives in stages: “Don’t look forward to the next stage, enjoy the moment, enjoy what you are experiencing, live them in the best way possible and live healthily,” he said.