Portoviejo

Portoviejo, officially San Gregorio de Portoviejo, is the capital of the province of Manabí and one of Ecuador's oldest cities, founded on 12 March 1535. With an estimated population of over 320,000 inhabitants, it is the administrative, commercial, university, and agricultural centre of Ecuador's northern coast, 30 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean. The city is also a communications hub for the interior of Manabí, articulating a province with more than 1.4 million inhabitants.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake of April 2016 marked a turning point for Portoviejo, whose urban centre was partially destroyed; however, the reconstruction process — internationally recognised as a model of urban resilience — endowed the city with new infrastructure, parks, and public spaces that have driven citizen physical activity and sport. With 5,000 participants registered in ACES Activa, Portoviejo consolidates its commitment to promoting sport as a vehicle for social cohesion.