Ricardo Salinas to Host First Global Challenge 2018 International Robotics Competition in Mexico

CITY OF PUEBLA, Mexico, Nov. 21, 2017 -- Grupo Salinas, a group of dynamic, fast-growing and technologically advanced companies, deeply committed to the modernization of the countries where they operate, announced today that Ricardo Salinas, chairman of Grupo Salinas and founding member of FIRST Global, will be chairman of FIRST Global Challenge 2018 and will host the event, in Mexico City, in August next year.   

At La Ciudad de las Ideas —yearly forum of brilliant minds that takes place in Puebla, Mexico— Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST Global, said that FIRST Global Challenge is a robotics event where teams of students from over 150 countries compete to solve a relevant test.  Last year’s challenge was providing access to clean water.

Next year’s competing teams will be composed of high school students, between 15 and 18 years of age, aiming to increase their knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), so they can become the next generation of scientific leaders.

FIRST Global’s mission is to convince the youth of the world to appreciate the tools of STEM, and to show them that if they learn to communicate, cooperate and work together, they will be able to make exciting innovations, ranging from clean water to food security, which if solved, will make the world a better place for everyone.

FIRST Global is needed now more than ever because the world is becoming a fragile environment where billions are increasingly dependent on technology—whether for water, food, medicine or the environment—and will require significant innovation to sustain.

FIRST Global Challenge 2018 will take place in Mexico City, and Ricardo Salinas will work closely with FIRST Global to develop an event that effectively promotes scientific knowledge and that foments the wellbeing of communities.

About Grupo Salinas

Grupo Salinas (www.gruposalinas.com) is a group of dynamic, fast growing, and technologically advanced companies focused on creating: economic value through market innovation and goods and services that improve standards of living; social value, to create social capabilities to improve the communities’ conditions; and environmental value, by reducing the negative impact related to its business activities. Created by Mexican entrepreneur Ricardo B. Salinas (www.ricardosalinas.com), Grupo Salinas operates as a management development and decision forum for the top leaders of member companies. These companies include: TV Azteca (www.TVazteca.com; www.irtvazteca.com) Azteca America (us.azteca.com), Grupo Elektra (www.grupoelektra.com.mx), Banco Azteca (www.bancoazteca.com.mx), Advance America (www.advanceamerica.net), Afore Azteca (www.aforeazteca.com.mx), Seguros Azteca (www.segurosazteca.com.mx), Punto Casa de Bolsa (www.puntocasadebolsa.mx), Totalplay (www.totalplay.com.mx) and Enlace TP (www.enlacetp.mx). TV Azteca and Grupo Elektra trade shares on the Mexican Stock Market and are part of its Sustainability Index. Each of the Grupo Salinas companies operates independently, with its own management, board of directors and shareholders. Grupo Salinas has no equity holdings. The group of companies shares a common vision, values and strategies for achieving rapid growth, superior results and world-class performance.

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