Mr.Raúl SOLANO, President of Federación de Parkour Costa Rica (Founder/Director of Evolución Natural Parkour Costa Rica) and Miss Beatriz MONGE RUIZ, Secretary General of Federación de Parkour Costa Rica (Founder/Director of “Parkour Femenino C.R.”) have been named to the IPF Committees of Research and Education (Mr. Solano) and Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equity (Mr. Monge Ruiz).

Mr. Raúl Solano, President of the Parkour Federation of Costa Rica, and currently working on his university degree in Pre-Primary Education at the State Distance University in San José CR, began his career in 2008 as a Parkour practitioner, hand in hand with the first generation of Parkour athletes in San José. Those athletes included Manfred Castro, Miguel Torres, Halden Castro, Saulo Quiros, Oskar Valverde, Antonio Ramírez, Cheko Ávila, and Sebastián, among the most active in Parkour at the time. In 2013, Mr. Solano founded the grass roots organization, “Evolución Natural Parkour” Costa Rica to make Parkour accessible to all ages and all levels regardless of age, gender, or socioeconomic circumstance. He saw it as a powerful tool to help different people understand an altruistic philosophy, a love of nature, and love of community. Over the past 7 years, Mr. Solano, through “Evolución Natural” has organized over dozens of Parkour events of all kinds, many of those in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Costa Rica. He has also traveled extensively in CUBA, MEXICO, GUATEMALA, FRANCE.

Highlights of Mr. Solano’s achievements which he will bring to the Research and Education Committee of IPF.

-Instructor and director of the Parkour school in the Parque la Libertad Community Development Project. -Parkour instructor Country Day School, Liceo Franco Costarricense, True North Academy, Bamboo Kids Center, Gravite Gym. -Collaboration and community outreach with ASDECA Calisthenics Association, Camp Jam Costa Rica, and The Parkour Games Costa Rica. -Bachelor’s Degree Candidate with a specialty in Pre-Primary Education at State Distance University, San Jose, CR. -Director of the Academia Natural Evolution in San José Coronado -WFPF (World Freerunning Parkour Federation) Academy director Costa Rica, advisor, trainer, and educational director for Central and South America.

Miss Beatriz Monge Ruiz, Secretary General of the Parkour Federation of Costa Rica is a professional dancer and Parkour “traceuse”. She began her studies in ballet at the age of 4 and at the age of 14 she began her studies in Jazz and Contemporary Dance. In 2017 she discovered a whole new world in the practice of Parkour. Miss Monge Ruiz began to explore the fusion between Parkour and Dance, and began her research through conducting workshops and exploration of her concept with the mix of both disciplines, calling it “Danzkour”.
In 2019, she founded the first Parkour women’s group of Costa Rica, dedicating herself to research in the women’s area in all areas of this sport and classes for this population. She provides support, guidance, mentor-ship, and instruction.
In March 2018 Miss Monge Ruiz graduated from the National University of Costa Rica with her Bachelor’s degree in Dance. She currently lives in Turrialba, Cartago and has just completed the first Women’s Parkour camp in Costa Rica. She will be a valuable member of the Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equity Committee of IPF.