Former Rugby Player Helps Incarcerated People in Argentina Find Community Through Sport

Medill School of Journalism | May 9, 2025, 1:46 pm

by Anneliese Cornejo Garcia

This article is part of a reporting project from students at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism on stories from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Professional rugby player Eduardo “Coco” Oderigo started a sports rehabilitation program for men in one of Buenos Aires’ most restrictive prisons.

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Now, almost two decades later, the program has expanded to include women.

Participants say it has created an environment where they find community, faith and freedom, one pass at a time. Here, in their own words, is their story.

Micaela “Alma” Insegna, Former Esparanta Player

“I was arrested, and when I went to jail, the first thing I saw was a field and a rugby ball. Involving myself a little more, I realized that, instead of wasting my time there, I could use it for other things, to develop myself. And that I was having an opportunity that not everyone really has. Because, to this day, I think I was lucky to have gotten to that place, to have met the Spartans.”

Dolores Irigoin, Espartanos Foundation Executive Director: “The Spartan Project was born 15 years ago when Eduardo “Coco” Oderigo, a criminal lawyer, first came into the jail, the San Martín Penitentiary Unit, which is where we are today. He went to the prison to understand what prison was really like from the inside. When he went home, he was impacted by everything he had seen, and he started to think about what needed to be done to change it.”

Professor Marcelo Bergman, international legal studies specialist, Universidad Nacional Tres de Febrero: “Many women, when they first enter the jail, their family or loved ones forget the large majority of them. The vast majority, or the proportion, of ‘forgotten women’ inside the jail is larger than the proportion of men.”

Macarena, current Esparanta Player : “My mom calls me and she says ‘Daughter, the strength that you have is impressive.’ So, that’s it. It makes me proud to know that my family is also happy with the progress I’ve made as a person.”

Micaela “Alma” Insegna: “To this day, now that I’m out here, I always miss them. I remember a lot of things. I use a lot of the tools that I received there. They serve me here on a daily basis. As I’ve said, a simple example, I have a bad day. I’m in a bad mood. I go on a run, and I come back with a different energy. And that among many other things.”