Monagas was also the first director Puerto Rico's Public Recreation and Parks Commission, and the first president of the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization.
[3] While still a boy, Monagas competed in several track and field events, including the shot put and pole vaulting.
As director of the Comisión, Monagas sent Puerto Rican teams to play exhibition games in other countries.
[3] In 1950, the Commission became the Administracion de Parques y Recreos Publicos (Public Recreation and Parks Administration).
Under his directorship, sports and recreation saw significant growth islandwide: baseball leagues were created for children, the Golden Gloves Association was formed to organize amateur boxing, and parks were established throughout the island.
[3] In 1946, Monagas asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to recognize the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, which consisted of Governor Jesús T. Piñero as chairman, Monagas as vice-chairman, Roberto Sánchez Vilella as secretary, and Rafael Buscaglia, Jorge Jiménez, and Luis Torres Ros as members.
On September 17, 1947, Monagas re-submitted his request and in January, 1948, the ICO officially recognized the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee.
[3] That year, Puerto Rico participated in three sports in the Olympic Games held in London in 1950: track and field, marksmanship, and boxing.
A new Olympic Committee was formed with members of the five Puerto Rican federations that had international affiliations – athletics, boxing, cycling, weightlifting and shooting – but it was challenged again as it still included Monagas, who was both the president of the Puerto Rico Athletics Association and the director of the Public Recreation and Parks Administration.
[3] Julio Enrique Monagas is considered the father of Puerto Rican Olympic sports.