The IOC threatened to suspend the Guatemala Committee on October 15

The IOC Executive Commission, meeting in Lausanne (Switzerland), agreed this Thursday to disable the Guatemalan Olympic Committee (COG) from October 15 if at that time you have not met the criteria required by the international body to be consistent with the Olympic Charter.

Part of the COG’s laws were partially suspended last month by the Central American country’s Constitutional Court, after a case filed by a presidential candidate of the sports entity.

The IOC director for relations with national committees, the British James Macleod, explained in a press conference that the Executive decided to “give one last chance” to the COG and local authorities to “comply with the Olympic Charter”, regularize the situation and call elections “according to their own laws”.

In particular, the IOC requests that the partial suspension of COG laws be lifted and that the country’s sports law guarantees the independence of the Committee.

The international organization is aware of a meeting planned shortly in Guatemala to seek a solution to the conflict. Their conclusions must be transferred to the IOC by September 25.

THE CENTRAL AMERICAN GAMES ON THE HORIZON

The Olympic Executive’s decision comes just six weeks before Guatemala organizes the XII Central American Games with Costa Rica, starting on October 27.

“Who knows“said MacLeod, “and so we set a deadline of October 15 to review the situation.”

The leader preferred not to specify how the suspension of the COG would affect Guatemala’s role as the organizing nation.

“We will study this in the coming weeks and wait for the Executive’s decision“, he pointed out.

The Central American Games were supposed to be held in 2021 in Santa Tecla (El Salvador), but were postponed to 2022 and then to 2023 due to the covid pandemic. Finally, the Salvadoran authorities resigned from the organization, which was taken over by Guatemala and Costa Rica.

For athletes in the region, this is an event of great importance, as it marks the beginning of the Olympic cycle that will lead to Paris 2024.

Boxing, chess, bodybuilding, basketball, volleyball, handball, weightlifting, taekwondo, fencing, artistic gymnastics, tennis, half marathon and race walking events must be held in Guatemala City, and in Lake Petén Itzá, in the Municipality of Flores, open water swimming.

NO REPRESENTATION OR FUNDING

If the COG suspension is carried out, recalls MacLeod, Guatemalan athletes cannot represent competing under their flag and their song in the Olympic Games or in other international competitions.

Similarly, the COG “will not receive funding from the Olympic Movement until the suspension is lifted.”

McLeod indicated that the Constitutional Court’s decision was due to “unclear” reasons.

The origin of the conflict is in a struggle between the former softball player Gerardo Aguirre, president of the Committee from 2014 to 2018 and from 2018 to 2022, and the former soccer player Jorge Rodas, who aims to occupy the position of that in the next cycle. Rhodes appealed the electoral process to the highest court in the country, which accepted his request and invalidated part of the sports organization’s laws.

A group of Guatemalan athletes demonstrated on August 30 at the doors of the courthouse with banners opposing the said resolution and called to “respect the autonomy of sport, as stated in the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala.”

There are many antecedents of similar cases in other countries. The IOC tries in these situations that the punishment does not directly affect the athletes, who can continue to compete, although under the Olympic symbols (flag, anthem…), while the problem is solved.