The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ratified the indefinite suspension of Guatemala of all sporting activities due to its authorities’ interference with the Olympic Charter, while the Central American nation’s athletes warned of “irreparable damage” against them.
The IOC’s decision was made official through a letter to the Guatemalan Olympic Committee, in which it urged local authorities to find a solution to the problem, according to a source from the sports entity on Monday.
In the letter, signed by james macleoddirector of the department of Olympic Solidarity and IOC Olympic Committee Relationsestablishes that “Guatemala athletes may not represent the country or compete under its flag” in Olympic Games and other international sporting events.
Similarly, the organization removed Guatemala as a country with an Olympic Committee and therefore “will not receive funds” from the Olympic Movement of the IOC itself “until the suspension is lifted.”
The Guatemalan Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission warned in a press release that local athletes would suffer “irreparable damage” from the suspension.
They also added that “this is not just a sports issue, it is a national issue” and demanded solutions “immediately” from the president of Guatemala, Alexander Giammatteiand Congress.
The sanction against Guatemala became official on Saturday, October 15, according to the warning of the International Olympic Committee in September, for not complying with the requirements of the Olympic Charter due to the intervention of the state of the Guatemalan Government, something that the entity prohibits international.
The suspension is due to the fact that the laws of the Guatemalan Olympic Committee (COG) were partially lifted in August by the highest court in the country, the Constitutional Court, after a battle of legal resources between the two candidates for the presidency of sports. creature.
Due to the sanctions, the Guatemalan talent retention program will be halted and 322 high-level athletes will lose their monthly economic incentive, as well as approximately 138 coaches and 74 technicians who support them in preparation, according to the same Guatemalan Olympic Committee.
The source of the conflict is a struggle between former softball players Gerardo Aguirrepresident of the Guatemalan Olympic Committee since 2014, and former soccer player Jorge Rodas, who aims to hold that position during the 2022-2026 period.
The sanction against Guatemala by the International Olympic Committee is for an indefinite period of time, but the foreign organization will try to ensure that Guatemalan athletes can continue to compete under these circumstances, although under Olympic flag, until the situation is resolved.
However, athletes must finance their participation in international competitions on their own and in the same way in many qualifying events for the Olympic Games, such as shooting and athletics, the scores of athletes from a suspended country are not proven.
Source: La Verdad
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