The current COG Executive Committee, which continues not to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), published this Monday, February 26, in the Official Gazette, the agreement 011/2021-CE-COG that repealed the statutes approved on December 23, 2021.
“The action carried out by the COG Executive Committee, not recognized by the IOC, It was carried out illegally, arbitrarily and in clear violation of the COG Statutes.of the Olympic Charter and of the guidelines issued by the IOC”, begins the letter signed by 24 leaders of the different Federations and Associations.
“Therefore, the undersigned, we reject, condemn and repudiate the attitude assumed by the gentlemen: Jorge Alejandro Rodas Hurtarte, Selvyn Estuardo Ponciano Chitay, Walter Rene Vásquez Monterrosa and Edwin Giovanni Gutiérrez Godínezself-appointed Executive Committee of the COG, considering it one more affront to the autonomy of Guatemalan Olympic sport,” it is stated.
The leaders also called on the assembly members, athletes and other members of the Guatemalan Olympic family, to take the legal measures that arise from such events in criminal and/or constitutional matters. “It is an illegal act that seeks to confuse, generate disorder, maliciously hindering the delay in his departure from office.”
At the same time, the IOC-recognized COG Executive Committee is also urged to notify the International Olympic Committee Executive Committee of ““This new attack on the autonomy of sport, the COG Statutes and the Olympic Charter.”
In addition, they thanked President Bernardo Arévalo for his interest in seeking a solution to the problem of the suspension of Olympic sport and requested that he recommend that the Magistrates of the Constitutional Court cease “in their omissive attitude and proceed without further delay to resolve the withdrawals raised by the Federated Sports Electoral Tribunal in April 2023 for the IOC to lift the suspension imposed from October 15, 2022.
Among the Federations and Associations that sign the statement are gymnastics, baseball, equestrian, rowing and canoeing, swimming, racquetball, modern pentathlon, field tennis, bowling, karate do, motorcycling, badminton, softball, weightlifting, basketball, bodybuilding, free flight, table tennis, mountaineering, kickboxing , skating, sports billiards, among others.
2023 was the year where Guatemalan athletes competed in the Central American and Caribbean Games, San Salvador, and the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, with the white flag of Independent Athletes, due to the suspension. The next big event is the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and qualified athletes have repeatedly requested to compete for Guatemala.
During the last weeks, very important actions have been carried out, such as the meeting of President Arévalo with the president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, where the Guatemalan president shared his interest and concern that the suspension will come to an end.
The sights are set on the Legislature, where the ruling alliance would have to approve a bill presented in October 2022.
Arevalo revealed in Switzerland plan B that falls on Congress and consists of approving a bill that was presented by former deputy Mario Taracena in October 2022 and he supported it along with another twenty legislators.
Proposal 6149 provides for reform of the National Law for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports, decree 76-97 of the Congress of the Republic. This initiative was heard in plenary on February 1, 2024 and sent to the Education, Science and Technology commission chaired by a deputy from the Cabal bench. The bill is in the opinion phase in the education commission.
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