Discussions continue in the country due to the disappearance of the headquarters that would enable organization. Pan-American Games Year 2027, previously located in Barranquilla Panama Sports, the organizer will remove the country’s headquarters due to non-compliance. Now the president of the Colombian Olympic Committee has reacted: Ciro SolanoSpeaking about the letter the Government received in ‘La W’.
(You may be interested in: Pan American Games: Gustavo Petro reacts to the letter sent to him by Panam Sports)
On January 3, Neven Ilic, president of Pana Sports, announced that he would remove the headquarters from Colombia due to non-compliance with the contract.
The country was supposed to pay $8 million, the first four before December 31, 2023, and the rest before January 31 this year.
“Following non-compliance with the host city agreement and the extensions granted, Panam Sports Executive Committee decided to withdraw its headquarters to Barranquilla, Colombia, at a session held on Tuesday, January 2, 2024,” the organization’s letter said. of the Games, which he sent to the Government after withdrawing the venue, and which were published by EL TIEMPO.
The loss of the center led to a political scandal involving the Minister of Sports at the beginning of the year. Astrid Viviana Rodríguez, A motion of censure hung over his head. The same crisis forced President Petro to take responsibility for the so far unsuccessful efforts to retake Barranquilla’s seat.
Last week, Asunción (Paraguay) and Lima (Peru) formalized their intention to hold the Pan American Games in 2027, further complicating the possibilities for the Atlantic capital. The country is awaiting the president’s announcement to Chile, where he hopes to enlist the support of his counterpart Gabriel Boric to broker Panam Sports, whose chairman Neven Ilic is also Chilean.
Ten days before the deadline, on October 19 last year, in the middle of the Chilean Games, Minister Rodríguez, former mayor of Barranquilla Jaime Pumarejo, and Colombian Olympic Committee president Ciro Solano met with Panam Sports and they discussed the new deadline. Requested and managed to set delivery dates. The first $4 million was due on December 30. The second amount owed will be amortized on January 30, 2024. At the meeting in Santiago, President Petro’s government, through Minister Rodríguez, confirmed its full commitment to the Games.
Although Panam Sports reiterated in its letter that “it has been made clear in writing that failure to comply with this new and final deadline will mean the immediate relocation of headquarters to the city of Barranquilla”, the Colombian Ministry of Sports inexplicably failed to do so. funds required to make the first payment. The letter sent to Petro says, “As you know, what was determined in the extension signed and agreed between the parties was not fulfilled.”
After the letter emerged, President Petro reacted ironically with a message on account X.
“As far as I know, January 30th has not arrived yet. We are on the 21st,” the president wrote, referring to the second agreed upon deadline.
Ciro SolanoPresident Colombian Olympic Committee, touched upon the letter received from Panama Sports in recent hours and President Petro’s reaction. “I was surprised by the president’s inappropriate response and frankly didn’t understand why. Ciro told ‘La W’ that the channels Panam Sports has today are through the Colombian Olympic Committee and there is “very little light”.
In any case, Solano insists the country could still fight to retake the headquarters.
“Despite all these difficulties and mistakes, Colombia is the best prepared country for the Pan American Games today, because we started a race to get the place (…) we need that little hope. We will continue the fight, we Solano said, “Time is running out. “We almost have this week left,” he said.
On who will bear the political cost of this mistake, Solano noted: “The payment agreement clearly stated that $34 million was due on December 31, and the truth is that we did not comply (…) “The non-compliance was partial, whether true or complete non-compliance.”
“The Minister was very careful and he was the one who revived the Games, because the Games had been in the freezer for almost nine months waiting for approval from the National Government, because there was a change of government and we did not know what to do (…) María Isabel Urrutia did not pay attention to the matter and when Rodríguez came to speak we started… In any case, I would say there was fear or negligence inside, because that was where the money was,” Solano added.
Although there is a glimmer of hope, Solano is also a realist. As he told EL TIEMPO, he insisted that it was impossible for Barranquilla to run again once the seat was taken, due to regulatory problems.
This being the case, Colombia’s hope is that the Panam Sports Executive Committee will hold a meeting and decide to reverse its decision.
“If the management does not approve the Extraordinary Congress, we will lose,” he said.
Finally, he commented on the Government’s interest in the games: “The Government took some time to say ‘yes’ to the Pan American Games (…) acting on the ultimatum letter.” Panama SportsWhen you start talking seriously with Minister Rodríguez. I even told the minister two or three times that we would withdraw our candidacy if the government did not accept it. “It is not possible to do these without the support of the government because 60 percent of the resources come from the nation.”
Last Thursday, it was officially announced that Lima had already delivered the letter applying to host the 2027 Pan American Games, which Colombia lost due to breach of contract.
This was announced by Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, who warned that the country was preparing to hold jousts.
“Last night I sent a letter to the president of Panam Sports expressing his support and approval for the Peruvian government to officially nominate Lima as the venue for the 2027 Pan American Games,” Boluarte said.
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Source: Exame
I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.
