Global Courant 2023-04-12 05:03:03
On April 14, Judge Dina Ochoa will hand over the presidency of the Constitutional Court (CC) to her peer Héctor Hugo Pérez Aguilera in a solemn session that will take place at the Miguel Ángel Asturias Cultural Center.
It was in this presidency that the highest court decided to provisionally suspend the statutes of the Guatemalan Olympic Committee (COG) that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had endorsed on December 22, 2021.
On March 1, the plenary session of the CC met to resolve file 3113-2022, related to that suspension of articles of the COG statutes, however, it postponed the discussion and did not set a date to discuss it again and decide in final form.
The CC had decided on August 4, 2022 to provisionally suspend the statutes endorsed by the IOC and with which Gerardo Aguirre was re-elected as president of the executive committee.
that cost him the suspension of all activities related to the Olympic cycle, as determined by the IOC and notified to the COG.
The IOC, through writings, was clear in saying that “the COG may not operate as an Olympic Committee as defined by the Olympic Charter; You will not be able to participate in the activities of Panam Sports, or receive resources from the Olympic movement while the suspension lasts.”
In addition, they emphasized that “because the Central American and Caribbean Games (in San Salvador) and the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games will take place in 2023, we hope that the Guatemalan authorities will be able to meet and find a solution to this problem, so as not to affect Guatemalan athletes in this fundamental year for their participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games”.
However, another problem for the national Olympic sport is that the IOC only supported the election of Aguirre as president of the COG and not that of Jorge Rodas, who to date has not been received by the international entity.
But while all this is happening on the horizon, it is time to compete for the Guatemalan athletes who are beginning their journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Next June 23 will begin the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games “San Salvador 2023”.
Awareness
The president of the National Gymnastics Federation, Jorge Rosales, opined that “the problem of the Guatemalan Olympians is that their future is doomed to not participate in Paris 2024 if something is not done about it soon.”
Rosales added: “Now knowing that the problem is not one of leadership and leaders, but of the State, it must intervene to resolve that the Olympic athletes recover their rights as athletes.”
According to the sports leader, within the COG assembly there is a feeling of uncertainty and they have seen as “the only viable option to solve the problem that the CC lift the suspension of the statutes approved by the IOC and that both Gerardo Aguirre, and its people, recognized by the IOC, such as Jorge Rodas and his committee, recognized by the State, resign”.
After that, says Rosales, who was also a magistrate of the CC, “based on the statutes recognized by the IOC, a new election is called, without the participation of either of the two actors who have been in dispute now.”
“Only the election of an executive committee under its rules can immediately lift the suspension,” he says.
For Rosales, it is necessary that President Alejandro Giammattei, who represents national unity, mediate directly, respecting the autonomy of the Courts and Institutions.
“The president must speak out in favor of resolving the conflict, and urge that, by law, a final ruling be issued, consistent with the processes, with national interests in the sports context and in favor of the Olympic athletes, who are victims of a system co-opted by interests outside of sport”, reveals Rosales.
For Rosales, it is imperative that the CC assume its role of interpreting and defending the Constitution and “returning autonomy to sport.”
The gymnastics leader assures that for now the autonomy of the sport has been violated and he cannot wait any longer, because “it is not a matter of people or leaders, but of finding the way out to national sport.”
“The call is for the CC, for the magistrates, so that they assume the role that history has called them to have, that they see it with the eyes of athletes, not leaders. Here the only ones that matter are the athletes. Gerardo Aguirre is history and hopefully soon Jorge Rodas will be history, based on IOC statutes”, external.
Rosales points out that not doing something today could lead to losing a valuable generation of Olympians who have been trained for the last 15 years.
The athlete Faberson Bonilla, climbed the podium at the World Skating Championships in Argentina in November 2022.
Bonilla won the bronze medal in the one lap modality and the gold medal in the 100 meters. The athlete showed his happiness and wore both medals, but at the same time, he did not hide his sadness and discomfort for not having been able to wear the Guatemalan uniform due to the suspension that he made by the IOC to the COG.
When Bonilla arrived at La Aurora airport, he told Prensa Libre that being crowned in Argentina had been a very nice feeling, because Guatemala is not a favorite in this sport.
“When I got on the podium and not hearing my anthem it was somewhat uncomfortable,” said the athlete from Puerto Barrios.
Bonilla, along with the rest of the delegation, wore a complete black suit, since athletes cannot compete under the colors of the Guatemalan flag. In El Salvador they will be dressed in white.
Faberson Bonilla: “Going up to the podium and not hearing the Guatemalan anthem was an uncomfortable moment”
