President Gustavo Petro referred to the loss of the Pan American Games after the decision of Panam Sports, organizer of the games, to withdraw the venue from Barranquilla and announce Lima (Peru) and Asunción (Paraguay) as candidates for venue. In addition, the president revealed what will happen to the money that Colombia was going to allocate for these competitions.
(In context: Pan American Games: Colombia’s dream ends, Panam Sports confirms candidates).
Duque’s government failed to comply with the organizers of the Pan American Games
Panam Sports gave up on Barranquilla as the venue for the games that will take place in 2027. The organization described Colombia’s breaches with the contract as “innumerable”, as they assured that it did not transfer the eight million dollars on the established dates.
In this regard, President Gustavo Petro stated: “Duque’s government failed to comply with the organizers of the Pan American Games, as stated in the letter that the Olympic Committee sent me.”
Sports venues in Barranquilla that were being prepared for the Pan American Games.
Photo:
Vanexa Romero. TIME
The Head of State shared the letter that Panam Sports sent him with the count of non-compliance and insisted that these began “from the same year 2021, when Barranquilla was designated as the headquarters.”
He emphasized that Colombia “let it be known” to Panam Sports that it would pay the money with which it had committed on January 31: “Before reaching this date, the tournament organizers suspended the agreement with Colombia.”
In that sense, the president assured that Panam “took the headquarters from Barranquilla” because, according to him, the organizers “had a commitment to the city of Asunción.”
“This unilateral decision before the agreed maximum date seems to me to be a mockery of Colombia,” he said.
This is the letter that Neven Ilic, president of Panam Sports, sent me.
In it you can see all the non-compliance that begins from the same year 2021 when Barranquilla was designated as the headquarters.
My government agreed in a meeting with Mr. Neven and the city of Barranquilla… pic.twitter.com/CRYTfaTLhq
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) February 2, 2024
(Also: Pan American Games 2027: Panam Sports republishes a statement that had disappeared).
What will happen to the money from the Pan American Games?
President Petro announced that the money that was going to be allocated to the jousts will now go to the intercollegiate games: “Improving the sports facilities of the schools and the sports preparation of children and youth.”
The Duque government failed to comply with the organizers of the Pan American games, so says the letter that the Olympic committee sent me. Our government had a deadline to pay until January 31 of this year and they were told that it would be paid, before reaching this date the… https://t.co/TxaQpxgZT8
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) February 2, 2024
Víctor Muñoz, former director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency, responds to President Petro
Blaming others is not governing
Almost immediately after President Petro’s pronouncement, Víctor Muñoz, former director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency during the mandate of former President Iván Duque, rejected the accusations.
Víctor Muñoz and President Gustavo Petro.
Photo:
Presidency – Jaiver Nieto. TIME
“President Petro, assuming responsibilities is part of the job,” he expressed and listed five points about the Pan American Games process.
Muñoz stated that the Duque administration informed him of the status of the Games at the junction. Furthermore, he accused the Minister of Sports of not convening “the commission created for this purpose until 15 months later.”
(More: ‘Barranquilla deserves the government to apologize’: Escaf for loss of Pan American Games).
He also told President Petro that the former Minister of Finance, José Antonio Ocampo, “reported that the resources were in the budget” and the current Minister of Sports, Astrid Bibiana Rodríguez, was the one who “committed in a signed document to pay before the December 31, 2023”.
“His Minister of Finance, Bonilla, indicated that the Minister of Sports did not ask for the resources,” Muñoz stated.
President @petrogustavo Taking responsibility is part of the job.
1. At the junction they were informed of the status of the Pan American Games.
2. Your sports minister did not convene the commission created for this purpose until 15 months later.
3. Your finance minister… https://t.co/QeH1fCLpkT— Victor Munoz (@Vicmunro) February 2, 2024
After the recount, the former Secretary General of the Presidency said: “We lost the games due to lack of knowledge and fear of its officials, which you yourself recognized. Blaming others is not governing.”
The letter from Panam Sports to President Petro in which he recalled the non-compliance
As revealed by EL TIEMPO, Panam Sports detailed to President Gustavo Petro the non-compliance of Colombia, for which he decided to withdraw the headquarters from Barranquilla.
Logo of Panam Sports and president Gustavo Petro.
The first communication was made on January 21, 2022, during the government of former President Iván Duque, when the organizers requested “compliance with the unfulfilled clauses of the contract, to which there was no response.”
In other communications, dated in September and October 2022, when President Petro was already in power, Panam Sports once again asked Colombia to comply with the contract.
The letter that Panam Sports sent to the president with the count of non-compliance by Colombia.
You can read the chronology of the Pan American Games case by clicking here.
Lima and Asunción, the two candidates to win the Pan American Games that Barranquilla lost
Now, Panam Sports will have to choose between Lima or Asunción to host the 2027 Pan American Games. As revealed in a statement on February 1, the cities “met all the requirements and made official their interest in hosting the maximum multi-sports event on the continent”.
Neven Ilic, president of the organization, said they were “very happy” about the nomination of the capitals of Peru and Paraguay.
Neven Ilic, president of Panam Sports.
Photo:
Panam Sports Press
The next step will be that, in an Extraordinary General Assembly on March 12, they will decide which of the two will keep the sports competitions.
You can also see:
– Jorge I. González, of the DNP, resigns due to differences with President Petro.
– Chancellor and President put ‘institutional stability’ at risk: deputy attorney general.
– ‘Attacking family members and exposing their image is typical of the worst type’: Duque to Petro.
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