Guatemala City, by Josue David Acevedo Rivas -AGN- President Bernardo Arévalo and Vice President Karin Herrera held a press conference in which the president gave details of his meeting with the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach.
The meeting was extremely important since they discussed how to solve the problem that the Guatemalan Olympic Committee -COG- has been facing since August 2022. The IOC sanctioned the COG for holding an irregular election process for authorities.
Arévalo sought to advocate for the Guatemalan Olympic Movement for the athletes to once again carry the Guatemalan colors in the following Olympic Games events.
#Live| President @BArevalodeLeon and Vice President @KarinHerreraVP hold a press conference. https://t.co/wNw9XO8Is3
— Gtnews_ (@GTNewsAgency) February 26, 2024
Before Paris
On Wednesday, February 21, President Arévalo met with Bach to discuss the COG’s problems.
President Arévalo added, “With the International Olympic Committee, we have established the commitment to work so that the suspension of Guatemala is lifted as soon as possible so that our athletes can participate in the next Olympic Games, proudly carrying the flag of Guatemala.”
The meeting aimed to find a possible solution and allow the Guatemalan president to present the current situation of Guatemalan Olympic sports.
He shared, “We made it clear to them that this decision does not depend on the Government of Guatemala since legal issues must be addressed. We are trying to facilitate this process, and they, in turn, stated that they will be considering ways to facilitate this participation in the Paris 2024 Games.”
El presidente @BArevalodeLeon y la vicepresidenta @KarinHerreraVP dieron detalles de la gira presidencial del mandatario por Europa durante la última semana y de temas de interés nacional.#GuatemalaSaleAdelante pic.twitter.com/SBJsb8TFyr
— AGN (@AGN_noticias) February 26, 2024
Why is Guatemala sanctioned?
The IOC sanctioned the COG because it violated the Olympic Charter in the last board election process, specifically for political endorsement and disrespect for the autonomy of the sport.
As of August 15, 2022, Guatemala was excluded from the international Olympic movement. As a result, athletes had to participate under a neutral flag in the Central American and Caribbean Games El Salvador 2023 and the Pan American Games Santiago de Chile 2023.
