(ATR) The rescheduled general assembly of the Pan American Sports Organization to Bangkok, Thailand is loaded with political implications for the future of the 41-member group that represents the national Olympic committees of the Americas
Originally planned for Sept. 8 – 10 in the Mexican resort Puerto Vallarta, the meeting will now take place November 6. That’s during the 204-member Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly in the Thai capital.
Top of the list for the PASO agenda is an election for representatives on the ANOC executive board, set to convene Nov. 5.
While PASO president Mario Vazquez Rana cancelled the September meeting due to health issues, Around the Rings understands Vazquez Rana still will not be in Bangkok for the PASO assembly. He has not attended any ANOC functions since resigning ahead of the 2012 General Assembly.
Instead, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the PASO second vice president, will lead the meeting. This appears to be at variance with PASO statutes that say the first vice president - in this case, Ivar Sisniega - is supposed to chair meetings if the president is unable to do so.
The selection of Nuzman by Vazquez Rana to chair the meeting is loaded with political symbolism, PASO delegates tell ATR. They say it is a tacit benediction from Vazquez Rana for Nuzman to be his successor when the next election is held in 2015.
Nuzman, 72, is president of Rio 2016 as well as the Brazilian Olympic Committee. If he decides to run, Nuzman would have company in the race. Also in the running are St.Lucia IOC member Richard Peterkin and Jose Joaquin Puello, who led the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Vazquez Rana has said that he will step down following the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
Both Peterkin and Puello have made their intentions known. However, Nuzman seems to be taking a more cautious approach.
In a statement to ATR, Nuzman declared that he is "very proud" to be a member of PASO and has "a background of achievements" in PASO.
"At this moment, I am not a candidate," leaving the ultimate answer for another day.
In September, Nuzman hosted NOCs from the Caribbean in Rio de Janeiro. One attendee said the meeting was to brief NOCs on what the Brazilian Olympic Committee could offer them for sport development and to give an update on 2016 preparations.
One rumored candidate, PASO secretary general Jimena Saldana, emphatically said she is not a candidate for the presidency.
Information has been limited from Vazquez Rana’s office. Saldana was unavailable to comment on the most recent developments.
When news of the meeting’s cancellation surfaced in September, Saldana told ATR that Vazquez Rana was "receiving attention for a condition of the gastrointestinal system and the recovery process is going very well." The 82-year-old Mexican businessman has led PASO since 1975.
Written by Ed Hula III
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