(ATR) The announcement of the change of date of the South American Games Asunción 2022 comes as no surprise.
Just a month ago, the president of the South American Sports Organization (ODESUR), Camilo Pérez López-Moreira, had not ruled out this possibility in an interview with Around the Rings. He then said that he was open to the necessary alternatives in order to preserve the mega-event.
This Friday ODESUR reported in a statement that it accepted a request from the government of Paraguay to postpone the XII South American Games until October 1 to 15, 2022 due to the health emergency that the region is experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally the event was to run from April 26 to May 9, 2022.
"The global health crisis represents a huge challenge for all countries and the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic has become unpredictable," said Pérez, who is a member of the IOC, and of the executive boards of ANOC and Panam Sports.
"Against this background, ODESUR confirms that its priority is to ensure the well-being of athletes, those involved in the organization of the Games and the South American community.
"In the current circumstances and based on the information provided by the health authorities, we have decided to accept the request of the Paraguayan National Sports Secretariat to postpone the start of the South American Games," added the ODESUR president.
The South American Games are the largest multi-sport celebration in the region but will also be the largest sporting event in Paraguayan history.
It is estimated that more than 4,500 athletes from the 15 ODESUR member countries will compete in Paraguay. The last edition of the Games was held in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba with an attendance record of more than 4,000 competitors.
The president of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, Camilo Pérez, trusts that despite the crisis the authorities will continue to see the Games as an important source of jobs and, above all, a generator of physical and mental health in the post-pandemic world.
Written by Miguel Hernandez
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