ATR First: Stronger PanamSports = More Medals

PanamSports is proud to sponsor Around the Rings' coverage from June 12 to June 19.

(ATR) Starting with a new name, PanamSports -- the continental association for NOCs in the Americas -- is ready to cast out the old way of doing things.

Formerly known by the acronym PASO, or the Pan American Sports Organization, the group is under the leadership of its first new president in nearly 40 years. Neven Ilic of Chile was elected in April, promising to modernize the organization. This week in Miami, he and his colleagues took the first steps in that direction.Ilic led the executive committee for the first time since the election, introducing the new way to refer to the former PASO.

The meeting in Miami was followed by the third edition of the two-day Americas Best Practices Symposium hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee. The south Florida city is about to become more important to the work of the association. A new office will open soon as a satellite to the Mexico City headquarters. Miami is a far easier destination for Pan Am region members to reach.

USOC chief executive officer Scott Blackmun tells Around the Ringsthe USOC wants to "play an active and engaged role" in the revitalization efforts.

"That’s what we’re in Miami to do this week, to create opportunities for information sharing and best practices sharing," Blackmun says. "The truth is, there are a lot of things that the larger, more successful NOCs can learn from the smaller NOCs as well."

Blackmun, who joined the PASO Executive Board in April, also lauded Miami as an ideal meeting place for the continental association.

"Miami is a fantastic city and it’s also a city that’s probably the easiest city in the world for the 41 PASO members to come to," he tells ATR.

"We’ll certainly support PASO if and when they decide to open up an office here. Since it will be in the U.S., I’m sure they will engage us to provide support and certainly we’ll do that."

Blackmun is not alone in his assessment of Miami, a city that could very likely put forward a Pan American Games bid in the next few years. Many of the NOC leaders whom ATR spoke with during the symposium say they are excited about the prospects of new offices in Miami.

"It is totally a neutral place for all," Paraguayan Olympic Committee secretary general Juan Carlos Orihuela tells ATR. "We believe that it is ideal but I think it suits everyone’s thinking, and also Miami is an accessible city and very important place of flights."

Blackmun tells ATR a bid for the Pan Am Games could soon come from the city but he doesn’t want to speculate on the potential date.

"I know that the people of Miami have expressed a strong interest in [hosting]. I think we’re not close to the 2027 process yet so I don’t want to get out in front of that one."

ATR is told to expect more gatherings with the NOCs of the region to begin taking place in Miami. Individual meetings with each of the 41 NOCs are planned with PanamSports leadership. The meetings will follow up on the best practices shared at this week’s symposium and begin to narrow down the specific needs of each country.

"We have different countries in PASO – big, small and medium – and we want to propose to them specific programs depending on the level of each of the countries," president Ilic emphasized to ATR.

Bahamas Olympic Committee president Wellington Miller tells Around the Rings the changes will benefit athletes of the region.

"I think you are going to see greater athletes from the Americas now," he says.

"I think the new president is a young man with young ideas, and I think he energizes the rest of the 41 countries.

"Everybody has wanted PASO to change for a while, but now it is changing and everybody seems to be prepared to work at it to stay changing and stay relevant."

Reported and written by Kevin Nutley in Miami.

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