New Direction for PASO Focus of Workshop

(ATR) All of the NOCs and stakeholders of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) are convenings while at the ANOC general assembly for a workshop to discuss the new direction the organization is taking.

"We need to know where we will go, what will be the future of our organization," interim PASO president Julio Maglione tells Around the Rings.

In August, Maglione delivered a draft of statute revisions to all of the NOCs following lengthy discussions of the PASO executive board during the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. The proposed revisions are designed to bring the organization into the modern age, according to Maglione.

"We are working now for the new constitution. The new constitution is for modernizing our organization," he tells ATR.

All of the NOCs have had the opportunity to review the statute revisions ahead of the two-day PASO workshop beginning Friday, Oct. 30.

The workshop will give the NOCs the chance to express their ideas, concerns and questions about all proposed changes.

Four themes comprise the meeting, including PASO’s structure and administration, games and products, development and marketing, sponsorship & TV. A moderator will run discussions for each theme with a set list of speakers to give overviews of proposed changes.

After opening remarks from president Maglione, Veda Victor-Bruno of Grenada will begin moderating discussions on the structure and administration of PASO.

Eduardo Palomo, Danilo Carrera and Nicole Hoevertsz spoke about topics such as good governance, financial administration, strategic partnerships, PASO commissions and athletes.

Rio 2016 chairman Carlos Nuzman will lead talks on the games and products of PASO. PASO vice president Ivar Sisniega, Jamaica Olympic Committee president Michael Fennel and Peru NOC president Jose Quinones will discuss the future of the Pan American Games and ideas for new PASO events.

President of the Chilean Olympic Committee Neven Ilic will moderate discussions on the development of PASO, with PASO secretary general Jimena Saldana and IOC member of Brazil Bernard Rajzman speaking about the Pan American Olympic Solidarity and Olympic Academy.

President of the St Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee Alphonso Bridgewater will lead the last set of discussions focusing on the marketing, sponsorship and television efforts of PASO.

USOC president Larry Probst along with broadcast media professional from Mexico Roberto Kenny will bring up ideas for improving communications, commercial partners, televisions rights and the PASO brand.

The tone of the workshop is to encourage dialogue among all of the NOCs in PASO, such that everyone has a say in the role of reforming the organization and can vote on potential recommendations. After discussing the topics of governance, the moderator allowed dialogue to continue for the rest of the session despite no concrete recommendations being formed.

"I believe this is a great opportunity to redesign our future and explain why we are doing this," Eduardo Palomo, president of the El Salvador NOC, said during the workshop.

Delegates in the workshop expressed hope that the productive dialogue shown during the first session will continue well after NOC representatives return home and convene again at a later date.After the workshop, PASO will hold another assembly to discuss and approve the constitution before sending the final document to the IOC and ANOC.

"Our new constitution must be in line with the Olympic Charter, with the ANOC constitution and with [Olympic] Agenda 2020," Maglione tells ATR.

Following approval by the IOC and ANOC, PASO could move forward with electing a new president, allowing Maglione to focus on his role as president of FINA. Maglione says a new president will likely be elected in the second half of 2016.

Written in Washington, D.C. by KevinNutley and Aaron Bauer.

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