Controversy in Mexico over 84th place in Tokyo 2020 and calls for a “joint strategy” three years before Paris

These are days in which countries are reviewing their Olympic performances at the historic Tokyo Games.

In Mexico, for example, the debate is growing around its four bronze medals.

“The important thing is that we all have a self-critical conscience and not be complacent about what happened,” Carlos Padilla, president of the Mexican Olympic Committee, told Around The Rings.

Mexico was in 84th place according to the traditional medal table by country that defines places by the color of the medals. Its metals were won in weightlifting, archery, diving and soccer. Seven of its competitors placed fourth.

The director of the National Sports Commission (Conade), Athens Olympic runner-up Ana Gabriela Guevara, had predicted 10 medals. Her statements upon her return to the capital seemed to fuel the controversy.

“I didn’t compete, I can’t guarantee metals on the sports stage. But there were many fourth places that, if they had been medals, we would have exceeded the 10 metals, but the forecast has no word,” she told the local media.

Although the prediction did not materialize, she affirmed that there were results. “The boys participated in the Olympic Games and the result is positive”.

For its part, the Mexican Olympic Committee took Rio de Janeiro 2016 as a reference , and the expectation was not to go below five medals. Mexico qualified 162 athletes for the Games concluded on August 8.

“The important thing now is to make a joint strategy” commented Padilla who expects to meet with Conade in the next few days.

In addition, the Olympic leader will summon, separately, the representatives of the National Federations and the Permanent Members of the COM, among which are former directors of Conade such as Olympians Ivar Sisniega and Jesús Mena, and the head of the National Race Walking Commission, Bernardo Segura.

Padilla revealed that he will also invite the double medalist from Los Angeles-84 and former national leader of the sport, former walker Raul Gonzalez.

In Rio 2016, Mexico won five medals (three silver and two bronze) and in London 2012 won eight (one gold, three silver and four bronze),

“The important thing is to reflect and see what went wrong and what we can take advantage of, what was done well on the road to Paris, when there are only three years left,” said the executive.

The official acknowledged complaints from athletes, coaches and federations regarding the economic support for their preparation.

Padilla confirmed the expectations created in this Olympic cycle after Mexico dethroned Cuba for the first time in 52 years in the Central American and Caribbean Games that in 2018 were hosted by the Colombian city of Barranquilla.

A year later, Mexico repeated the feat with a historic third place at the Pan American Games in Lima, second only to the United States and Brazil.

The president of the COM clarified that it was necessary to make “a realistic analysis” in this regard.

“We were on the preparation curve when the pandemic hit us,” he said.

“The athletes had to go to their places of origin where there were no opportunities to practice in any gymnasium, they improvised in garages, in their apartments, in the garden of houses or buildings, at least to preserve the physical conditioning.

“If you analyze the overall medal count, Europe won more medals than America and their conditions were less complex, more interconnected, easier to cross from one country to another, while we suffered from border closures.

“It is not an apology but it was one of the factors against. We hope that for Paris this issue of the pandemic will be overcome”, he affirmed.

The President of the COM considered that a “reengineering of sport” is required, aimed at a “restructuring of the national system” in this sphere.

This implies, in his opinion, a program for the timely detection of talent in high performance and the guarantee of payment to coaches in order to avoid the exodus of athletes from the sport.

In this regard, he lamented the case of Oscar Salazar, silver medalist for Mexico in Athens 2004, who in Tokyo as coach gave Egypt two bronze medals in taekwondo while Mexico drew a blank in one of its traditional medal sports.

Salazar emigrated to Egypt in 2017 after his fees were not paid on time and now he has just been given a hero’s welcome in Cairo.

“The history of Tokyo cannot be repeated for our sport” reiterated the Mexican Olympic leader.