New elections in the Guatemalan Olympic Committee after the IOC veto due to lack of transparency

The Guatemalan Olympic Committee (COG) is heading for new elections in the coming weeks after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ignored the Executive Board that had declared itself the winner in the controversial elections last October.

This decision was confirmed to Around The Rings by the president of the COG, Gerardo Aguirre, who remains in that position in an “interim” condition, like the previous executive committee.

According to a notification from the IOC, and according to Aguirre, the IOC concluded the electoral process lacked transparency, recommended new elections and new statutes so that the COG would stop depending on an external entity such as the Electoral Tribunal of Federated Sports (TEDEFE).

“The management of the IOC and its legal department was vital and very important to maintain the autonomy and proper functioning of the COG,” said Aguirre.

On November 18, in an extraordinary Assembly, the COG endorsed the position of the IOC and appointed a Commission to review the statutes, which would be approved on December 22. A day later they received the go-ahead from the IOC.

On December 7, the winning candidacy headed by former football player Jorge Rodas should have taken possession, which was not carried out due to the determination of the IOC. That same day it was then decided that the previous Executive should continue on an interim basis so as not to leave the COG headless.

Aguirre reported that on January 12 an ordinary assembly will be called in which the proposal for an Electoral Regulation will be presented, and in which the date of the new elections will probably be announced. According to the manager, it could be between the end of January and the beginning of February.

During his attendance at the General Assembly of the National Olympic Committees on the island of Crete in Greece at the end of last October, Aguirre had denounced to IOC officials a “political manipulation” when he was vetoed from participating in the COG elections by TEDEFE for alleged problems with resource management. According to the manager, these accusations were proven to be false.

Aguirre’s veto meant that the roster led by Rodas was the only one that ran and won with nine valid votes and 28 invalid votes, out of 37 accredited voters.

Coincidentally, a provisional protection against TEDEFE also prevented the Rodas executive from taking office by ordering the electoral process to be suspended.

Two weeks ago, a Constitutional Court ordered TEDEFE to call for elections again after finalizing that protection presented by a member of the COG Executive.

According to the court, the decision was due to the fact that the form headed by Rodas was endorsed despite “not meeting the requirements established in the call for the registration of forms, in addition to having inconsistencies not corrected within the registration application file and having submitted an affidavit that contains false facts that vitiate the entire procedure “.

Aguirre agrees that apart from the new elections, protected by the IOC and Guatemalan law, a legal battle could open with the team from Rodas and TEDEFE “fighting in the courts for several months.”