The Guatemala National Olympic Committee is now officially suspended from the ranks of the world’s recognized NOCs.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board had set October 15 as the deadline for a resolution to interference by the Guatemalan government in the election of new leadership for the country’s NOC. The deadline passed with no change in the status, triggering the suspension.
“The NOC of Guatemala is no longer entitled to operate as an NOC according to its role as defined in the Olympic Charter and will no longer receive any funding from the Olympic Movement, until the suspension is lifted,” says the IOC in a statement.
“In the interest of the athletes and the Olympic Movement in Guatemala, the IOC has urged the NOC and the relevant authorities in Guatemala to meet and find an acceptable solution in line with the IOC Executive Board decision of September 8, 2022, which would allow the IOC Executive Board to lift the suspension of the NOC as soon as possible,” says the IOC.
Guatemalan athletes will not be permitted to compete in the Olympics under the national flag as long as the suspension is in effect. That ban also includes the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
“Irreparable Damage” is the headline in a brief statement from the Guatemala Athletes Commission. The statement says the stalemate over the NOC election is more than an issue for sport, but one affecting the entire nation. The athletes urge the government and courts to resolve the election meddling.
The IOC recognizes Gerardo Aguirre as the winner of the election held earlier this year. But Jorge Alexander Rodas challenged the vote, winning a court decision declaring him the new president.
The IOC suspension takes effect as the world’s NOCs gather this week in Seoul for the annual general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees. Guatemala will not be admitted to the meeting, nor will North Korea, the only other NOC under suspension.
The ANOC assembly will be the first in person meeting for the group since the pandemic interrupted annual meetings in 2020. With the absence of Guatemala and North Korea, 204 NOCs are eligible to attend.
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