#ICYMI: Panam Sports Athletes; Fallout From Postponed Dakar 2022

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(ATR) Seven months into her term as President of the Panam Sports Athlete Commission, Aliann Pompey could have never imagined that her first year in this position would come with a major, external obstacle.

Regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pompey’s mission from before her election in December has not changed. She was already involved in discussions concerning what "serving" the athletes of the region should look like.

"We decided we wanted to absolutely, absolutely be driven by the athletes in our region," Pompey said, "when the pandemic hit, it became even more important for us to engage the athletes."

Pompey, who represented Guyana in the 400 meters for four consecutive Summer Games from 2000-2012, set a goal to have more interaction between Panam Sports and its athletes.

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Fallout From Postponed Youth Olympic Games

(ATR) When the 2022 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal were pushed back to 2026, the first question was what would happen to the young athletes and their development.

The July announcement by IOC president Thomas Bach and Macky Sall, the president of Senegal, cited the postponement of Tokyo 2020 and the financial consequences of the coronavirus among reasons for the delay.

But, what happens to the projects and the development of athletes ranging in age from 15 to 18? Many countries were working with a significant number of young athletes on their development -- encouraging them to become professional athletes, and learn the fundamentals of sports.

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"I'm Alive by Miracle"

(ATR) Jhon Zambrano is considered the first COVID-19 survivor in Ecuador.

Zambrano, a pediatrician, is the vice president of the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee and president of the National Handball Federation.

He was intubated for 20 days in a clinic in Guayaquil. Today, he still has certain problems speaking clearly due to the disease.

A few weeks ago, he underwent surgery for a closed trachea caused by having the tube inside his airway for almost three weeks.

He originally entered the intensive care unit on March 27.

"At three o’clock in the morning, I told my wife and three kids, ‘I’m going to be intubated, I hope to be back soon’. I’m a doctor and when this happens, all you know is that you depend on a machine and no one can assure if you’re coming back," says the 56-year old sports official.

All five members of the family were infected by the coronavirus but three were asymptomatic. Zambrano, the only one hospitalized, began to struggle with breathing and his daughter, an athlete who competed at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, lost her sense of smell.

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