Peterkin Prepares Run for PASO Presidency

(ATR) IOC member Richard Peterkin says he may run to succeed Mario Vazquez Rana as president of the Pan-American Sports Organization.

Peterkin, the president of the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee, tells Around the Rings he announced over the weekend at a meeting of the Caribbean National Olympic Committees that he is forming an "exploratory committee" to study whether to run.

He says the initial response is "encouraging," but added: "I will seek feedback and advice from a wide range of advisers before making any definite decision."

After first taking office in 1975, Vazquez Rana, now 80, could step down in 2016 when his current term ends. There is no term limit for the office.

Earlier this year, the Mexican sports leader resigned his seat on the IOC as well as his presidency of the Association of National Olympic Committees after facing a challenge over his leadership of ANOC.

Peterkin is a former officer in PASO, serving as treasurer until 2012, when Vazquez Rana refused to re-nominate him.

Peterkin says he may not be alone, with rumors that Jose Joaquin Puello of the Dominican Republic is also considering a bid for the PASO presidency. Puello is former president of the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo.

Vazquez Rana is the seventh president of PASO, the umbrella organization for NOCs in the Americas. Of the seven previous presidents, three were from Mexico and two from the U.S.

Peterkin, 64, became an IOC member in 2009. He currently serves as treasurer for ANOC. He’s an accountant by profession, currently a partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Reported by Ed Hula III

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