This step comes after the resolution issued by the Sports Electoral Tribunal (TEFEDE) on March 1, which invalidated the election of Rodas as president of the COG.
During the meeting, held in the Autonomy Hall of the Palacio de los Deportes, various relevant topics were addressed, including the aforementioned TEFEDE resolution, the status of the sanction imposed by the COG Ethics Committee on Jorge Rodas and his team. , as well as the analysis of the legal regulations in force in the institution.
“It was a unanimous decision, the Assembly knew the TEDEFE resolution, ratified it and as a consequence the Committee headed by Rodas was ignored”Jorge Rosales, President of the National Gymnastics Federation, told Prensa Libre, who was present at the meeting where the vote was decided with 37 voters in favor of the motion out of 42 total.
“He was summoned to preside over the Assembly. The previous statutes say that 5 associations, or more, could ask the Executive Committee to convene an extraordinary one. And the new statutes, approved in 2022, say that 5 federations or more can call Extraordinary Assembly. In other words, it authorizes to skip the Executive Committee.”Rosales remarked.
“More than 5 federations summoned Rodas to preside over the Assembly, letting him know that if he did not appear, a Debate Committee would be presented. And since he did not appear, Enrique Santis, from Volleyball, and Dr. , Carlos Silva”commented on this while ratifying that although there are two Committees, the Assembly is recognized by both, what makes it legal and gives validityregardless of who is president.
In a previous statement, Jorge Rodas, at a press conference held the day before, denounced the illegality of the Extraordinary Assembly and emphasized the ongoing judicial process against Gerardo Aguirre. In his words, he noted that they have carried out “illegal actions under the banner of false patriotism”holding the Willi Kaltschmitt and Gerard Aguirre for the suspension that prevents the participation of Guatemalan athletes under the national flag in the Olympic Games.
It is worth remembering that the sanction imposed on Guatemala was made official in October 2022, after a state intervention that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) considered as interference. This episode occurred after the Constitutional Court partially modified certain statutory articles approved by the COG Assembly at the end of 2021.
Despite these challenges, factors such as an attractive registration fee and the opportunity to play for internationally renowned teams have helped smooth the transition. However, the management of Rodas and his Executive Committee, who has been at the head of the COG for 15 months, has been marked by a prolonged legal battle to remain in power, despite the lack of endorsement from the IOC.
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