may.06.2010

Countries that host the Pan American Games will get extra votes to cast for future hosts of the Games under a change in rules adopted at the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO)general assembly in Merida, Mexico. The change, adopted by a 39 to 3 vote, came today after 90 minutes of debate that pitted some small nations of the Caribbean against larger countries.

Proposed as a way to provide incentives to potential bidders for the Pan Am Games, the new rule modifies an existing one that already grants the NOCs of Pan Am hosts one more vote in the balloting for future Pan Am hosts. The change adds a vote each time a country hosts the Pan Ams. The extra votes are only applicable to Pan Am Games votes, not to other business of PASO. Canada, U.S., Argentina, Brazil and Mexico stand to gain from the change as multiple hosts. But leaders of NOCs such as St. Vincent, St. Kitts and Dominica said the move was not democratic and urged their colleagues to reject it. “This is a form of discrimination that is against the Olympic Charter” said St. Vincent secretary general Keith Joseph. But Richard Peterkin of St. Lucia noted that no fundamental change in PASO rules was being proposed and that the change would benefit small and big nations. Columbia, Dominican Republic and Ecuador were among those rallying to press for the change. “It’s the most important day for our organization,”claimed PASO President Mario Vazquez Rana as he counted the votes. Vazquez Rana told the PASO delegates that there are few incentives that can be offered to games hosts and says this was a choice for “progress over stagnation”. The reason for such concern for Pan Am host countries? The Pan Am Games are becoming a money-maker.

TV rights fees for the 2007 and 2011 Pan Am Games will reach $28 million, outstripping the money PASO receives from Olympic Solidarity. Vazquez Rana says the extra vote encourages cities to bid for the Pan Ams, building the prestige of the event.

Jimena Saldana, the long-serving aide to Vazquez Rana, is now the secretary general of PASO, named to the post at the open of the Merida general assembly.She succeeds Felipe Munoz Kapamas, who steps down to have more time to spend on his work as president of the Mexico Olympic Committee. Michael Chambers, who stepped down as Canadian Olympic Committee President last month, will now head the legislative commission for PASO. In this new role he introduced the voting change proposal adopted

London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe reported on progress to the Games in his second appearance at a PASO assembly since London won the Games in 2005. “I actually think that it’s important for the chairman of an organizing committee to maintain relationships they build during a bid,” Coe tells Around the Rings.“I always said at the beginning that I didn’t want to be an organizing committee that got enough votes to deliver a Games and then seven years later saw those people at the Games.” London was the only OCOG to report at the Thursday session of PASO. tomorrow, Rio 2016, led by President Carlos Nuzman will report, as will Gudalajara 2011, the next Pan Am Games host. Two hours is set aside for the Guadalajara report.