(ATR) The Panama Olympic Committee (COP) appears to have ended a nearly five-year power struggle with a "successful" electoral assembly on Sunday, but that peace could be tenuous.
Camilo Amado was elected president of the COP. Since 2008, the COP was mired in political infighting, with rival factions split between the national federations and government officials, both of whom claimed to represent the legitimate COP.
However, on Saturday a rival faction reelected Miguel Sanchiz as COP president. The IOC confirmed to Around the Rings that the only election results they will recognize are the ones held on Dec. 16 in which Amado was elected president. What impact the IOC’s recognition on elections will have toward creating unity among the COP remains to be seen.
The row started in 2008 when Miguel Sanchez was elected COP president. Following the election it was alleged that two dead people were on the delegate list and eligible to vote, while some living, supposedly eligible people were not.
Confusion over the rightful leadership was prevalent, with both IOC and regional leaders admitting they were unclear as to who should take over and how to best rectify the situation.
Perhaps an acknowledgment of the murky past, the IOC statement makes no direct reference or explanation of the troubled history of the COP.
"This Elective General Assembly of the NOC of Panama is the culmination of a process initiated by the IOC in close cooperation with all the International Federations concerned and the Government authorities in order to clarify the composition of the NOC and to bring together the real and legitimate representatives of the Olympic Movement in Panama under the umbrella of the NOC in accordance with the Olympic Charter and the IOC President’s letter of 13 March 2012," the statement said.
IOC monitors observed the election, as did IOC member Meliton Sanchez of Panama, the international federations represented in Panama and two athlete representatives.
"This NOC Elective General Assembly took place in a democratic and transparent manner," the statement added.
"This is a historic milestone in the conflict situation which the Olympic Movement in Panama has faced for several years, and the IOC hopes that this successful Elective General Assembly of the NOC of Panama on 16 December 2012 will pave the way for a bright future for the athletes and for sport generally in Panama."
In 2010, the IOC suspended the COP for the impasse, lifting the suspension in 2011. It was suspended in 2007 as well for a similar dispute.
Several interventions were launched throughout the years to solve the leadership crisis, but none were successful.
Written by Ed Hula III.
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