The AMBC advises Cevallos to think things over

“Do not ignore that the power that you say is granted by Ecuadorian laws, is only limited to Ecuador and you could never impose that power on international sporting bodies. You still have time to reconsider.”

Jose Francisco Cevallos

It is a warning that the American Boxing Confederation (AMBC) gave to Jose Francisco Cevallos, Minister of Sports, who is promoting elections in the Sports National Federations, allegedly violating the agreement signed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the local Committee (COE), in May.

Through a letter, dated October 10, 2012, AMBC states that “In the Ecuadorian Federation of Boxing elections, sponsored by the government (Rafael Correa), flagrantly violated Article 114 of our Constitution, which clearly states that any election in a national federation, resulting from external intervention, will be recognized and any action taken is actually illegitimate.”

Domingo Solano, president of AMBC, says that through the Ministry of Sports “there has been a rude and pitiful intrusion” and predicts that “the consequences, if it is not reconsidered, will be disastrous for sport development in that country (Ecuador). We have seen some cases of Ecuadorian athletes that could not compete in international events, and the more the crisis deepens and spreads, the stronger the response of the international Olympic movement.”

Vetoed Delegations:

Last week, a delegation of weightlifters was prevented from competing in a tournament in Venezuela, because the International Federation of that discipline does not recognize its similar in Ecuador, lead by Jose Luis Arteaga, elected under the auspices of the Ministry of Sports.

Also, on Monday, the International Swimming Federation (FINA for its Spanish acronym) suspended the national body of that discipline, because of the “intervention of the Ministry of Sports on 40 federations, including FENA (Ecuadorian Swimming Federation); a clear act of interference in the internal operations of the federation.”

The taekwondo and tennis federations also were prevented from competing and their respective delegations returned from abroad for traveling without the approval of the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee (COE).

(BG)