PASO Change Voting Rules in Controversial Proposal
BOA President Judy Simons
IslandStats.com
Voting power of large nations within the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) was reduced at the body's Extraordinary General Assembly here today, while a controversial proposal to drastically decrease the number of people eligible to stand for the Presidency was abandoned.
the meeting is being attended by Bermuda Olympic Association President Judy Simons.
This came on a laborious day of discussions, stretching almost 11 hours from start to finish, to approve the new PASO constitution as the organization continues its re-alignment following the death of long-time President Mario Vázquez Raña at the beginning of last year.
All 41 PASO members will have one vote in the election of host cities and all Executive Committee positions, it was decided, while the 10 nations who have hosted the Pan American Games will each receive one additional vote.
This differs from the current system in operation since 2010 in which a country has had an extra vote, up to a maximum of five, for each time they have hosted the Games.
Today's decision effectively reverts to the system in place before then.
This proposal was not initially circulated to members, however, but was successfully proposed as an amendment by Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) President Carlos Nuzman - despite fierce opposition from the Caribbean bloc.
More radical proposals to adopt either a strict one-member-one-vote system or a second vote for Pan American Games hosts only in the selection of host cities had been initially proposed, but were each rejected.
Also turned down was the measure to introduce a rule stipulating that candidates for the position of President of PASO must have "at least three years of experience immediately preceding their nomination as a President, vice-president or secretary general of their respective NOCs or must be the incumbent President of PASO at the time of being nominated and elected".
If passed, this would have meant that two likely contenders for the PASO Presidency - Dominican Republic's José Joaquín Puello and St Lucia’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Richard Peterkin - would have been ineligible, despite both being longstanding former Presidents of their respective NOCs.
Thirty-four voters supported a measure to remove the four words "immediately preceding their nomination", meaning that the likes of both Puello and Peterkin would both become eligible once again.
The same wording was also removed from a similar motion for all other Executive Committee positions, although NOC treasurers will still be allowed to run for the position of PASO treasurer.
A President will only be able to serve a maximum of three four-year terms in the position, it was also approved today, although no such term limits on other Executive Committee positions were put forward.
Julio Maglione, the Uruguayan Olympic Committee head who is interim President of PASO, chaired today's meeting with support from Canada's Michael Chambers, the Legislative Committee chair responsible for drawing up the constitution.
The election to choose a new President, for which a date has not yet been set, was the elephant in the room today, with political implications affecting virtually every proposal.
This was particularly so when the candidature limitations were discussed, with Dominican Republic Olympic Committee President Luis Mejia Oviedo and then Peterkin himself each giving passionate interjections.
"It is like saying only the sons of nobility or those who living in Europe can become an IOC member," claimed Oviedo.
"This clause would not send the correct signals - we shouldn’t pass an article which is evidently discriminating."
Peterkin, in turn, highlighted how the only obligation to become President of United States is being over the age of 40 and a natural born US citizen.
