Camilo Perez’s intense negotiation with the Paraguayan government averts the danger of the 2022 South American Games being cancelled

The president of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee and of the South American Sports Organization (Odesur), Camilo Pérez, will spend this week going back and forth from the Ministry of Finance to the Chamber of Senators and the Chamber of Deputies. With what goal? To recover the 70 million dollars cut from the original budget of the South American Games.

Perez had sent a message of concern days before about the celebration of the regional Games starting October 1, 2022. The decision of the Lower House to divert that amount of money to another sector, during the analysis of next year’s Budget, led the Paraguayan press to publish that the Odesur Games were close to being cancelled.

The Olympic delegate now points out that it was “a misunderstanding”.

“The government always intends for the Games to take place,” Perez revealed to Around The Rings.

The Olympic leader did not rule out the need to resort to a “Plan B”, something that should ultimately be discussed with the President of the Republic, Mario Abdo Benítez. According to Pérez, Abdo Benítez “supports” his position.

Camilo Pérez says that for him “it was a surprise, as it was for everybody”, the budget cut at a time when six important works for the Games are in execution and three others, less complex, are about to start.

Even before the arrival of Covid-the Games had their first scare when the Paraguayan government gave up on them two years after receiving the venue, and then reconsidered its decision in the summer of 2019, after significant readjustments to the initial budget by the organizers.

Perez had warned that if the South American mega-event was suspended, Paraguay would be exposed to a heavy economic sanction and the suspension of its athletes for at least two years to participate in championships at the international level.

The Paraguayan officer is a member of the IOC, of the Executive Boards of ANOC and Panam Sports, and of the International Tennis Federation.

Of the general budget for the games, some U$D 20,000,000 have already been executed. The remaining U$D 70.000.000.000 -which are in litigation- are translated in works and in the execution of other expenses such as hotels for 4.500 athletes, 1.600 officials, 1.200 referees, food and transportation for the South American sports family.

Pérez remarked that the Games, in addition to being the main sporting event in the history of the country and its legacy, would leave a very important economic injection for Paraguay, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.

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