Debates continue in Puerto Rico on audits and transparency in sports

A former soccer player has ignited reflections in the world of sports in Puerto Rico beyond medal predictions.

Former national team player and law student Karla Aponte has sent a project to the government to strengthen the transparency of resources in sports federations and the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee (COPUR).

Aponte’s initiative has taken course at a time when the House of Representatives is considering, for a vote, amendments to two laws through which sports in Puerto Rico receive state funding.

The newspaper “El Nuevo Día” has addressed in recent days the repercussion of the proposal of the former athlete and future jurist.

According to the newspaper, the young woman was motivated by the personal experience of the shortcomings she experienced in the practice of sport, together with the testimonies she collected from colleagues in her discipline and from other disciplines.

She is waiting for the House of Representatives to approve a bill that, in theory, will require national federations and COPUR to account for how they handle the funds they receive.

“The intention behind the project is that athletes receive the necessary resources when necessary, instead of continuing to repeat the usual stories of parents, relatives and the athletes themselves working extra to raise money to be able to purchase equipment and pay for trips to competitions inside and outside the country”, the newspaper points out.

Aponte has narrated the shortcomings suffered as a soccer player since before joining the national team, and while being a member of it, due to the lack of uniforms, coaches, transportation and food.

“All the responsibility fell on the parents,” Aponte specified. “The girls who had parents who could support them financially stayed in the selection, and those who didn’t had to leave.” She reported that with teams from other sports the story was the same or worse.

Aponte learned from the Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) that all national soccer federations annually receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds from FIFA, so he contrasted this economic boom with the precariousness suffered by athletes .

The imposition by the government of a guideline, so that sports federations and COPUR have to submit annually audited financial statements, could become a burden further limiting the assistance provided to athletes, some sports leaders reflected.

The president of COPUR, Sara Rosario made it clear she is not opposed to the project or to transparency in the sports administration. Her complaint is the reality of the sport in Puerto Rico, which operates with few resources, is not being recognized. She also warned she will always insist that her federations continue working to improve their governance.

“We are asking for demands for which the sport is not yet ready. That is the reality of sport in the country. But no, we want to continue demanding professionalism in sports, when we don’t have it in the country. And not only in sports, but in many other areas. That costs money,” she said.

She has been participating in public hearings exposing the transparency process in her organization and the reality of the different sports federations, in addition to emphasizing in COPUR the financial status “has never been hidden.”

Now only the vote is pending.