Panam Sports President Wants Another Term

(ATR) Neven Ilic will be running for re-election at the next Panam Sports General Assembly in Cancun, Mexico in October.

The current president of the continental sports organization revealed his intentions in an interview with Around the Rings at the end of the Executive Commission meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"I'm going to run because I love the work I'm doing, and the team I work with," said Ilic. "Panam Sports can help the sport of the Americas even more."

Ilic, who is from Chile, was elected in April 2017 over Dominican Jose Joaquin Puello and Brazilian Carlos Nuzman. He replaced the Julio César Maglione of Uruguay, who had served as interim president since the death of Mexican Mario Vázquez Raña in February 2015.

Under Ilic, the organization was renamed Panam Sports, and Lima held a successful Pan American Games in 2019. Ilic expects to have four years to complete a "re-engineering" of this mega-event.

"I am worried about the dimension of the Games. I hope that the private sector will trust Panam Sports and get closer to us, and that television will broadcast us more, " he said.

Ilic has also carried out a New Events project, with the I Junior Pan American Games, in 2021, in Cali, Colombia a part of its new agenda.

He has objectives for his second term.

"That we grow the new generations of sport, we are focused on that and we still have a lot to do. We still need time to consolidate each of the projects."

During his term of almost three years, Ilic was elected as an IOC member and to the Executive Board of ANOC.

As of now, there are no candidates to oppose him.

Panam Sports Against the Coronavirus

The Executive Board took note at its meeting in San Juan of the IOC’s stance that Tokyo 2020 will go on as scheduled despite the coronavirus outbreak.

Ilic says Panam Sports has instructed the Pan American Confederations to adopt control measures prior to any competition.

"We are in full line with the IOC. They are very responsible in each of the decisions they make, and especially in a delicate decision like this," he said.

Ilic is confident that the necessary analysis will be made and all precautions will be taken "so that the Olympic Games are carried out and in a good way".

Tokyo 2020 preparations for many athletes in the Americas have been altered by the cancellation, postponements or changes of competition venues and training bases.

"To our regret, on the recommendation of doctors, we had to postpone a training base in Japan for our gymnastics and weightlifting equipment," confirmed the president of the Colombian Olympic Committee, Baltazar Medina, to ATR in San Juan.

Medina, and the Chilean sports minister, Cecilia Pérez, on behalf of their respective Organizing Committees updated the Panam Sports executive board on the preparations for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games and the I Junior Cali 2021.

Ilic confirmed that the sports programs of both events were finalized on Wednesday.

He tells ATR he is not worried about the effect of popular protests in Chile on the preparations for the Santiago 2023.

"We are still four years away," he says, though he admits as a Chilean "this transition, this accommodation, this social discontent, is always worrying."

"I hope politicians can reach the best agreements to fix things and [we are] able to live in peace," he said.

The Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile will be take place between Oct. 20 and Nov. 5, 2023.

Written and reported by Miguel Hernandez in San Juan, Puerto Rico

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