IOC provisionally lifts suspension of Guatemala NOC
After two years without being able to participate in competitions of the Olympic cycle under the Guatemalan flag, the IOC decided to provisionally lift the sanction from the country’s Olympic Committee. With this measure, Guatemalan athletes will be able to parade and participate with their flag and official uniform at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Guatemalan athletes, who in the last multi-sport event, the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, participated as Independent Athletes carrying the Panam Sports flag, will be able to wear the official uniform of their country again and will be able to carry their flag at the Paris 2024 Olympic event.
The decision was made this Tuesday by the IOC Executive Board. “In the interest of athletes, the IOC Executive Board considered appropriate to provisionally lift the suspension until further notice. This means that Guatemalan athletes can prepare for the Paris Games, where they will compete with their flag and anthem,” said James Mcleod, Director of Olympic Solidarity and Relations with National Olympic Committees.
“This decision was taken after the positive developments of the last few weeks,” Mcleod added. On Saturday, in an extraordinary session, the General Assembly of the Guatemalan Olympic Committee disowned the president of its executive committee, Jorge Rodas, who was elected on 9 October 2021 in a process that was not recognised by the IOC.
The suspension of Guatemala was the result of interference by the country’s highest court, which overturned some provisions of the statutes and rules of the national Olympic Committee. The sanction came into effect on 15 October 2022.
Cuando nos comprometemos, cumplimos. Nuestros atletas podrán volver a participar en las olimpiadas portando nuestra bandera y cantando nuestro himno. ¡Guatemala sale adelante! 🇬🇹 pic.twitter.com/NNj5ICRMg2
— Bernardo Arévalo (@BArevalodeLeon) March 19, 2024
“This is news that should give us a lot of satisfaction, a lot of joy. The Guatemalan flag will fly fully in Paris,” said Arévalo in a video posted on social media. “Our athletes will make sure that we hear our anthem as often as possible on the podiums,” he added, “and we thank the president of the International Olympic Committee [Thomas Bach] for this effort.”
On his first European tour since taking office in January, Arevalo met Bach in Switzerland on 21 February to discuss Guatemala’s suspension. With this announcement, Guatemala begins to prepare for its fifteenth consecutive participation in the Olympic Games. Guatemala participated for the first time in Mexico 1968 and from then on, uninterruptedly until now.
Next July, the Guatemalan flag will fly again in the mega sport event of the Olympic cycle. To date and with 128 days remaining until the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Guatemala has 10 qualified athletes, hoping to add more in the coming months. Runner Luis Grijalva, who will compete in the 5,000m, is one of the country’s biggest stars.
The Guatemalan athletes confirmed for Paris 2024 are the following:
1. Sebastian Bermudez – Shooting
2. Jose Alejandro Barrondo – Race Walking
3. Adriana Ruano – Shooting
4. Andres Feraández – Modern Pentathlon
5. Jean Pierre Brol – Shooting
6. Juan Ignacio Maegli – Sailing
7. Luis Grijalva – Athletics (5,000 m)
8. Sophia Hernandez – Modern Pentathlon
9. Alberto Gonzalez – Marathon
10. Waleska Soto – Shooting