Next November 30, work will begin on construction of the village that will house athletes and others scheduled attend the Pan Am Games, according to Sports and Physical Education Minister, Cesar Cede?o. He also offered assurances that the games will take place because the government will support every aspect of the project. At the same time, money to support the athletes who will represent the DR at the games is becoming available. An initial grant of DR$16 million (around US$970,000) will now be disbursed, according to Bienvenido Solano, Director of the Panamerican Games. Cede?o dismissed as irrelevant the current discussion over the probity of the bidding procedure for the construction contract, and the desire in some quarters to see the bidding reopened. ?These are irrelevant details,? he said. ?Its not important whether the company that builds the village has one name or another.? Neither was Cede?o concerned that the Congress has yet to approve the US$140 million loan from the Banco de Bilbao to finance the construction. If necessary, we?ll use our own funds,? he said. According to Solano, the Sports Ministry will provide DR$3 million per month between now and January for equipment and training for the 15 sports categories in which the DR will compete. Despite these positive stirrings, finger pointing over the ultimate responsibility for the games continues. Mario Vasquez Ra?a, Director of the Pan-American Sports Organization (ODEPA) told Hoy that the one and only person accountable for mounting the games is Jose Joaquin Puello, Director of the Dominican Olympic Committee (CDO). Puello led the Dominican delegation to the ODEPA meeting in Colorado Springs earlier this month, and offered the nation?s guarantees. For his part, Puello told Hoy that he had done his part, and the rest is now up to the government and the congress. ?Its true,? said Vasquez Ra?a, ?that the host city and the federal government have an organizational responsibility, however ODEPA entrusts the realization of the games to country?s Olympic Committee.?
