The president of the Chilean Olympic Committee, 55-year old Neven Ilic Álvarez bested Dominican José Joaquín Puello by one vote (26-25) in a second round vote that was necessary during the General Assembly of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) taking place in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Puello is a past president of the Dominican Olympic Committee. Previously, Ilic and Puello had defeated Brazil’s Carlos Nuzman.
Ilic was elected for a four-year term. He said that preparations for the Pan American Sports Games in Lima 2019 are his number one priority. Ilic will replace Julio César Maglione who held a two year transitional term after the passing away of Mario Vázquez Raña in 2015. Vázquez Raña had held the position for around 40 years.
As reported, the Dominican Republic secured the Caribbean country votes, but failed to convince all the Central American countries to back its candidacy. Some 41 countries voted, but there were 51 votes cast. This was because 10 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic) had double vote after having hosted the Pan Am Games.
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Ovacion Digital
Inside the Games
PASO
27 April 2017
