Sadia Cepeda, of the Swimming Association of Santiago, said that Santiago?s athletes have not been able to practice for the Panamerican Diving Championships, even though their city will host the event, because the pool is out of order. “We are the site of the Panamerican Championships in December, but we don’t have a pool,” she protested. She took advantage of the fact that the president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, Jose Joaquin Puello, was in Santiago to speak on the upcoming 2003 Pan American Games to protest that the funds for the repair of the swimming pool and diving installations have not been forthcoming. The pool complex is located in the Pontificia Universidad Madre y Maestra campus in Santiago. For years it has been under repairs, and these are now paralyzed for lack of funding. While the Mejia government has enthusiastically supported the Pan American Games, the funds for preparing athletes and repairing and building sports venues have only trickled in.
