Attention: the Minister of Sports, Astrid Bibiana Rodríguez, resigned

The questioned Sports Minister of Gustavo Petro's government, Astrid Bibiana Rodríguez presented her letter of resignation this Thursday.

Rodríguez had been in the eye of the storm after management errors that led to Panam Sports taking away Barranquilla's hosting of the 2027 Pan American Games.

This Friday the sessions of the legislature for this semester will restart and a motion of censure against the minister was being prepared. Senator David Luna assured that he already had 32 signatures.

In his resignation letter, Rodriguez She did not make any mention of the subject of the Pan American Games and limited herself to reviewing what she considers the achievements of her time in the portfolio.

“Close to completing one year at the head of this portfolio that is so important for physical health
and mental health of Colombians, I want to express my most sincere gratitude for the opportunity that you gave me, not only to me as a person, but to the union of teachers and physical educators, without your vision, it would not have been possible for professionals of this branch to occupy such a distinguished position,” Rodríguez said in the letter.

“Committed to the country's athletes, considered ambassadors of peace to the world, the federations' budget was strengthened, allowing them to continue with the high-achieving sports development in the country. In addition, the rapprochement with the Colombian Olympic Committee allowed us to work together to propose strategies that strengthen Colombian sports,” he added.

Colombia definitively lost the venue for the 2027 Pan American Games on February 1, when Panam Sports announced that Lima and Asunción were the candidate cities to host them after failures to bring the games to Barranquilla.
Previously, on January 3 of this year, the president of Panam Sports, Neven Ilic, sent a letter in which he announced that Barranquilla would lose the headquarters “indefinitely” due to Colombia's constant non-compliance.

In October, Colombia had reached a payment agreement to transfer eight million dollars in two installments, one on December 30 and another on January 31. The non-payment of the first, despite having the resources, generated the decision of Panam Sports.

For this reason, the Attorney General's Office opened an investigation against Rodríguez “due to the serious findings found by our preventive delegate”, and for a possible financial detriment, since an initial payment of more than two million dollars had already been made from Barranquilla.

Statement from the then minister after losing the Pan American Games

The then Minister of Sports, Astrid Rodríguez, issued a statement on January 4 announcing the Government's 'surprise' at Panam Sports' decision and explained that this was not what was agreed upon with the organization when Colombia was chosen to host the the Panamerican Games.

“We acknowledge the resources that we have disbursed to Panam Sports for the Pan American and Parapan American Games. The Government of Colombia has reaffirmed on multiple occasions its genuine commitment to holding the 2027 Pan American and Parapan American Games.”

“In conversation with Neven Llic, president of Panam Sports, the Minister of Sports, Astrid Bibiana Rodríguez, reached an agreement to make the total payment of use 8,000,000 during the month of January 2024, while there was a difficulty in doing so during the term 2023”.

“Surprisingly, Panam Sports sends a letter to the president of the Colombian Olympic Committee expressing the unilateral decision and, contrary to what was agreed with this Ministry, to terminate the contract and cancel the holding of the Pan American Games in Barranquilla.”

“It is necessary to point out that this administration, within the framework of what is contemplated in the contract whose purpose is to allocate Barranquilla as the host city for the organization of the XX Pan American and Parapan American Games in 2027, continued the procedures to appropriate the resources for to the quotas for granting media rights, sales of official products, and sponsorships, as required.”

“The commitment of the National Government to comply with what was agreed and thus be able to ensure the holding of the Pan American and Parapan American Games is reflected in Law 2342 of December 15, 2023, by which the budget of income and resources of capital and appropriations law for the fiscal period from January 19 to December 31, 2024″, in which specific resources were assigned for the Caribbean region, within which those of this sporting commitment are contemplated.

After reading the statement, Minister Astrid Rodríguez responded to the questions: “We had two payments to make, one in December 2023 and the other in January 2024. The one in December, as I told the president of Panama and to the Colombian Olympic Committee, We had a problem with the money they gave us to allocate all the payments we had to make. That was not enough for us and we had two options: leave the payment that we had in December, that we had the money, in accounts payable, but the state said that they would possibly pay them in March, the other option was to leave it with the January 2024 budget and do it in January 2024.”

“I told president Neven Ilic that I have the money in January to do it faster and be able to comply, I told him that I could corroborate. But, the executive committee (of Panam Sports) said that we would lose the headquarters in Barranquilla 2027. On several occasions we told We have met with Panam Sports to show our strength.”

“This contract comes from 2021, that year a payment is made. In 2022 a payment is not made. In 2023 we resumed conversations to show our desire to look at how to continue with the headquarters and we are committed to paying the 2022 payment in December. But due to cash flow we couldn't do it, that's why we decided to do it in January (the 8 million dollars).

“We were able to make the payment, but the disbursement would not arrive as quickly as we wanted, that's why the decision to pay in January to pay all the money, that's what I told him (Neven Ilic).

“We have the desire and will to continue so that Barranquilla hosts the Pan American Games.”

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