Costa Rican Olympic
Committee's President
Resigns
The president of the
Costa Rican National
Olympic Committee, Jorge
Nery Carvajal, resigned
due to the pressures of
the federation and the
lack of support from the
international
authorities.
Carvajal presented his
resignation to the
extraordinary general
assembly of the
Pan-American Sports
Organization (Odepa) on
Monday night.
Carvajal did not resist
the pressure of the
federation that had
asked for his
resignation since 2007.
After the Assembly,
Carvajal said that he
was leaving to avoid a
sanction to the Costa
Rican Olympic team.
Carvajal was accused in
October 2007 by a former
Costa Rica Olympic
Committee member fraud,
using a forged document
and misadministration.
Carvajal denied those
allegations and
initially refused to
leave his post. His
opponents then set up a
parallel committee that
was never recognized.
But late Monday at an
Olympic committee
meeting mediated by four
members of the Pan
American Sports
Organization, Nery
Carvajal said it was
time to leave.
In comments broadcast on
national television,
Carvajal said he didn't
want the controversy
surrounding his post to
affect the six Costa
Ricans who have
qualified for the
Beijing Olympics this
summer.
"Our athletes haven't
been able to get behind
our flag for the Beijing
Games, and we can't
allow that," he said.
His resignation was
effective immediately
and came 23 years after
he first was named
president of the Olympic
committee. He said he
will continue in his
post as vice-president
of PASO.
Roberto Verdesia was
named the committee's
interim president. An
election will be held in
September, after the
Games, to choose
Carvajal's replacement.
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