IOC suspends Guatemala's Olympic Committee

LAUSANNE, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Guatemala's Olympic Committee (NOC) on Sunday due to a failure to resolve a legal dispute.

The suspension means "the athletes of Guatemala can no longer represent the country and compete under the country's flag/name at the Olympic Games and other international multi-sports events; and the NOC of Guatemala is no longer entitled to operate as an NOC according to its role as defined in the Olympic Charter and will no longer receive any funding from the Olympic Movement, until the suspension is lifted," the IOC said in a statement.

In August 2022, the Constitutional Court of Guatemala decided to provisionally suspend a number of provisions of the NOC's Statutes and Regulations, relating in particular to the NOC election process, for unclear reasons, despite the warnings from the IOC.

On September 8, the IOC Executive Board decided to suspend the NOC of Guatemala with effect as from October 15, if certain criteria were not met before that date.

"In the interest of the athletes and the Olympic movement in Guatemala, the IOC has urged the NOC and the relevant authorities in Guatemala to meet and find an acceptable solution... which would allow the IOC Executive Board to lift the suspension of the NOC as soon as possible," the IOC said.