Mexico "has avoided any threat of suspension from the Olympics after
the IOC found no evidence that the government was interfering in thework of sports federations," according to the AP. Pere Miro, the IOC’s deputy director general of
relations with the Olympic movement, said that the Mexican government
has assured the IOC that "it respects the
autonomy of national sports bodies and will not meddle in their
leadership." Mexican sports officials "expressed concern the country could be suspended by the IOC and miss next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro because of a conflict with the government." The sports bodies "are facing financial inspections by a national government agency, which is questioning how funds are being spent." Mexico National Commission of Physical Culture & Sports Head Alfredo Castillo has been critical of the Olympic Charter, calling it "the best invention that has been created to avoid monitoring of how public money is spent" (AP, 12/8). REUTERS' Karolos Grohmann wrote the IOC "is eager to safeguard the autonomy of sport from government interference, but it said it had been reassured by the Mexican government." Miro said that "at the moment there was only a threat and no actual interference in Mexico's national sports bodies." Miro: "For us this case is not a case. Politicians can talk, but at the moment if you want to speak about facts there are none" (REUTERS, 12/8).
