Panama withdraws from organizing 2022 CACSO Games 

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 24, 2020 – Luis Mejía Oviedo, president of the Central American and Caribbean Sport Organization (CACSO), has expressed his disappointment at the way Panama City has withdrawn from the commitment to host the 2022 Regional Games through a press release.

Mejía Oviedo expressed his surprise upon learning from the press that Panama City was voiding its commitment to organize the Central American and Caribbean Games of 2022 and at the same time ensuring that they will seek for solutions to carry out the event in an alternate city.

Mejia Oviedo reported that just last week he received a letter from Eduardo Cerda, the general director of PANDEPORTE confirming Panama's commitment to organize the Games, so he considered the handling given by the authorities to the issue as irresponsible, since a decision to decline the Games should be done formally and not by a statement to the media.

“For CACSO the health and well-being of the athletes comes first and we have always been in contact with the Organizing Committee to find ways of solution that would permit the Games to take place and that Panama could guarantee the health of its population, which is the reason I feel at the same time surprised and disappointed that the authorities did not even have the professionalism to coordinate such important information with our organization,” said Mejía Oviedo.

Despite this situation, the president of CACSO reported that his organization will continue forward with the 2022 Games and that its Executive Committee will meet on Saturday 25 to discuss the issue and start looking for solutions and alternatives.