Yescritical voices continue to add up for the measures of the Government of Colombia, headed by Gustavo Petro since August 7, 2022, against athletes and the support they had in previous administrations. Now It is the cycling team ‘Colombia Potencia de la Vida’, sponsored by the Ministry of Sports, which pronounces and calls for the lack of resources and payments.
Within the framework of the classifications for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a letter from athletes and former elite athletes for the creation of the ‘National Sports Table’ and thus ensure that the money does not disappear for them. There was also direct statements like that of the cyclist Nairo Quintanawhich referred to the measures of the president and his officials regarding the lack of concern, decrease in resources and criticism of the existence of Mindeporte:
We have been losing places in the Olympic cycle, we have lost competitions and we want to get back to it. Our wish is that the Government and the minister (Luz Cristina López) do well. May it last long and may we be able to ‘redirect the ship’ so that they guarantee athletes that dream guide that we have as Colombians… They (the president) said that the Ministry of Sports was of no use, although I don’t know if they meant the Ministry or who directs it, because we have not been lucky enough to have the leader that we would like to have to take advantage of it that Colombia has with great talents in different sports
Complaints from members of the ‘Colombia Potencia de la Vida’ team with the Government of Colombia
This team, of continental category and that has a contract with Bicicletas Strongman, had started in 2020 under the presidency of Iván Duque and within the ‘Talentos Colombia’ program of the Colombian Ministry of Sports. The idea was to support young talents and empower athletes in projection into elite sport, in addition to unite 3 teams: Coldeportes Zenú, Coldeportes Bicicletas Strongman and GW Shimano.
The idea was participation in local and international events in the women’s, pre-youth, youth, sub-23, elite and Paralympic cycling categories, but he also had links with nearly 300 athletes of all categories and branches. And to expand coverage, in the youth categories it has been managed with the intervention of the ‘Esteban Chaves Foundation’, led by Jairo Chaves, father of the cyclist after whom this foundation is named.
Well, last Tuesday, April 23, a letter was made public in which they raised their concerns, concerns and complaints:
We want to express our concern regarding the continuity of our team. As athletes committed to promoting cycling in our country, we are aware of the importance of having the necessary support and support to continue advancing and representing Colombia in competitions at the national and international level.
Our team has demonstrated great performance and outstanding results in various competitions, the national championship, Tour Colombia, among others, which has positioned us as leaders in Colombian cycling and has opened opportunities for many in international cycling.
That is why we request your intervention and support as corresponding entities to give us a response and take measures to ensure the continuity of the Colombia Potencia de la Vida Strongman team. Since they do not respond to us for our current contracts, signed with the CPC Paralympic committee in April of this year. We as professional athletes prepare every day as part of our stipulated job function to be able to represent our sponsors in the country’s competitions and many of us opted this year to renew or sign with this team, leaving aside other offers, since that, in our opinion, this opportunity represented a great projection for our sporting future as it is the Government team
The letter was addressed to the Ministry of Sports of Colombia, to Minister Luz Cristina López and to the corresponding authoritiesIn addition, it was signed by the cyclists and members of the ‘Colombia Potencia de la Vida – Strongman’ team.
Decision of the Government of Colombia and Mindeporte with the ‘Colombia Potencia de la Vida’ team
Well, in simple and direct words, one day after the letter published by the team members talking about their payments and lack of support, came the official statement from the Ministry of Sports that deals a very hard blow because it stopped the financing and will study the contractdespite the fact that the agreement was in force and leaving those who depended on the squad without sustenance or support:
The Ministry of Sports, headed by Minister Luz Cristina López Trejos, after analyzing the structure of the support contract for the Colombia Potencia de la Vida cycling teams, has decided, in common agreement with the Colombian Paralympic Committee, to suspend its selection process. implementation due to circumstances of a legal nature that came under review.
In the coming weeks, the decisions made after the legal and contractual analysis of the project will be communicated. We understand the inconvenience that this process can bring for cyclists and Para cyclists; That is why we work to respond to your concerns as soon as possible.
Sit-in by cyclists from the ‘Colombia Potencia de la Vida’ before the Ministry of Sports
To shed more light and data, before the team was transformed and due to efforts that have been going on for many years between the National Government and the defunct Coldeportes (now the Ministry of Sports), there was support in the races of Nairo Quintana and Esteban Chaves. And already under the structure of the current team there were names in the men’s branch such as those of Germán Darío Gómez, Óscar Quiroz, Nelson Soto, Édgar Pinzón and Yeison Casallas; Among the women were Lina Hernández and Ana Cristina Sanabria, as well as Paula Ossa, in paracycling.
That is why it is considered very bad news that, due to administrative and contractual issues, a sporting process that has given results to the country is stopped. And in this situation, Next Monday, April 29, a sit-in of the team members is scheduled, among cyclists and members of all areas.
And although They did not want to give details, not even because of the complaint that they removed the bicycles, training and competition equipmentfrom Mindeporte responded to the newspaper El Espectador the following and left many questions in the air:
“In the coming weeks, the decisions made after the legal and contractual analysis of the project will be communicated. We understand the inconveniences that this process can bring for cyclists and paracyclists; that is why we work to respond to your concerns as soon as possible”.
