Argentina's Olympic Committee fires mission chief for supporting the 1976 military dictatorship.
"In the Argentine Olympic Committee that I preside over, there is no room for those who claim as heroes those convicted by the courts for crimes against humanity. Diversity of opinions does not include tolerance for such unacceptable expressions," tweeted the president of the COA, Gerardo Werthein, this Monday, the 6th.
247 - The Argentine Olympic Committee (COA) dismissed its top professional manager, Diego Gusmán, who was head of mission at the Rio 2016 Olympics, the Pan American Games in Lima, and who was to hold the same position at the Tokyo Games. informs UOL journalist Demétrio Vecchioli was fired after sharing a video in a WhatsApp group in which he praised the Argentine dictatorship of 1976.
"In the Argentine Olympic Committee that I preside over, there is no room for those who claim as heroes those convicted by the courts for crimes against humanity. Diversity of opinions does not include tolerance for such unacceptable expressions," tweeted COA President Gerardo Werthein on Monday, the 6th.
On the Day of Remembrance and Justice, when Argentina commemorates the victims tortured and murdered during the military dictatorship, the president of the chess federation announced in a WhatsApp group of sports leaders that he would hold an online competition "for memory, truth, and justice." In response, Guzmán, who is a military officer, reacted by posting in the group defending the dictatorship, calling the dictators "heroes."
Five COA advisors decided to file a formal complaint, demanding Gusmán's immediate dismissal. Gusmán himself was an advisor in the past, but resigned from the position to take a paid job on the committee as head of mission – a role held for many years by IOC member Bernard Rajzman and currently by vice-president Marco La Porta at the COB.