COD embargo jeopardizes payments to athletes and administrative staff

SANTO DOMINGO. The withholding embargo applied to the accounts of the Dominican Olympic Committee (COD) has triggered a chain of effects that directly affects 476 athletes, administrative staff, and the functioning of federations linked to high-performance sports in the country.

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The measure, requested by lawyer Ronald Santana on behalf of four federations suspended by the COD itself, has blocked the funds that the Ministry of Sports (Miderec) deposits to cover the salary increase for the athletes of the Parni Program.

Although the resources are available in the COD accounts, the embargo prevents their distribution, explained the general secretary of the organization, Luis Chanlatte. The co-management agreement between the Miderec and the Olympic Committee establishes that these funds must be managed directly by the COD, which is now paralyzed.

Federations and staff also affected

The impact affects 16 sports federations, as well as the Dominican Paralympic Committee, which receive resources through the Creso program. These funds, intended for the development of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, also cannot be transferred. Among the affected federations are: Basketball, boxing, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, golf, judo, wrestling, weightlifting, table tennis, sailing/kitesurfing, taekwondo, swimming, tennis, men’s volleyball and the Paralympic structure. Also, nearly 140 employees of the Dominican Olympic Hostel (Alodom) and the COD administrative staff are facing delays in their payments, compromising the internal functioning of the institution.

A critical moment for Dominican sports

The situation occurs less than a year before the Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, which could affect the preparation of the disciplines involved. On June 24, the Minister of Sports, Kelvin Cruz, had allocated 220 million pesos for the federations, funds of which a significant part is now withheld. The embargo puts on hold essential commitments for sports development, leaving athletes, federations, and support structures that depend on these resources for their operation in uncertainty. Source: Diario Libre.