Santo Domingo.– The technical director of the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, Tony Mesa, revealed this Thursday that the case of baseball player Wander Franco could have had an alternative that would have allowed for the evaluation of his participation in the regional event, provided that the arrangements had been made in a timely manner through institutional channels and within the deadlines established by the regulations.
During an interview granted to the radio program Mañana Deportiva, Mesa stated that the Organizing Committee never received a request to explore the possibilities that, as he explained, could have existed before the final closing of the registration process.
“No one approached us to seek a possible solution. Could a possible solution have been achieved? Of course. Because at a certain point, when situations like that occur, the host country has its leeway. But after the final allegation registration passes, it is already difficult to make a change,” he stated.
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Mesa explained that the host country status allows, under certain circumstances and always within the regulatory framework, exploring alternatives to address exceptional situations, although he made it clear that this margin disappears once the official deadlines established by the organization expire.
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Sources with knowledge of the process consulted by this media outlet indicated that, in an initial stage, contacts were made to explore possible alternatives. However, those efforts did not prosper and, once the case gained wide public exposure, different versions maintain that the margin for a solution ended up shrinking considerably, as the discussion moved from the technical level to the public and institutional sphere.
When asked if there are precedents of athletes with ongoing legal proceedings who have been included in multi-sport competitions, Mesa replied that yes, provided that the athlete’s legal situation does not involve restrictions that prevent them from entering or leaving the host country.
“Yes, there have been in several sports, on several occasions, and there has been no problem, as long as that type of sanction does not affect the State security of the country,” he expressed.
The technical director explained that the determining factor is not the existence of a judicial process itself, but the legal limitations that may prevent the athlete’s participation.
“If you have a criminal sanction, obviously you have an impediment to entering or leaving the country. When that type of situation does not occur, there have been such cases in various sports,” he pointed out.
Mesa’s statements add a previously unknown element to the debate regarding Wander Franco’s absence from the 2026 Santo Domingo Central American and Caribbean Games, by revealing that there was room to explore alternatives before the regulatory deadlines expired, a possibility that ultimately did not materialize.
