Rio de Janeiro, Brazil- This past July 12th on the occasion of the 15th Panamerican Games organized in the carioca city the 11th Ordinary Congress of the Association of Panamerican Sports Confederations (APASC) was held where among others events it was proceeded to elect a new Executive Committee which will group the guiding organizations of each respective sports in America and that will be valid for the period included between 2007 to 2011, in other words till the 16th issue of the next Panamerican Games to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The event was held at the Hotel Windsor Barra of this Carioca city with the participation of the presidents or delegates of the Panamerican Sports Confederations, counting with the presence or Mr. Mario Vázquez Raña in his position of President of the Panamerican Sport Organization (PASO) who spoke to the presents to exhort them to continue with the close collaboration between both continental organizations.

This is how Mr. Ivar Sisniega (modern pentathlon) was reelected in the position of president, with the Sirs Antonio Von Ondarza (field hockey), First Vice-president, Luke St. Onge (racquetball), Charles Yatman (canoeing), Jaime Casanova Martínez (judo), José Manuel Peláez Rodríguez (cycling), Vicelia Florenzano (gimnastics) y Manoel Luiz Oliveira (hand ball), as Vicepresidents

The list is completed by Ricardo Contreras (boxing), as General Secretary and Antonio Alvarez (triathlon)  as Treasurer, counting in addition with Jesus Suniaga, José Antonio Guandique Escobar (bowling) and Víctor Sergio Groupierre as members of the Fiscal Commission.

As important points of the agenda of the new unanimously elected Executive there is the statutes modification, the extension of relations with other sport organizations world wide, the close collaboration with PASO and the Organizing Committee of the XVI Panamerican Games to be held in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in the year 2011 and the extension of the present membership among other important topics.

The Association of Panamerican Sport Confederations had its beginnings in 1992 in Acapulco, Mexico, following with the assemblies of Mar del Plata, Argentina 1995, Mexico in 1998, Winnipeg, Canada in 1999, San Jose, Costa Rica in 2000, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2001, Mexico 2003, San Antonio, United States in 2004 and the tenth assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2005.

The election of Casanova Martinez places the Panamerican Judo Union in the Executive Committee of APASC, organization that maintains a close relationship with the Panamerican Sport Organization, PASO, who at the present time is presided by the mexican Don Mario Vázquez Raña, being in several important aspects the technicians behind the diverse Panamerican Games.

The elected Vice-president of the Association of Panamerican Sport Confederations (APASC), initiated his sport career in the practice of Judo on January 29th of 1969 at the Loyola Polytechnic Institute of the city of San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic which lead him  to participate in the World Senior Judo Championship held in 1973 in Lausanne, Switzerland and his participation to the Olympic Games organized in Los Angeles in 1984 and as of year 1984 until 2004, he presided the Dominican Judo Federation without retiring from his position of treasurer of the Dominican Olympic Committee in the period 1994-2004 and Chief of Mission of the Dominican Delegation to the Olympic Games of the Centenary held in the city of Atlanta in 1996, among other important  national and international achievements,  activities and positions.

Casanova who acceded in a temporary manner to the Presidency of the Panamerican Judo Union on November 9th 1999, as a result from the death on July 25th 1999 of the previous president Mr. Sergio Adib Bahi, left the General Secretary that he obtained on November 25th of 1998 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to the Architect Fernando Ibáñez, later to win his first election as president of this Continental Organization in Kissimmee, Orlando, Florida on November 6th of the year 2000, becoming immediately Vice-president of the International Judo Federation and being reelected  in the Ordinary Congress of the year 2004.

Casanova Martinez is the 11th corresponding president of the Panamerican Judo Union, being preceded by Mr. Sergio Adib Bahi of Brazil; the lawyer Frank Carbo of Puerto Rico; Sarkis Kaloghlian of Argentina; Miguel Fernandez of Brazil; Radhames Torruella of Puerto Rico; Carlos Bislip of Aruba; Frank Hatashita of Canada; Jose Oscar Perez of Argentina; Augusto de Oliveira Cordeiro of Brazil and Carlos de Lejarza of Cuba.

Judo had its first Panamerican championships in 1952 in Havana, Cuba and began its participation in the Panamerican Games in 1963 in Brazil in the masculine category and in the feminine category since year 1983 in Caracas, Venezuela and in addition participates in the Central American and Caribbean Games since 1966 making his first Olympic participation in the Olympic Games of Tokyo of the year 1964.

"I feel very satisfied with this election that is a recognition to the work I have achieved at the front of the Panamerican Judo Union, work which without doubt belongs to the Executive Committee and the 42 countries affiliated to our continental organization", said Casanova Martinez.

"I hope to contribute to the fortification of APASC since this will give a greater opportunity to the sports included in the Official Program of the next Panamerican Games of Guadalajara 2011, always in conjunction of actions with the Executive Committee of APASC", concluded Casanova Martinez. –

Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil.

July 30th 2007

COMISIÓN DE MEDIOS