Mario Vazquez Rana will serve another four years as president of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO). Vazquez Rana was reelected by a vote of acclamation at the PASO General Assembly in Mexico City.
The vote was taken by applause, but not all delegates applauded during the vote.
“I know not everybody was pleased but this is how sports are,” Vazquez Rana said after the vote “Among sportsmen there is only one winner”.
In his opening address, Vazquez Rana said he was inspired to run for another term following the 2011 Pan American Games inGuadalajara: “Years ago, I had my intentions for Guadalajara to be my last activity,” he said “You are witnesses to what has happened. One year before the Pan American Games, all of us were under so much stress whether the Games would be held in Guadalajara or not. After the Games, the place where I would like to say goodbye, The Pan American Games became the best Games.”
Vazquez Rana said he wants Toronto 2015 to surpass Guadalajara 2011: “If we make an effort we can place the Canadian Games at the level of the best Games or even at the level of the Olympic Games. Therefore we are absolutely sure that they will organize the best Pan American Games. That’s why I didn’t want to retire from Guadalajara”.
Mario Vazquez Rana (born in 1932) was elected as the President of PASO in 1975. In 1976 he was one of the main figurs of the merging of the 2 international baseball Federations (FIBA and FEMBA) into AINBA, the organization that will later evolve into the IBAF.
