IOC EB provisionally lifts suspension of NOC of Guatemala; confirms objective of having a gender-balanced Afghan team at Paris 2024

NOC of Guatemala

In the interest of the athletes of Guatemala, the IOC EB today decided to provisionally lift the suspension of the NOC of Guatemala until further notice.

This decision was taken following positive developments over the past few weeks, including in particular:

• the fruitful meeting on 21 February 2024 in Lausanne between the IOC President, Thomas Bach, and the President of Guatemala, Mr Bernardo Arévalo;
• the decision by TEDEFE (the electoral body) on 1 March 2024 to reverse its initial decision;
• the resolutions of the Extraordinary General Assembly of the NOC of Guatemala which took place on 16 March 2024, whereby the IOC-recognised President of the NOC, Mr Gerardo Aguirre, and the NOC Executive Committee were reinstated and given full authority to lead the NOC under the IOC-approved NOC statutes of December 2021 and the Olympic Charter.

This means that the NOC of Guatemala, through its IOC-recognised leadership, can operate again as an NOC under the Olympic Charter and the IOC-approved NOC statutes of December 2021, and prepare for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. This will also allow the athletes of Guatemala to be entered by the IOC-recognised NOC and to compete under their flag and anthem at the Olympic Games and other international multi-sports events, as normal.

The IOC EB will reserve the right to take any further measures, including the reinstatement of the suspension, should there be any further undue interference with the internal governance of the NOC.

The IOC NOC Relations Department will continue to monitor the situation very closely, in particular with regard to the expected modifications of the sports legislation to make sure that the NOC of Guatemala can freely conduct its elections, in accordance with the IOC-approved NOC statutes and the Olympic Charter. The IOC EB will be given an update in December 2024.

The IOC EB suspended the NOC of Guatemala on 8 September 2022 with effect as from 15 October 2022, due to external interference with the NOC’s governance.

NOC of Afghanistan

The IOC EB confirmed the objective of having a gender-balanced Afghan team at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

In the framework of the IOC EB decisions taken on 21 June 2023 and 6 December 2022, which set out clear conditions with regard to any support for, activities with and continued operations of the Afghan NOC, the IOC has been in continuous dialogue with the Afghan NOC and the Afghan sports authorities with the aim of reversing the current restrictions on access to sport for women and girls in Afghanistan. At the same time, Afghan athletes, in particular female athletes, have been regularly benefiting from IOC/Olympic Solidarity support to represent their country in international sports competitions, including the Olympic Games.

Everything is being done, with the Afghan NOC and the International Federations concerned, to ensure that the Afghan NOC can send a mixed-gender team to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.