MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands never invited to compete in Panamerican Games

Sports officials from the British colony in the Islas Falklands, whose sovereignty Argentina claims, said they have never been invited to participate in the Panamerican Games, according to the Italian agency ANSA desk in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

"It would be interesting for the organizers of the Panamerican Games to invite us to compete", said Patrick Watts president of the Falklands (how the Argentines call the Islands) Sports Association when asked about the issue by a journalist from the Brazilian internet portal Universo On Line. Brazil is hosting this year's edition of the Panamerican Games next July. However Watts admitted that it's almost impossible such an invitation could be forthcoming since the main objection would come from Argentine authorities. "We'd suffer strong opposition from Argentina if we tried to compete in the Panamerican Games, and we would not accept the option to participate as Argentines, as they would like to see us do so", said the Islands sport official to Universo On Line. Since 1996 the Panamerican Sports Organization, ODEPA, following on a recommendation from the International Olympic Committee, COI, demands members to be independent nations, have an Olympic association and a seat in United Nations. However three British Colonies in Latinamerica and the Caribbean, which have been acting from before such a ruling compete regularly in the Panamerican Games and belong to the hemispheric Olympics organization: Bermudas, Cayman Islands and Virgin Islands. Great Britain in 1833 invaded the Islands that were in Argentine possession (inherited from the Spanish empire) and in 1982 the Argentine dictatorship took control of the archipelago, which finally recovered by London following victory in a war of plus 70 days, concludes the ANSA wire.