The conflict between Ecuador's Deputy Ministry of Sports and the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee (COE) continues, with the latter's recently elected board not yet registered. This impasse has hindered the COE from receiving its allocated resources. Deputy Minister Roberto Ibáñez firmly asserts that the leadership comprising Jorge Delgado and Jefferson Pérez cannot be registered as it would violate current legal regulations concerning eligibility for re-election.

According to Ecuadorian Sports Law, specifically article 151, board members can only seek immediate re-election once. Jorge Delgado, in his case, is attempting to secure his first re-election as president, but the Deputy Minister insists that he has held positions on previous boards five times, thus making him ineligible for this role under existing law. This legal interpretation has sparked a considerable dispute between the ministry and the COE, as the latter remains in a state of administrative limbo.

In an interview with El Universo, Ibáñez elaborates further on this issue, recalling that in 2023, the then Minister of Sports, Sebastián Palacios, sought guidance from the Attorney General’s office to clarify the implications of these restrictions. The ongoing discord points to broader challenges within Ecuador’s sports governance structure, where legal compliance intersects with the aspirations for leadership within sports organizations. The way forward seems contingent on resolving these legal disputes and potentially redefining eligibility criteria for future elections within the COE.