Deputies of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) in the Chamber of Deputies have proposed to restructure the National Sports Commission (Conade) by changing its legal framework and the requirements for its administrators. The deputies complained that Mexican delegations to international sports events have had disappointing performances in spite of the Conade having a budget of more than 37 million ($2 million).
Deputies for the Citizens’ Movement said that Mexican athletes’ failure to win medals at the Olympics is a reflection of the crisis of corruption in the federal government, and that it is vital to create policies that do not obstruct the development of high-performance athletes.
Deputy Julio Saldaña, of the PRD, said that the Mexican athletes’ poor performance in Rio is a demonstration of the “profound failure” of the education reform and the National Development Plan. Saldaña said that the education system, as well as the sports system, should be improved.
Saldaña said that asking Conade head Alfredo Castillo to testify will not be enough, because the problem is bigger than a single person. What is needed, according to Saldaña, is long-term, structural change.
The deputy said that if there is something owed to Castillo Cervantes, it is his honest cynicism when he confessed that the Conade is a simple travel agency and a path to transfer resources.