INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

of Dr Telmo Piedra, Director of Medical Department of the Loja
Federation.
I am very happy to inform you that in both cities, the results
exceeded our expectations regarding assistance and interest of the
presents.
By a request of the President of the Bolivar Federation, the EOA
organized a Sports Medicine Course on November of last year.
Doping was one of the main subjects of the course, because there were
some cases of doping among Ecuadorian weightlifters training for the
2004 Olympic Games.
With the experience we have acquired, we will try to form
Medical Commissions in each province of Ecuador. They will receive
training to handle issues like doping, sports medicine and everything
related to the Olympic Movement.
During the Olympic Week, and for the first time, “The twelve
nautical hours” were held. This event was a strength and stamina test
where the best swimmers of Ecuador were present and the winning
team swam more than 54.000 meters. This event will be part of future
celebrations of the Olympic Week and we will probably invite
swimmers of other countries.
An important and memorable event was the signature of a contract
with the Postal Unit of Ecuador to issue four postal stamps
commemorating the future participation of Ecuadorian athletes in the
Olympic Games of Athens 2004.
We have the satisfaction to announce that in Ecuador there is little
or no racism among athletes, sports professionals and sports
authorities. Athletes of different races, of all the provinces of Ecuador,
train together and share the sports facilities day after day. Indian,
black, mestizo and white athletes have given glorious moments to
Ecuador. Alexandra Escobar is a black athlete that will represent
Ecuador in Greece 2004 in weightlifting, and she has all the support of
the EOC.
The EOA will never allow that the ghost of racism invades sports
practice in Ecuador.
Children have been our concern, too. During the Olympic Week,
the V Painting Games took place. Many schools where invited to
participate. The theme chosen for this year was “Fight against
doping”. With vivid imagination, all the participants showed that there
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