Roberto Gesta de Melo (BRA), President of South American Athletics Confederation (Consudatle) (© Getty Images)
The South American Athletics Confederation (Consudatle) has elected Brazil’s Roberto Gesta de Melo as President during its Congress on 28 August.
Re-elected by acclamation, Gesta de Melo announced that the South American Area Association would support Lamine Diack in his campaign to win a new mandate as President of the IAAF. The election will take place in August 2007, during IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Osaka, Japan. “With Lamine Diack as President, we are assured that there will be a continued promotion of athletics”, said Gesta de Melo, who is currently IAAF Area Representative for South America on the IAAF Council.
“The developing nations in South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania have received great support to develop this sport at national level”, said Gesta de Melo, who has been a long term President of the Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAt). “There is no doubt that important IAAF competitions are being organised in all continents because of Diack’s mission to universalise the sport.”
The Consudatle Congress also elected Colombia’s Ciro Solano as first vice-president. The other two vice-presidents are the Venezuelan Nelson Rodriguez and Uruguay’s José Maria Lombardo. Eduardo Bernao of Argentian as been elected honorary vice-president and Chile’s Patrício Smith has been elected as an honorary member.