Despite being ranked in the first national place in his category, the Oaxacan judoka Ulises Méndez Cobos lost his ticket to represent Mexico in the 2021 Pan American Youth Games, for not having participated in the Pan American Judo Championship that was held in the city from Guadalajara, Jalisco.
The president of the Oaxaca State Judo Association (AJEO), Lenin Velasco López, reported that he does not know the reason why the under-21 national champion of the up to 66 kilogram division did not complete his registration process or attend the continental competition.
Ulises Méndez was one of the two Oaxacan gladiators qualified for the Pan American Judo Championship, which was initially scheduled to take place last April in Quebec, Canada, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic he changed the date and venue, therefore he postponed it from November 20 to 22, 2020 in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco.
“I contacted Ulises Méndez Cobos to inform him about the registration date and the celebration of the Pan American Selective for youth athletes”, indicated the leader and state coach Lenin Velasco López.
Despite holding the national title of his category, by regulation the Oaxacan Ulises Méndez Cobos lost the opportunity to participate in the 2021 Pan American Youth Games, which are scheduled from June 5 to 19 in the city of Cali, Colombia, for not having presented to the Pan American Selective held in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
For the celebration of the Pan American Judo Championship 2020, a sanitary protocol was carried out that practically encapsulated the competitors after being subjected to PCR diagnostic tests, to detect and prevent infections by COVID-19.
Professor Lenin Velasco López commented that he learned that the judoka Ulises Méndez had not registered and had not participated in the Pan American Judo Championship until he received a call from the president of the Mexican Judo Federation, Manuel Larrañaga Bonavides.
“What a relaxation they bring in Oaxaca. You know that the regulation cannot be violated, ”the federative told Lenin Velasco, after receiving a phone call from the director of the Institute of Physical Culture and Sports of Oaxaca (Incude Oaxaca), Montserrat de los Ángeles Aragón Heinze , with the purpose of giving a new opportunity to Ulises Méndez Cobos from Oaxaca.
